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
Social Futures Lab
Researchers in the Social Futures Lab are reimagining social and collaborative systems to empower people and improve society.
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
Globe.AI is a multidisciplinary community of researchers at the University of Washington who aim to create equitable, responsive AI technologies that can adapt to individuals from diverse cultures and communities, including to different norms, languages, behaviors, and communication styles.
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
To help Reddit moderators make data-driven decisions on what rules are best for their community, a team of researchers in the Allen School’s Behavioral Data Science Group and Social Futures Lab conducted the largest-to-date analysis of over 67,000 Reddit rules and their evolution.
IEEE Spectrum
Companies are pouring billions into developing humanoid robots. In an op-ed, Allen School professor Maya Cakmak considers the results of a survey exploring whether people would welcome such robots — and looks forward to taking one for a spin (for science).
Allen School News
In 2011, a team of researchers that included Allen School professor and alum Franziska Roesner published a paper detailing how they could remotely take control of a car. Their work, which inspired new motor vehicle security standards, received the USENIX Test of Time Award.