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Human-Centered Computing

Our work in human-centered computing explores and enhances the ways in which people and communities engage with and experience technology. 

Our research considers the personal, educational, cultural, and ethical implications of innovation. Drawing upon techniques from human-computer interaction, learning sciences, sensing and more, we aim to maximize the potential benefits of technology while minimizing potential harms to individuals, groups and society.


Groups & Labs

A student wearing an Oculus headset motions toward a screen displaying a virtual character

UW Reality Lab

The UW Reality Lab advances the state of the art in virtual and augmented reality by developing new technologies and applications, educating the next generation of researchers and technologists, and supporting robust collaborations with industry.

Street scene overlaid with color-coded object recognition labels for depicted car, bicycle, vegetation, utility pole, and manhole cover

Makeability Lab

The Makeability Lab specializes in Human-Computer Interaction and applied machine learning for high-impact problems in accessibility, computational urban science, and augmented reality.


Faculty Members

Faculty

Faculty

Faculty


Centers & Initiatives

Change is a cross-campus collaboration that explores the challenges of developing technology in the context of positive social change. It seeks to make connections between researchers, outside organizations, and the public to inspire the development of new capabilities aligned with the interests of those most in need.

DFab is a network of researchers, educators, industry partners, and community members advancing the field of digital fabrication at UW and in the greater Seattle region.

Highlights


Allen School News

Researchers in the Allen School’s Security & Privacy Research Lab studied online ads and found that not only can they be annoying, but they are also inaccessible for screen reader users. Their work earned a Best Paper Award at last year’s Internet Measurement Conference.

University of Washington Magazine

Allen School Ph.D. student Kate Glazko and her collaborators at UW CREATE explore how generative technologies can be both a help and a hindrance for people with disabilities.

UW News

A team in the Mobile Intelligence Lab developed Spatial Speech Translation to enable simultaneous translation in group conversations while preserving the direction and qualities of each person’s voice.