Event update
This event was originally scheduled as a talk by Brad Jacobson. Due to speaker illness, the session will now be a fireside chat with Professor Julie Kientz and Emily Lin.
Julie Kientz
Professor & Chair, Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington
Emily S Lin
Senior Research Director, Civic Power Lab, Harvard Kennedy School
January 29, 2026
4:30 – 5:20 P.M.
Sieg Building, room 134
A Fireside Chat on Human Centered Design for Civic Tech
Join Professor Julie Kientz and Emily Lin for a fireside chat on Human-Centered Design for Civic Tech. The conversation will explore how human-centered design methods can shape technologies that serve communities, institutions, and the public good.
About the presenters
Julie Kientz is a Professor and Chair of the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, where she directs the Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab. Dr. Kientz’s research focuses on understanding and reducing the user burdens of interactive technologies for health, education, and families through the design of future applications.
Emily S Lin, PhD (HCDE UCD Certificate '18)is an educator and entrepreneur who has worked at the intersection of civic and community development, technology R&D, and learning for over 20 years, currently as Senior Research Director of the Civic Power Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and as co-founder of Lumoviz, a civic tech startup. She led the first HCDE Democracy Design Jam in 2020 and brings expertise on how human-centered design can both support and impede democratic practice.
The UX Speaker Series is hosted Thursdays in winter quarter by the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Presentations are open to the public.
Depending on the speaker's preference, a recording will be posted to this webpage after the event. View the full schedule at hcde.uw.edu/ux.