The Human-Centered Engineering Symposium 2026

In Human-Computer Interaction, numerous tools have been designed to support academic and scholarly writing yet how these systems account for the cognitive processes underlying writing remains unclear...

This challenges both the design of effective writing support systems and our understanding of writing as a human-computer interactive activity. Through a scoping review of major HCI venues we systematically analyzed writing support systems and its characteristics. Using Flower and Hayes’s (1981) cognitive process model as an analytical framework we identified patterns in how systems address planning, translating, reviewing, goal-management, and process regulation. Our findings reveal that tools predominantly support discrete observable activities particularly text generation and local revision while significantly underserving executive cognitive functions such as rhetorical goal-setting and metacognitive process regulation. We discuss these findings through distributed cognition theory contrasting task-specific design primitives against general purpose writing environments. This review provides an implication for future that scaffold the full cognitive architecture of strategic decision-making and self-regulation alongside text production.

This poster contains work from three studies aimed at developing co-design methodology in global health applications...

Study 1 answers the question, "What impact does the co-design process have on participants engaged in co-designing a global health solution?" Findings identify both benefits and challenges of participating in co-design, and contribute to the development of tools for evaluating co-design.
Study 2 answers the question, "How are researchers integrating co-design into sexual and reproductive health projects?" Results highlight key tradeoffs that must be considered when setting up a co-design process.
Study 3 aims to answer the question, "What are the methods, tools, and approaches design facilitators use to promote equity in co-design processes?" Although this study is ongoing, anticipated contributions include practical guidance for operationalizing equitable co-design, such as strategies for balancing power dynamics and building trust between co-designers.

VoFlo is a wearable biofeedback device designed to help speakers and singers reduce harmful jaw and Suprathyroid muscle tension in real time...

By detecting excessive muscle activation during speech or singing, VoFlo provides immediate, intuitive feedback to promote healthier vocal technique and prevent voice-related disorders. It bridges vocal pedagogy, medicine, and technology to protect the voice before injury occurs.

Pressure injuries remain a significant risk for wheelchair users, current technologies rely on bulky components, are tethered to a computer, or do not apply real-time actuation feedback...

This poster presents the development of an untethered and tethered system for inflating soft bladder cushions for pressure injury prevention, addressing a portable form factor and real-time actuation. Experiments conducted in accordance with its development was the just noticeable difference (JND) test – which allowed us to find the smallest difference in pressure between air bladders that our highest sensation potential users can detect. This numerical value helps to inform acceptable pressure tolerances within our systems.

We are developing an assistive swimming device that helps an individual with glaucoma maintain a straight path while swimming in lane pools...

The system combines an Arduino with PixyCam line-tracking software to detect the lane markings at the bottom of the pool in real time. Based on the swimmer’s alignment, vibration motors are activated to provide haptic feedback. We are implementing two variations of camera positioning, a chest strap and a goggle-mount. We will compare each design’s comfort and ability to accurately track the swimmer’s position. Our goal is to create a reliable and accessible solution that enables lap swimming despite progressive vision loss.

Pressure injuries remain a significant risk for wheelchair users, and often cushion design relies on time-consuming physical prototyping with limited design guidance...

This poster presents a simulation tool that models soft neumatic wheelchair cushions as thin membranes to rapidly predict inflation height rapidly. The pressure distribution relies on the two-dimensional seam geometries. The tool enables designers and students to explore how subtle changes in seam layout influence three-dimensional cushion behavior. One of the benefits is that the tool supports faster iteration and more intentional design decisions. Experimental comparisons with fabricated TPU air bladders demonstrate that the simulation captures key inflation trends. This tool supports accessible, user-focused development of assistive seating technologies and provides a computational framework that can be integrated into education, research, and clinical design workflows.

Pressure injuries (PIs) impact individuals with limited mobility, including wheelchair users, and can lead to serious health issues.During wheelchair consultations, clinicians recommend supplemental seat cushions to users to reduce PIs...

