Post by University of Washington Human Centered Design & Engineering

Last week, thousands of elementary and middle school students from across Washington state came to campus for Engineering Discovery Days, exploring hands-on activities designed to show how engineering shapes the world around us. Several HCDE students participated in Discovery Days through directed research groups, student organizations, Engineering Ambassadors, volunteering, and capstone work. A few of HCDE's exhibits led by Professor Arpita and our K-12 outreach team included: 🔊 Inclusive design challenges inspired by emergency response scenarios 🧠 Emotion-centered “Franken-Fidgets” exploring design and self-regulation ♻️ Rapid prototyping and creative redesign activities 🗺️ Multi-sensory tactile maps focused on accessibility and navigation 🤖 Interactive activities about AI-generated media and human-AI creativity Across the exhibits, students explored core HCDE concepts like accessibility, prototyping, interaction design, creativity, and designing technologies around real human needs and experiences. Thank you to all of the students and organizers who helped inspire future Engineers this #UWDiscoveryDays!