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

Wildlab
The Wildlab explores how technology can be biased against people who are unlike those who created it — and to build systems that help designers, developers, and researchers better support the needs and perspectives of different people.

Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) Lab
The ICTD Lab explores how technology can improve the lives of underserved populations in low-income regions through research spanning HCI, systems, communication and data analytics.
Faculty Members
Centers & Initiatives
Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT)
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.
Computing for the Environment (CS4Env)
Computing for the Environment (CS4Env) at the University of Washington supports novel collaborations across the broad fields of environmental sciences and computer science & engineering. The initiative engages environmental scientists and engineers, computer scientists and engineers, and data scientists in using advanced technologies, methodologies and computing resources to accelerate research that addresses pressing societal challenges related to climate change, pollution, biodiversity and more.
Highlights
Allen School News

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction recognized Fogarty’s leadership and contributions to human-computer interaction research including ubiquitous computing, interactive machine learning, accessibility and personal health informatics.
Oregon Public Broadcasting

The lived experiences of people with disabilities are often ignored in the development of new technologies, but that’s not the case with the Allen School’s ADA project. Community researcher Jonathan Ko joined recent Ph.D. alum Amal Nanavati to discuss their collaboration.
UW News

The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology created the first statewide data set enabling communities across Washington to map pedestrian infrastructure and transit access — which paves the way for exploring other questions such as access to schools, grocery stores and health care.