Jina Huh-Yoo Designs Technology That Cares
Jina Huh-Yoo, associate professor of computer science at Stevens Institute of Technology, studies how technology can meaningfully support people and society — not by chasing perfection, but by embracing the messy realities where human behavior and technical systems collide.
From art to algorithms
As a student in South Korea, Huh-Yoo studied art and design from middle school through college. Even as a non-STEM major, she was always intrigued by technology, tinkering with computers and other mechanical devices. At Korea National University of Arts, as she considered switching her focus to computer science, her father encouraged her to find a field that could appreciate the years of work she had spent in the arts. When she discovered the field of human-computer interaction (HCI), she was hooked.
After completing additional programs in programming and data structure, she was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University’s Human Computer Interaction Institute master’s program. Upon graduation, she continued to the University of Michigan’s School of Information for her doctoral work.
“It was fascinating to see the arts and social sciences such as sociology and psychology integrated into computing,” she said, “because you need to understand all these things to understand people's minds and design technology in ways that are useful.”
She has held faculty positions at the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University, the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University. In 2024, she joined Stevens to help develop, build and expand the university’s HCI and human-centered artificial intelligence programs.
Researchers in the field of human-computer interaction design and evaluate technology by understanding people and their needs, as well as social practices that relate to the use of the technology. The application areas range from designing apps that help users build healthier habits and creating technology that is easy for people with disabilities to use, to developing tools that allow people to control devices with their brain signals and using augmented reality to make learning or behavior changes more engaging.
Human-centered AI researchers build on this work by focusing on the risks, challenges and benefits of using artificial intelligence in everyday technology. The goal is to design AI systems that are more responsible, helpful and user-friendly.
Building technology for people
Huh-Yoo’s focus on human-centered AI brings together computer science, psychology, design, and the social sciences to understand people’s needs — and use those insights to design and evaluate artificial intelligence in ways that help individuals and society.
“We’re working to understand what people truly need from technology — and design it in ways that benefit them,” she explained. “We also go beyond technology development to consider ethical and policy issues, such as how we can make AI responsible.”
Creating a Stevens hub for human-centered innovation
Her work at Stevens centers on fostering collaboration to ensure that technology goes beyond simply functioning to powerfully connect, empower and uplift the people who use it.
She has already begun developing a master's program in human-centered AI, developed qualitative and quantitative user research methods courses and started a monthly student-run HCI event for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students to exchange ideas and learn from one another. She recently collaborated with colleagues from Princeton, Rutgers and Cornell Tech to host nearly 100 experts for talks and host panels.
She has also launched the Health and Happiness Design Lab, which explores how technology can support health through creative, multidisciplinary research in HCI, social computing and health informatics. Her lab uses research methods including interviews, co-design activities, machine learning and quantitative data analytics to understand how people interact with new technologies. The goal is to design systems that are not only useful and safe, but that also strengthen social connections essential to good health.
“We’re working to understand what people truly need from technology — and design it in ways that benefit them,” she explained. “We also go beyond technology development to consider ethical and policy issues, such as how we can make AI responsible.”
Supporting caregivers through innovative, ethical AI
Huh-Yoo has received research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Currently, she is leading “DURAIS: A Platform for Co-Designing and Understanding the Roles of Conversational Artificial Intelligence Systems on Caregiving.” This five-year, $599,993 NSF CAREER grant supports her work to improve conversational AI systems such as Alexa and Siri to help spouses, children and other unpaid caregivers in home settings.
Her work addresses a growing healthcare challenge: how to use AI to ease the emotional and logistical burdens on caregivers without replacing the human connection that care requires.
“I want to understand the role of AI in conversational interactions when people are in the difficult position of informal caregiving,” she said. “We focus on people who are sick, but it’s also critical to focus on the people who are taking care of those who are sick. I am looking into what roles AI can — and cannot — play, through both information and emotional support. As we continue to design technology, we need to understand how AI might support and not harm the caregiving process.”
She is also involved in other projects that are variations of this initiative. One of her doctoral students is exploring how the caregivers of older adults form mental models around commercially available large language model-based AI products, such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
“This is a timely topic that, as designers of AI, we all need to grasp,” Huh-Yoo said. “Without understanding the role of AI, we would just be creating whatever we want, without considering the potential harms or maximizing the benefits.”
Learn more about academic programs and research in the Department of Computer Science:
