Human Centered Design & Engineering

Closing the research–practice gap

Professor Gary Hsieh’s Prosocial Computing Group is building tools that make academic research easier for practitioners to use. From AI-powered design cards to short-form science videos, their work helps close the research–practice gap.

Retiring Professor Aragon reflects on career

As she retires from the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, Professor Cecilia Aragon reflects on helping shape the field of human-centered data science, mentoring students, what she hopes they carry forward into the future of AI, and the next chapter of her career.

Nadya Peek: Designing Automation

HCDE Associate Professor Nadya Peek is designing open, human-centered automation tools that help scientists run more reproducible, creative, and accessible experiments. Working with collaborators across engineering, science, and fabrication, her research focuses on building flexible automation systems that can be adapted to different labs, workflows, and research questions.

Design Jam for Accessibility

In Autumn quarter, HCDE welcomed students for wearABLE Futures, a fast-paced design jam focused on the question: How might we make wearable technology more accessible to all humans? Industry mentors from Ipsos, Oura, Meta, Ralytics, and Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab met with student teams, offering feedback and helping students connect their ideas to real-world feasibility and impact.