There is not yet a commercially available solution that uniformly eliminates PIs as a clinical concern. Toward development of a new seat cushion design to better address PIs, we conducted a qualitative human-centered design study with clinicians, an important stakeholder in the seating ecosystem. Clinicians are aware of cushion features that promote positive health outcomes, practical considerations for usefulness, and can provide insight into how cushion designs impact multiple users’ experiences. Analysis of clinician interviews revealed three key themes: (1) Cushion selection process is influenced by clinical context and cushion attributes, (2) Tradeoffs exist when choosing among existing cushion designs, and (3) There is a relative and variable importance of cushion attributes.

Comparative study between Educational Institutional Project, where the University arised its institutional accreditation, and the Assessment in the middle of accreditation with collected data defining relevant aspects...

Results are presented in an Importance and Governance Matrix, with conclusions and recommendations for the Distrital University. This work is the result of research in my PhD in UMECIT (Metropolitan University of Education, Science and Technology) – in Panamá.

We will present the vision, development process, and accreditation strategy behind the Human-Centered Engineering Design (HCED) BSE program at UM-Dearborn...

Designed to redefine the role of engineering in society, HCED emphasizes empathy-driven design, interdisciplinary learning, and authentic experience with community and industry partners. The poster details program objectives, course innovations, student design pathways, and integration of human-centered design methods with traditional engineering competencies. It further documents the assessment framework, outcomes, and continuous improvement practices that enabled HCED to become the nation’s first ABET-accredited program of its kind. we will illustrate how this model fosters engineers who think critically, design inclusively, and innovate responsibly, contributing to the evolution of engineering education.

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This poster introduces the Delgado Cognitive Engineering Model (DCEM), a human-centered systems framework that conceptualizes computational reasoning as an emergent property of dynamic interactions between human cognition and engineered technological environments...

Unlike traditional approaches that treat programming logic as a transferable skill, DCEM models logical reasoning as a non-stochastic multivariable cognitive process structured through adaptive human–technology feedback loops.

The model defines cognitive variables as system parameters and describes the construction of computational logic through staged cognitive engineering, progressing from conceptual modeling to deductive structuring and emergent autonomous reasoning. By integrating principles from systems engineering, computational cognition, and human-centered design, DCEM provides a scalable architecture for understanding and designing adaptive learning systems in complex engineering environments.

The poster presents the conceptual architecture of DCEM, its core cognitive parameters, and implications for the design of future human-centered engineering systems, highlighting its potential to transform how computational reasoning is engineered in STEM contexts.

In this poster we will present how we have tried to introduce Human Centered Design in the Pedagogy Class for Learning Assistants in the discussion sections of an introductory physics class.

We are breaking the mold of the traditional wheelchair through exploration of a self-balancing, ball-based mobile robot (ballbot), where the rider sits on a sleek modular mobility device and navigates via only upper-body movements (leaning and twisting)...

Thus, the rider organically and intuitively tilts their torso to control the direction and speed of the device. The chair also tilts with the rider. Our interdisciplinary team of designers, disability specialists, and engineers worked alongside wheelchair users to develop a novel device, PURE (Personalized Unique Rolling Experience), that can afford manual wheelchair users the opportunity to move around their environment – hands free.

This study addresses a gap in how liberal arts students engage with digital twinning through ethics-centered, non-technical curricula designed to foster digital literacy and critical reflection...

An online, asynchronous, competency-based course was designed, implemented, and evaluated for 24 liberal arts students, built around Quality Matters standards with accessible, case-based instruction prioritizing conceptual and ethical analysis over technical modeling. Using mixed methods and pre/post surveys, a significant gain in students’ conceptual knowledge, ethical awareness, and recognition of digital twinning’s relevance across fields such as public health, urban planning, and sustainability was observed. Notably, students reported increased awareness of social concerns including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and security. Most students viewed the course positively: 63% were extremely likely to recommend it, 55% expressed strong enthusiasm for digital twinning’s applications, and 90% felt confident discussing its cross-sector value.

This poster will introduce a forthcoming open access teaching resource: a clear and easy to navigate text modeled like an informal community cookbook...

Developed to inspire and support educators interested in active, creative, and critical ways to teach sociotechnical integration, this Teachbook features the work of nearly 100 contributors across the world. The poster will introduce the resource, and will help the editorial collective develop workshop plans appropriate for engineering educators specifically.

