Investigator Spotlight: Gary Hsieh on Closing the Research–Practice Gap

UWAC investigator and HCDE Professor Gary Hsieh and his Prosocial Computing Group are developing tools that help practitioners discover and apply research insights in their everyday work. Rather than leaving findings locked in academic papers, the group translates research into formats practitioners already use — design cards, Figma plug-ins, policy briefs, and short-form videos.

Recent projects include Paper2Card, which converts academic articles into design cards, and ReFine, a Figma plug-in that surfaces relevant research insights directly within the design workflow. The group has also explored communicating science to policymakers and the public, areas with clear relevance to ALACRITY’s mission of translating mental health research into practice.

Their work has been supported in part by the UW ALACRITY Center, and you can read more about Hsieh’s UWAC pilot projects:

Read the full story on the HCDE website.