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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 person with long blond hair, with only mouth and chin visible, is lying on a blue quilted blanket on short green grass in dappled sunlight. The person is wearing a black sweatshirt and propped up on their elbows, viewing a smartphone held in their well-manicured hands.

Behavioral Data Science Group

The Behavioral Data Science Group leverages large-scale behavioral data to extract actionable insights about our lives, health and happiness by combining techniques from data science, social network analysis, and natural language processing.

Closeup of a person's finger illuminated in red by smartphone camera

UbiComp Lab

The Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) Lab develops innovative systems for health sensing, low-power sensing, energy sensing, activity recognition and novel user interface technology for real-world applications.


Allen School Faculty

Assistant Teaching Professor

Professor

Teaching Professor

Professor


Centers & Initiatives

The interdisciplinary DUB group at the University of Washington advances research, collaboration and teaching related to the interaction between design, people, and technology.

TCAT harnesses the power of open-source technology to develop, translate, and deploy accessible technologies, and then sustain them in the hands of communities. Housed by the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science & Engineering, TCAT centers the experience of people with disabilities as a lens for improving design & engineering, through participatory design practices, tooling and capacity building.

Highlights


Allen School News

Professor Magda Balazinska was honored for her influential contributions in data management and data science, while Professor Shwetak Patel was recognized for his groundbreaking work applying computing to health and sustainability.

Allen School News

Multiple Allen School authors received Best Paper Awards or honorable mentions for their work on interactive systems that enable more flexible human-AI agent collaboration, an AI-based tool that helps screen-reader users make sense of geovisualizations, and more.

UW News

The web app, which was developed by researchers in the Allen School’s Makeability Lab, enables users in Seattle to map their ride based on factors such as bike lanes, speed limits, pavement quality, and more.