HCDE's industry and community partners are invited to sponsor a Design Jam to work with students in a three-hour or weekend-long problem-solving sprint.

Sponsorship fees support space reservations, materials, and food. If you are interested in sponsoring a Design Jam, contact us at hcdecap@uw.edu.

What is a Design Jam?

Design Jams connect HCDE students with industry partners to address real-world, user-centered design problems. Representatives from sponsoring companies present a specific design problem they are interested in exploring that students will work on in teams of 3-5 for a set number of hours. Design Jams can range anywhere from 3 hours to a weekend. Teams will brainstorm around the problem, work together to create the deliverable, and then share their ideas and receive feedback from other teams and sponsors.

What is a design problem?

A good design problem is a specific issue that the sponsor is trying to solve. It should include constraints and focus on one particular problem (e.g., new website features, designing an interactive interface, creating tracking tools for user behavior, etc.). It should be related to user-centered thinking, interaction design, user behavior, or HCI.

Why sponsor a Design Jam?

Design Jams provide sponsors with exposure to cutting-edge usability techniques and a new perspective on their design problems. They allow sponsors a chance to engage with students in a creative setting and provide an opportunity to evaluate talent, skills, and “fit” for their organizational needs.