Post by University of Washington Human Centered Design & Engineering

Last week, four HCDE students spent their Spring Break a little differently through the HCDE Alternative Spring Break program. Taylor Nanako Bradshaw, Cayla Callisto, Gahui Yun, and Maria Thu Anh Nguyen traveled to Curlew School in northeastern Washington to teach middle school students about human-centered design and engineering. Working with 6th–8th graders, they taught the design process through interviews, brainstorming, prototyping, and practicing how to give thoughtful feedback on each other’s ideas. By the end of the week, students were building and presenting their own ideas, including prototypes to help with chores at home (photo 5) and ideas to help astronauts in space keep track of their belongings (photos 6-7). HCDE thanks the students who volunteered their Spring Break for this experience, the teachers and students at Curlew School for their warm welcome, and UW Riverways for supporting the program. This was HCDE’s first visit to Curlew School and we are grateful for the partnership!