Faculty and research scientists in the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering run directed research groups, which offer students a wide range of opportunities to do hands-on work, from conducting usability tests for local companies all the way to collecting data on communication issues internationally.

Students interested in participating in directed research must get permission directly from the faculty member leading the group. Undergraduate students enroll in HCDE 496, while graduate students register for HCDE 596. HCDE MS students are required to register for the PCE section of HCDE 596. For details on how to register, please visit the Variable Credit Registration Policy.

Students are encouraged to check this list frequently as Directed Research Groups are added leading up to the beginning of the quarter.

Winter 2025

• Leveraging role-playing games to support mental health (Munson, Kenderova, Devasia)
• AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) Comparative Usability Study Data Analysis (Zhong, Hsieh, Kolko)
• Designing for Healthcare Equity: Community-Led Research for UW Medicine (Hsieh, Ho, Houston, Shang)
• Rebuilding the Nation’s Drinking Water Infrastructure - Where are the Lead Pipes and What Comes Next? (Cherukumilli, Hung)
• Exploring Photography and Social Media Guidelines in Childcare Institutions (Gupta, Kientz)
• Designing a Desktop App for Storing Virtual Memories (Devasia, Kientz)
• STEM Outreach: Alternative Spring Break (Arpita)
• Afrofuturist Feminism: Using practices of Afrofuturism and Black feminism to develop new technological approaches (Bosley, Rosner)
• Design Competencies DRG (Capella, Fox)

Autumn 2024

FULL FOR AUTUMN; NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

• UW ALACRITY Center Website Redesign (Aung, Munson)
• Design Principles for AI Companions (Cho, Zachry)
• Designing Healthy Eating Futures for Latinx Adolescents (Castillo, Munson) 
• Designing Measurement Reading Group (Sams, Munson, Blanchard)
• Current Trends in Accessibility Research (Findlater, Mack, Jiang, Clepper)
• Human Centered Entrepreneurship (Kolko)
• Dehumanizing and Problematic Imagery about Latin American* Migration in the 2024 Presidential Election (Lutz, Starbird)
• Designing and Analyzing Co-Creative Gameplay for Parents and Children (Rodriguez, Kientz)
• Public Communication of Election Rumor Research on Social Media (Starbird, Lutz, Tomson, Moran)
• Prototyping with LLMs to Inform Design of AI Applications (Muralikumar, McDonald)
• HCDE K-12 Outreach DRG (Arpita) 
• Capstone Formations HCDE Master's students only  (Rosner) 
• Research into the Harms caused by GAI Tools (Ghosh, Aragon)

Registration Process

To register for a variable credit course, students should first consult a faculty member or advisor to obtain an instructor code. HCDE MS students are required to register for the PCE sections of HCDE 596 and HCDE 599. 

To register for a variable credit course, students must collect the following information:

• Course SLN (from MyPlan or the Time Schedule)
• Faculty code (from the instructor)
• Number of Credits* (from the instructor)

*One credit equates to three hours of work each week. Students should discuss the number of credits with the supervising instructor.