Mathematical models are central to engineering practice, but are often taught in isolation from practice and purpose...

Drawing on the phenomenological philosophy, we are constructing a framing of mathematical models that centers human purpose. This poster will focus on prototype tools grounded in this philosophy: the "tenchi diagramming" technique invites students to consider the real-world systems they design, connect these to assumptions and limitations of models, and ground all of these ideas in usage and personal purpose.

This poster highlights ongoing efforts by the UIUC Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) to design and implement human-centered resources that enhance the educational experience of neurodivergent students...

Recognizing the diverse needs and strengths of these learners, CITL initiatives aim to foster equity and inclusion across classrooms by embedding empathy, accessibility, and adaptability into instructional practices. Central to this work is the use of storytelling as a powerful tool for change—capturing perspectives from both faculty and students to illuminate challenges, successes, and opportunities for growth. These narratives inform the development of teaching strategies, digital tools, and support systems that prioritize student well-being while empowering educators to create more inclusive learning environments. By centering human experiences, this project demonstrates how education can evolve to embrace diversity and equity, ultimately enriching the academic community and advancing the broader goals of human-centered teaching.

This poster presents the design and early implementation of a modified Delphi study aimed at defining Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) through the consensus of academic experts...

HCE has emerged as a multidisciplinary concept that can bridge engineering, design, ethics, and the social sciences to integrate diverse ways of knowing into engineering education. Despite its growing visibility across programs and initiatives, the term remains conceptually diffuse across institutional, disciplinary, and cultural contexts. This ambiguity limits the coherence of pedagogical design, assessment development, and research alignment. Addressing this gap requires a systematic approach that can capture diverse, expert-informed understandings of HCE. This study employs a three-round modified Delphi method designed to surface and refine expert perspectives on HCE. The starting prompts were informed by prior conceptual analyses examining HCE from ontological, epistemological, ethical, and learning perspectives, ensuring that early responses capture the concept’s multidimensional nature.

The Mycorrhiza framework raises awareness of how our engineering work impacts ourselves, other people, and Nature...

Drawing inspiration from indigenous philosophies, particularly the Andean concept of Sumak kawsay, the framework emphasizes reciprocal balance and positions humans as part of an interdependent web of relationships rather than as separate from or dominant over the natural world. Relationality, reciprocity, and interconnection serve as guiding principles for examining engineering practice.
The framework operates across three levels, each inviting participants to explore their knowledge, emotions, and interdependence:
Self: Through reflective thinking, we revisit our feelings about our engineering work, its impact on us, and how it connects to those we hold dear.
Community: We examine how our engineering work affects others, both directly and indirectly.
Ecosystem: We explore how our engineering education, practices, and design affect Nature.

This study examines how undergraduate engineering students apply an engineering design based ethical decision-making framework to collaboratively develop ethical use guidelines for generative AI intended for all students in higher education...

Through a five-week project embedded in an engineering ethics course, student teams analyzed five key considerations safety, environmental impact, societal impact, cost/benefit, and legal and policy compliance and produced 25–50 actionable guidelines supported by ethical rationales in teams. Analysis of student-generated guidelines reveals strong attention to data privacy, academic integrity, fairness, and responsible learning practices, highlighting how engineering students interpret ethical challenges posed by tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini. This participatory approach models a scalable method for teaching ethical AI literacy, empowering students to contribute bottom-up insights that can inform institutional AI policies. The project demonstrates how engaging learners as active contributors fosters deeper ethical awareness and prepares them for responsible AI use in academic and professional contexts.

This work in progress poster examines a semester long project designed to embed Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) principles in an introductory engineering course...

The initiative integrates information literacy, the engineering design process (EDP), and an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) to foster empathy-driven problem-solving and teamwork.

Students use an Uno R3 Controller kit and sensors to create a prototype addressing a medical engineering challenge that prioritizes user needs and real-world impact. Teams, formed via Gruepr software, establish collaborative agreements and develop research questions focused on human-centered solutions, supported by literature reviews to identify gaps and relevance.

Through makerspace prototyping and Arduino tutorials, students gain technical and design skills while applying HCE concepts. The course culminates in reports and presentations demonstrating how empathy and user-focused design informed their solutions.