The University of Washington's department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) is one of the only programs of its kind. The timeline below describes some of the most significant milestones in the department's history.
| 1974 | UW College of Engineering Department of Humanistic-Social Studies (HSS) Professors James Souther and Myron White extend their teaching of technical writing to include a series of courses for students interested in the profession of Technical Communication (TC). Students who complete the technical writing series can add it as a "minor" to another degree program or could use it as the focus (in effect a "major") for an interdisciplinary bachelor's degree in Engineering or in the General Studies Program of the College of Arts and Sciences. |
| 1975 | Dr. Phil Bereano joins the faculty. |
| 1977 | Thomas Williams is appointed as a full time lecturer in Technical Communication. |
| 1978 | Dr. Mary Coney joins the faculty. Jan Spyridakis is appointed as a full time lecturer in Technical Communication. |
| 1979 | By the end of the 1978–1979 academic year, 10 TC "majors" and 32 TC "minors" graduate from the University of Washington. |
| 1983 | The College of Engineering dissolves the HSS Department, but retains the seven members of the Technical Communication faculty. They become the nucleus of an Interdisciplinary Program in Scientific and Technical Communication. Professor James Souther becomes the Program's Director. Drs. Judith Ramey and David Farkas join the faculty of the Interdisciplinary Program in Scientific and Technical Communication. |
| 1985 | Dr. Mark Haselkorn, former Director of Technical and Professional Writing at Louisiana State University, replaces James Souther as Director of the College of Engineering's Program in Scientific and Technical Communication at the University of Washington. |
| 1986 | The Program begins offering courses for an interdisciplinary Master's degree in the College of Engineering, as well as courses for the two Bachelor's degrees. |
| 1987 | Dr. Jan Spyridakis continues in the department and is hired in a tenure-track position. |
| 1988 | The Program begins offering a year-long evening program, through the University of Washington Extension Program, in which science and engineering professionals can earn a Certificate in Technical Writing and Editing. The certificate program has continued to serve working professionals, even now that full-fledged degree programs have been developed. Dr. Thomas Williams continues in the department and is hired in a tenure-track position. |
| 1989 | The Interdisciplinary College Program becomes the full-fledged Department of Technical Communication, offering its own Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. It also continues to teach courses in technical writing to engineering students. |
| 1990 | Dr. Michio Tsutsui joins the TC department. |
| 1991 | The Department adds a second section to its Certificate in Technical Writing and Editing, now offering the program not only in Seattle but also Bothell, Washington. (This section was later moved to Bellevue, Washington.) Masashi Kato joins the department. |
| 1993 | The Department of Technical Communication begins the graduate-level Technical Japanese Program, with Dr. Michio Tsutsui as Program Director. |
| 1997 | Dr. Judith Ramey is appointed as Chair of the Department. The TC Minor Program is introduced. The Department begins a partnership with the University of Twente in the Netherlands. |
| 2000 | The Department of Technical Communication launches its Evening Master's in Technical Communication program. This new degree program graduated its first class in spring 2002. Dr. Beth Kolko joins the faculty. |
| 2002 | The Department of Technical Communication launches its TC Doctoral Program. Dr. Jennifer Turns joins the faculty. Dr. Mary Coney retires from TC. |
| 2003 | The Department of Technical Communication further expands its programs for professionals by creating the Graduate Certificate in User-Centered Design in winter 2003. |
| 2004 | Donna Sakson, her husband Jonathan Mark, and Sakson & Taylor, Inc. donate $100,000 to set up an endowed scholarship fund to bring in minority students. |
| 2005 | TC's Engineering Communication Program wins the Conference of College Composition and Communication Writing Program Certificate of Excellence. Professor Phil Bereano retires from TC in 2005. |
| 2006 | Dr. Mark Zachry joins TC faculty as an associate professor. |
| 2007 | TC celebrates its first PhD graduate, Carolyn Wei, whose dissertation is titled, "Mobile Hybridity: Supporting Personal and Romantic Relationships with Mobile Phones in Digitally Emergent Spaces." Masashi Kato joins the Technical Japanese Program as a Lecturer. |
| 2008 | Dr. Jan Spyridakis is appointed as Department Chair. Four new faculty join TC: three assistant professors: Drs. Sarah Kriz, Charlotte Lee, and Julie Kientz; and Professor Cynthia Atman, Mitchell T. and Lella Blanche Bowie Endowed Chair, CELT and CAEE Director. |
| 2009 | The department changes its name from Technical Communication (TC) to Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) and the Department moves its faculty and main offices to the 4th floor of Sieg Hall (now Sieg Building). New HCDE degree titles are approved at the BS, MS, and PhD levels. The department continues to grow—in its student enrollment, in the respect its faculty earns, and in the scope of its influence. Dr. Tom Williams retires from the department. |
| 2010 | Dr. Cecilia Aragon joins the faculty of HCDE as an associate professor. |
| 2012 | Drs. Sean Munson and Kate Starbird join the faculty as assistant professors. Andrew Davidson joins the department as a senior lecturer. |
| 2013 | Drs. Gary Hsieh and Daniela Rosner join the faculty as assistant professors. Linda Wagner joins the department as a senior lecturer and Director of the Master of Human-Computer Interaction and Design program. Drs. David Farkas and Judy Ramey retire. The department closes its certificate programs in Technical Writing and Editing and Global Technology & Communication Management. |
| 2014 | Dr. David W. McDonald joins the HCDE faculty and is appointed as Department Chair. Dr. Elizabeth Sanocki joins HCDE as a senior lecturer. Dr. Julie Kientz is promoted to associate professor. |
| 2015 | Dr. David Ribes joins the HCDE faculty as an associate professor. Dr. Brock Craft joins the department as a senior lecturer. Dr. Michio Tsutsui retires from the department and closes the Technical Japanese Program. Dr. David McDonald is promoted to professor. |
| 2016 | Dr. Tyler Fox joins the department faculty as a lecturer. Dr. Cecilia Aragon is promoted to professor. Linda Wagner assumes the role of Director of the Global Innovation Exchange (GiX) program. |
| 2017 | Dr. Leah Findlater joins the faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Gary Hsieh is promoted to associate professor. |
| 2018 | Dr. Nadya Peek joins the faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Dianne Hendricks joins the department as a lecturer and director of the Engineering Communication Program. Dr. Sean Munson is promoted to associate professor. HCDE launches an Alumni Leadership Board to connect the alumni community with the department and one another. |
| 2019 | Drs. Leah Findlater, Daniela Rosner, and Kate Starbird are promoted to associate professors. Dr. Julie Kientz is promoted to professor. Kientz assumes the role of Interim Chair, as Dr. David McDonald concludes his five-year term and returns to the faculty. Dr. Kristin Dew and Irini Spyridakis join the faculty as Lecturers. Dr. Jan Spyridakis retires from the department. HCDE finalizes a new five-year strategic plan. |
|
2020 |
HCDE celebrates 30 years as a department at the University of Washington, and 10 years with the name Human Centered Design & Engineering. Dr. Julie Kientz assumes the role of Department Chair, effective until April 2025. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, classes are held remotely throughout spring and summer quarters. Dr. Sarah Coppola joins the faculty as an assistant teaching professor in September 2020 |
|
2021 |
Dr. Sucheta Ghoshal joins the HCDE faculty as an assistant professor. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, classes and operations are held remotely throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. |
| 2022 | Dr. Sayamindu Dasgupta joins HCDE faculty as an assistant professor in January 2022. In Autumn 2022, Alan Marks joins the faculty as an assistant teaching professor, and Ana Pinto da Silva joins the faculty as an associate teaching professor and director of the Master of Human Computer Interaction + Design (MHCI+D) program. |
| 2023 | Dr. Arpita joins the faculty as an assistant teaching professor in January 2023. Associate Teaching Professor Andrew Davidson retires from the faculty at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year. In Autumn 2023, Dr. Katya Cherukumilli joins the faculty as an assistant professor. |