Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE)

05/28/2026

Over the past year, HCDE junior Taylor Bradshaw has helped introduce younger students to engineering through outreach, mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences.

She worked with middle school students through HCDE’s Alternative Spring Break program, helped coordinate HCDE’s Engineering Discovery Days activities for thousands of K–12 students visiting UW, and will soon mentor incoming engineering students as a First-year Interest Group (FIG) Leader.

For Bradshaw, these experiences have reinforced one of the central ideas she’s learned in HCDE: good design starts with understanding people.

Read more about how outreach and mentorship are shaping her HCDE experience:

From teaching middle school students in northeastern Washington to coordinating Engineering Discovery Days activities at UW, Human Centered Design & Engineering student Taylor Bradshaw is helping inspire the next generation of engineers through outreach and mentorship.

05/27/2026

From AI and accessibility to transportation, sustainability, healthcare, and interactive technologies, HCDE students are showcasing a wide range of human-centered projects this spring.

Join us for a week of open student showcases featuring presentations, prototypes, demos, and capstone projects from across our courses and degree programs.

Events are open to students, alumni, friends, prospective students, and the public.

Explore the full showcase schedule and learn more:

HCDE ivites the community to a week of student showcases (June 2–8) featuring interactive demos, prototypes, presentations, and capstone projects from across HCDE courses.

05/22/2026

Join us for the 2026 Human Centered Design & Engineering Capstone Showcase on Wednesday, June 3 from 4–6 p.m. in the UW HUB Ballroom!

Explore 50+ projects from HCDE students addressing real-world challenges across AI, healthcare, accessibility, sustainability, transportation, entertainment, and more.

This year’s projects were developed in collaboration with organizations including Microsoft, Uber, Google Cloud, Sony, Sound Transit, Bloodworks Northwest, King County Parks, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle Art Museum, UW partners, and many more.

Meet student teams, experience interactive demos, and connect with the HCDE community as students showcase months of human-centered research, design, and engineering work.

Previous  Nex The University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering presents: 2026 HCDE Capstone Showcase Wednesday, June 34 - 6 p.m.UW Husky Union Building, Ballroom Save to your calendar Explore more than 50 projects from Human Centered Design & Engineering students ta...

05/19/2026

The HCDE 2026 Class Gift Campaign is now open! 🎓

This year’s graduating class selected the HCDE Fund for Excellence, a flexible fund that helps our department respond quickly to opportunities that enrich student learning, research, and community.

Gifts to the fund support experiences like:
+ Guest speakers and industry experts in HCDE classrooms
+ Student conference travel and professional development
+ Community events and learning experiences
+ Innovative teaching and research initiatives

Join us in celebrating the Class of 2026 with a gift of $20.26 or any amount meaningful to you. Every gift helps support future HCDE students.

05/14/2026

Earlier this week, HCDE welcomed Dr. Laura Forlano of Northeastern University for the 2026 Judith Ramey & Stephanie Rosenbaum Distinguished Lecture, 'Designing Consequences: On Living Well with Machines.'

Drawing on her own experiences as a “disabled cyborg” and nearly two decades of research spanning design, critical disability studies, and critical computing, Forlano challenged audiences to think differently about AI, human-machine relationships, disability, care, and the future of technology. Her talk also explored larger questions about who gets to define what it means to be human, and who we are becoming alongside the technologies we create.

Read more and watch the full lecture recording:

Dr. Laura Forlano delivered HCDE's 2026 Distinguished Lecture, Designing Consequences: On Living Well with Machines. Drawing on her own “disabled cyborg” life and nearly two decades of research spanning design, critical disability studies, critical computing, and critical pedagogy, Forlano explo...

05/08/2026

Last week we welcomed faculty, students, alumni, collaborators, and partners to the 2026 Human Centered Design & Engineering Research Showcase.

The event featured lightning talks, research posters, and interactive demos spanning topics such as digital safety, mental health interventions, accessibility, AI literacy, public infrastructure, online communities, and wearable technologies.

The showcase also introduced the community to new HCDE Assistant Professor Emily Tseng, whose research explores digital safety and technology-mediated harms.

View our recap and find recordings of faculty lightning talks here:

The 2026 HCDE Research Showcase brought together researchers, students, alumni, and community partners for an evening of lightning talks, research posters, and interactive demos highlighting ongoing work across the department.

05/05/2026

What does it mean to be human in a world shaped by technology?

Join HCDE for a Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Laura Forlano on design, disability, data, and the futures we’re building.

📅 Monday, May 11
🕞 3:30–5 p.m.
📍 UW HUB 334

Open to the public. RSVP to attend:

The Distinguished Lecture Series at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering brings leading experts in the fields of human-centered design to the University of Washington to spark new ideas and innovative conversations. These events are free and are open to the public, as well as Univer...

04/27/2026

The HCDE Research Showcase is tomorrow! Join us at the UW Club to explore research posters and demos, hear lightning talks, and connect with faculty and student researchers across HCDE.

Tuesday, April 28 | 4:30–6 p.m. | UW Club | Open to the public

Preview the full program, including speakers and projects:

PreviousNext PreviousNext 2026 HCDE Research Showcase Tuesday, April 28 University of Washington Club 4:30 – 6 p.m. Pre-reception 4-4:30 p.m. for presenters and invited guests  RSVP here The HCDE Research Showcase highlights ongoing work by faculty, research scientists, postdocs, PhD students, a...

04/24/2026

Who lives with the consequences of the technologies we design?

Join HCDE for a Distinguished Lecture by Laura Forlano, Professor at Northeastern University, as she explores what it means to live well with machines.

In “Designing Consequences: On Living Well with Machines,” Forlano will explore how emerging technologies shape our lives and challenges us to think more critically about the systems we create and the futures they produce.

📅 Monday, May 11
🕞 3:30–5 p.m.
📍 HUB 334, UW
Reception to follow

Open to the public. RSVP here:

The Distinguished Lecture Series at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering brings leading experts in the fields of human-centered design to the University of Washington to spark new ideas and innovative conversations. These events are free and are open to the public, as well as Univer...

04/23/2026

Even a small financial setback can put a student’s education at risk. The Kientz & Patel Emergency Support Fund provides rapid support so students can stay enrolled and focused on their education.

This , help us reach $1,000 to unlock an additional $1,500 →

Human Centered Design & Engineering prepares students to design technologies, systems, and services that improve people’s lives.