Soobin Cho

Hello!

I'm a second-year Ph.D. student in Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, advised by Prof. David McDonald and Prof. Mark Zachry. I previously earned my M.S. in Intelligence and Information from Seoul National University, where I was part of the SNU UX Lab under the guidance of Prof. Joongseek Lee, and a B.A. from Ewha Womans University. I also worked as the first and sole UX researcher at Soft Berry Inc, a Korean Series A startup.

As an HCI and UX researcher, I study user behavior and design systems centered on 'humans'. Humans are endlessly fascinating, because our complex and deeply human nature remains constant even when interacting with the most advanced systems. As social beings, this complexity becomes even more pronounced when we connect, interact, and collaborate—whether with other people or with systems. My research has always centered on how people form connections, both with others through systems and directly with systems themselves.

While I have studied various systems, my PhD focuses specifically on AI, examining how users create and navigate social dynamics with and through these technologies. My goal is to design systems that honor and support what makes us human in the nuanced moments of connecting with other beings or things.