UX Speaker Series: Liz Juhnke, UX Principal Designer, Home Depot
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
JANUARY 8
Liz Juhnke
UX Principal Designer, Home Depot
Liz Juhnke is a Principal Product Designer at The Home Depot, where she has been responsible for ensuring a world-class Customer Experience in Deliveries, Order Modification and Cancellations, and Returns. Her specialty is in leveraging big data to drive business decisions and deciphering Customer pain points to design omni-channel software interactions. Previously, Liz was Associate Technical Fellow of UX at Boeing. Throughout her Boeing career, Liz supported many programs, including Commercial Manufacturing Operations, Quality Inspection (with HoloLens and…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, January 8, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. Apps due: KCLS Design Hackathon Volunteers
CREATE and HuskyADAPT are partnering with the King County Library System to put on a design hackathon where teams will design adaptations to everyday challenges for people with disabilities.
We are looking for volunteers with any design experience to assist hackathon teams with the design process and teach them relevant skills for the technical aspects of their projects. One-half day commitment - Saturday, January 31, 12:30-5 p.m. , At the Bellevue Library Makerspace , Apply by Friday, January 9 at 11:59 p.m. Some fabrication skills we are looking for include: 3D printing , CAD , lo-fi prototyping , soldering , basic circuitry , sewing , coding, If you have any experience with any of these skills and/or are a member of HuskyADAPT or CREATE, we encourage you to sign up!
Bus route suggestion:
From the 15th Ave NE & NE 40th St stop (across from the Population Health building), take the 271 bus until the NE 8th St & 106th Ave NE stop. From there, it is approximately an 11 minute walk to the final destination…
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: apfist8@uw.edu. Event Types: Diversity Equity Inclusion. Special Events. Student Activities. Target Audience: Those w/ design or fabrication experience to assist teams w/ design process, tech aspects.
Friday, January 9, 2026.
For more info visit forms.cloud.microsoft. S+T After Hours | Who’s Watching? Privacy and Urban Surveillance
Join Society + Technology After Hours on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 5:30 PM at Halcyon Brewery (8564 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103) for Who’s Watching? Privacy and Urban Surveillance, a conversation with Ryan Calo (Law and Information, UW Seattle) and NPR’s Martin Kaste. Free and open to the public, no registration required.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: mmjones@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Target Audience: Anyone interested in technology, policy, surveillance, and human flourishing.
Monday, January 12, 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
UX Speaker Series: Eva Snee, Databricks, "UX Research in a Changing Industry"
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
JANUARY 15
Eva Snee
Director of User Experience, Databricks
UX Research in a Changing Industry
The last few years have reshaped how UX work gets done. Drawing from firsthand experience across multiple waves of industry change, Eva Snee reflects on how UX Research has adapted—and struggled—in the face of the pandemic, layoffs, and evolving expectations. This talk explores why UXR now finds itself at a pivotal crossroads, and what we can do to ensure the role continues to evolve rather than disappear.
Eva Snee is a User Experience Director at Databricks, leading designers and researchers to build best-in-class experiences for data practitioners. An HCDE alum with 20 years in tech,…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, January 15, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Sena Janky, UX Manager, Fluke
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
JANUARY 22
Sena Janky
UX Manager, Fluke.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, January 22, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Brad Jacobson, Head of Data, Engineering, and VoteShield, Protect Democracy
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
JANUARY 29
Brad Jacobson
Head of Data, Engineering, and VoteShield, Protect Democracy.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. Hackathon to design adaptations for people w/ disabilities
Save the date for a hackathon where teams will design adaptations to everyday challenges for people with disabilities!
Students interested in learning about the design and fabrication of such adaptations are encouraged to attend. Saturday, January 31, 12:30-5 p.m. , Bellevue Library Makerspace , Sign-up info to be provided, Attendees will be coached in fabrication skills, including: 3D printing , CAD , lo-fi prototyping , soldering , basic circuitry , sewing , coding, CREATE and HuskyADAPT are partnering with the King County Library System for a second year to host this event.
Bus route suggestion:
From the 15th Ave NE & NE 40th St stop (across from the Population Health building), take the 271 bus until the NE 8th St & 106th Ave NE stop. From there, it is approximately an 11 minute walk to the final destination (1111 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98004).
Questions? Email apfist8@uw.edu.
Interested in volunteering to support teams in design and fabrication? Apply by Friday, January 9 at 11:59 p.m.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: apfist8@uw.edu. Event Types: Diversity Equity Inclusion. Special Events. Student Activities. Target Audience: Teams & individuals interested in design/fabrication of adaptations for people w/ disabilities.
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
Bellevue library.
For more info visit forms.cloud.microsoft. UX Speaker Series: Julie Zhuying, Google Workspace Platform, "Beyond the Screen: UX Leadership in the Era of AI"
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
FEBRUARY 5
Julie Zhuying
Staff UX Manager, Gemini & Enterprise Security
Google Workspace Platform
Beyond the Screen: UX Leadership in the Era of AI
The designer’s mandate is evolving from crafting static interfaces to orchestrating dynamic, intelligent systems. This session examines the unique challenges of designing for "probabilistic" technologies, focusing on how to maintain user agency and trust within agent-based workflows. Crucially, we will cover how to navigate the changing landscape of the tech industry, bridge the gap between engineering constraints and human needs, and cultivate influence in a rapidly…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. Katz Distinguished Lecture: Emily M. Bender, "Resisting Dehumanization in the Age of "AI": The View from the Humanities"
The production and promotion of so-called "AI" technology involves dehumanization on many fronts: the computational metaphor valorizes one kind of cognitive activity as “intelligence,” devaluing many other aspects of human experience while taking an isolating, individualistic view of agency, ignoring the importance of communities and webs of relationships. Meanwhile, the purpose of humans is framed as being labelers of data or interchangeable machine components. Data collected about people is understood as "ground truth" even while it lies about those people, especially marginalized people. In this talk, Bender will explore these processes of dehumanization and the vital role that the humanities have in resisting these trends by painting a deeper and richer picture of what it is to be human.
Emily M. Bender is the Thomas L. and Margo G. Wyckoff Endowed Professor in Linguistics and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Computer Science and the Information School at the University of Washington, where she has…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Kane Hall (KNE). Campus room: 210. Accessibility Contact: Simpson Center, 206.543.3920, schadmin@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
UX Speaker Series: Nicole Washington, Product Designer II, Xbox
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
FEBRUARY 12
Nicole Washington
Product Designer II, Xbox.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Yuan Zhuang & Rajiv Pennathur, Senior Manager, User Experience Research, Expedia
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
FEBRUARY 19
Yuan Zhuang & Rajiv Pennathur
Senior Manager, User Experience Research, Expedia.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Dr. Matt Klenk & Dr. Matt Hong, Toyota
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
FEBRUARY 26
Dr. Matt Klenk & Dr. Matt Hong
Director, Future Product Innovation (HCAI), Toyota (Matt Klenk)
Senior Research Scientist, Toyota (Matt Hong).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Carolyn Wei, UX Research Lead, Instagram, Meta
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
MARCH 5
Carolyn Wei
UX Research Lead, Instagram, Meta.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. UX Speaker Series: Jess Hollbrook & Mike Davidson, Microsoft AI
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
MARCH 12
Jess Hollbrook & Mike Davidson
Head of UX Research for Microsoft AI (Jess Hollbrook)
Corporate Vice President, Design & User Research, Microsoft AI (Mike Davidson).
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu.