HC-Hive

In this episode, we sit down with a new grad turned Netflix data engineer to talk about the leap from grad school to the tech industry. We explore first-year challenges, building confidence, and finding your place on a professional team. From small wins to navigating feedback and collaboration, our guest shares honest insights from their journey. Tune in for practical advice, relatable moments, and tips to help you transition into your first role with confidence.

Stop the "portfolio panic" and get the inside scoop on joining the Hive. In this episode, Mansi, Kernell, and Pooja break down the Georgia Tech MS-HCI application for the 2026 cycle, covering why your design process matters more than "pretty" pixels, how to nail the video essay without a Hollywood budget, and the secret to a Statement of Purpose that actually stands out. Whether you’re a coder, a designer, or a career-switcher, we’re sharing the real-talk advice we wish we had before hitting "submit."

Join us for a cozy Thanksgiving special as we reflect on gratitude, community, and the little joys that keep us going in the MS-HCI program. From favorite holiday foods to end-of-semester hopes, we’re sharing what we’re thankful for and what we’re looking forward to. Perfect for a moment of calm... and a gentle nudge for those thinking about polishing their portfolios over break.

What’s it really like to live in Atlanta as a Georgia Tech grad student? In this episode, Mansi, Kernell, and Pooja break down the essentials — housing, gyms, safety, study spots, and the best places to explore around the city. We also dive into ATL’s music scene, events, and what makes this city such a unique place to study and live.

If you’re moving to Atlanta or just curious about life here, this episode gives you the quick, honest rundown. Tune in! 🐝✨

In this episode, we chat with David Muñoz, Staff UX Researcher at Google, about AI image generation, career growth in tech, and what it means to be a “super IC.” We cover the future of UX, ethical AI, and how research happens at scale. Whether you're in design, research, or just curious about HCI, this one's for you.

🔗 Follow HC-Hive for more real talk on design, tech, and grad school life.

Welcome to the very first episode of HC-Hive, the podcast where Georgia Tech grad students pull back the curtain on what it's really like behind the scenes. In this episode, Kernell, Mansi, and Pooja share their first impressions of grad school, why they chose Georgia Tech, and the projects they're diving into. They get real about the challenges (like managing group work and late-night grind sessions), the learning moments (including some surprise lessons outside the classroom), and of course, life in grad school — the highs, the lows, and the coffee-fueled chaos in between. If you're thinking about grad school, just started, or are curious about life as a Yellow Jacket, this one's for you!

Tune in, follow, and get ready for more honest conversations in future episodes.

New to Atlanta? We've got you covered.
In this episode, current HCI master's students join the Hive to share their real experiences moving to Atlanta for grad school — from navigating the city to defining what success in grad school means to them to building a new community. Whether you're packing your bags or just curious about what’s ahead, tune in for tips, stories, and encouragement! Also, a very hearty welcome to the class of 2027!

Our guests today:

Parnian Vafa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/parvaf3830/

Umme Ammara - https://www.linkedin.com/in/umme-ammara/

Hosted by:Manuni Dhruv - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manunidhruv/Rajath Pai - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajath-pai-k/

Edited by: Manuni Dhruv

The Hive returns this week with an episode on professional envy. As we wade deeper into job and internship hunting season, we thought it would be curious to delve into the nuances of professional envy - what causes it, how might we process it and is there anything to be gained by being professionally envious? Happy hunting!

Hosts: Rajath Pai, Manuni Dhruv

Editor: Manuni Dhruv

Music by: Allen Cai

Research for the episode was done by: Manuni Dhruv

Tommy Ottolin interviews Rob MacDonald, a new '23 graduate from the Psychology track, in this episode of the HC-Hi! Rob discusses how UX and ethics have been focal points throughout his diversified career path, and he shares what aspects that make up his favorite teams.

HC-Hi! is an interview series showcasing the eclectic personalities of the Georgia Tech M.S. Human-Computer Interaction program. Each episode, a podcast team member chats with a fellow classmate about their projects and passions within and beyond the program.

Madeleine Paulsen sits down with Lydia Burns, LMC class of 2024, in this episode of the HC-Hi! Lydia shares how she got to GT with her advertising background, her mission to learn all aspects of UX, and a hot take about Adobe vs. Figma.

HC-Hi! is an interview series showcasing the eclectic personalities of the Georgia Tech M.S. Human-Computer Interaction program. Each episode, a podcast team member chats with a fellow classmate about their projects and passions within and beyond the program.

Inclusion can be at the forefront of UX design processes, but UX teams do not always reflect that value through having a diverse team. 5 MS-HCI students and alumni discuss their professional experiences as women of color in this episode. Our hosts and guests share stories of making space for themselves and others while teaching us that their perspective is powerful.

Credits:

- Hosts: Tymirra Smith and Lakshmi Seelam

- Guests: Monet Spells, Hannan Abdi, Maria Paula Lengua-Espejo

- Production & Edits: Madeleine Paulsen, Tyler Norman, Tommy Ottolin

- Logo: Vanessa Lin, Stacy Lee

Stacy Lee chats with Sejal Sarkar, a Pyschology student graduating in May 2023, in this episode of the HC-Hi! Sejal explains how her background as a therapist helps and challenges her work as a UX researcher and the value and authenticity of Headspace.

HC-Hi! is an interview series showcasing the eclectic personalities of the Georgia Tech M.S. Human-Computer Interaction program. Each episode, a podcast team member chats with a fellow classmate about their projects and passions within and beyond the program.

While it may be easy to refer to the UX world as synonymous with the world of Human-Computer Interaction, this episode highlights a population that is excluded by that comparison: animals. Melody Jackson, the Animal-Centered Computing lab director, along with two HCI students who worked in that lab, Josh Terry and Cole Anderson, discuss the curious world of researching and designing for animals. They share a variety of projects and findings that help illustrate how UX frameworks are applicable but differ when used in this field of research.

Credits:

- Hosts: Madeleine Paulsen and Taylor Scavo

- Guests: Melody Jackson, Cole Anderson, Josh Terry

- Production & Edits: Tyler Norman, Tommy Ottolin, Madeleine Paulsen

- Logo: Vanessa Lin, Stacy Lee

Stacy Lee kicks off the HC-Hi! interview series with Tommy Ottolin, an Interactive Computing student in the class of 2023. Tommy shares his opinions about and experiences with AI-generated art, pursuing your curiosities, and the music industry.

HC-Hi! is an interview series showcasing the eclectic personalities of the Georgia Tech M.S. Human-Computer Interaction program. Each episode, a podcast team member chats with a fellow classmate about their projects and passions within and beyond the program.

Credits:

- Host: Stacy Lee

- Guest: Tommy Ottolin

- Production and Edits: Stacy Lee, Tyler Norman, Tommy Ottolin

- Logo: Vanessa Lin, Stacy Lee

The Great Resignation is an economic and lifestyle trend in which professionals across industries left their jobs in masses. Whether it was layoffs induced by COVID-19, shifting wages and costs of living, dissatisfaction, or something else, the working world shifted, and we changed. Taylor and Madeleine sit down with three people who navigated the Great Resignation to look back on lessons learned and share hopes for the future.

Credits:

- Hosts: Taylor Scavo and Madeleine Paulsen

- Guests: Rachael Lund, Ruvinee Senadheera, Justin Mckay

- Production and Edits: Tyler Norman, Tommy Ottolin

- Logo: Haley Dabbs, Madeleine Paulsen

Send in a voice message to the team! https://anchor.fm/gt-hc-hive/messages

The practice of HCI requires much energy, empathy, and creativity. Creative burnout unfortunately is an expectation in our world, and each of us has different prevention methods and remedies to deal with these feelings. Taylor and Austin sit down with a few members of the podcast team, Sharon, Stacy, and Tyler, to learn about how creative burnout manifests in their lives.

Credits:

- Hosts: Taylor Scavo and Austin Peete

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips, Tyler Norman, Stacy Lee

- Logo: Haley Dabbs, Madeleine Paulsen

Send in a voice message to the team! https://anchor.fm/gt-hc-hive/messages

The After Dark you've been waiting for. Ngoc and Harshali chat with Dr. Henneman, director of the MSHCI program at Georgia Tech, and hear about his experience with prospective students, transforming the program, and of course, Hot Takes. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Harshali Wadge 

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

HCI has roots in old school technology, often funded and researched by the government. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali hang out with recent graduate Jack to talk about his experiences of working for NASA and the unique challenges of working in the public sector.

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

In HCI, you always have stakeholders - collaborators, peers, managers, reports, users, and even competitors. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali chat with Jill and Grace to hear their experiences of working in collaborative environments and how to conquer spaces with differing interests. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Harshali Wadge and Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

We love data, here at the HC Hive. But as data has grown, so have its ethical implications. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali chat with Yash, Ellen, and Conor to discuss emerging discussions in data ethics. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

Stories are at the heart of user experiences - from the setting, to the conflict, to the technological resolution. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali hang out with Kyle, David, and Ines to discuss how we can become effective storytellers in HCI, and why it's an important skill to build. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

Augmented and Virtual Reality tech is all the rage these days. Ngoc and Harshali chat with Morgan to talk about the nuances of building AR/VR projects, gatekeeping in this space, and inclusion. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

Resumes and portfolios are the essentials when job hunting. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali chat with Joshua, Victoria, and Aditi to learn about what makes great resumes and portfolios for UX designers and researchers. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Music Feature: "Show You Who I Am" - AJ John - https://bit.ly/3u9XCt7

In the final episode of the season, Ngoc and Harshali sit back down with Hannah, Tushar, and Gabriel to look back on the semester and hear some new hot takes. Tune in for a fun conversation about lessons learned, remote learning, and meetings!

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

It's easy to think UX and HCI only apply to software, but ultimately, humans interact in the physical world. In this episode, Ngoc and Harshali sit down with Noah, Tim, and Prabodh to talk about physical prototyping, and the wild, wild west of building tangible technology. Tune in to hear a great conversation about the unique challenges (and joys!) of building physical objects. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Harshali Wadge, Ngoc Tran, and Savannah Phillips 

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

How does culture affect how we study and understand HCI? In this episode, hosts Ngoc and Harshali chat with Eileen, Jae, and Niharika about their experiences of being international students in the U.S. and studying HCI at Georgia Tech. Tune in for an incredible conversation about the challenges of being an international student, valuable advice for prospective students, a terrible hot takes question, and Ngoc's frustrations with vending machines. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Harshali Wadge and Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

If you've been listening to the Hive, you know that Ngoc and Harshali love data. This episode, they sit down with Arpit and Chao to discuss data visualization, and how HCI can help users understand the data-rich world we live in today. This episode gets deep, and we somehow discuss evolution, philosophy, and pie charts all in one go!

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: Bad Bat! by Sue Reon Kim and Nora Petran (link: https://norapetran.bandcamp.com/album/bad-bat)

In this Holiday Special episode, Ngoc and Harshali spill all the behind-the-scenes tea about how the Hive is produced! Tune in for some festive cheer!

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Harshali Wadge and Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

Besides the obvious health crisis, buzzwords and poor communication are other pandemics afflicting the workplace today! Hosts Ngoc and Harshali chat with Olivia, Kevin, and Jordan - all 2nd year students in the MSHCI program - to talk about the value of strong communication skills. Tune in to hear about some specific techniques, skills, and as always, hot takes. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: "40mph" - a.DOT and kiddiegoggles

This episode, Ngoc and Harshali discuss mental health with fellow students Talia, Yago, and Lu. Together, guests share their stories of dealing with stress and insecurity in HCI and grad school. Tune in for a candid discussion about this very important topic!

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Ngoc Tran

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: Midnight Sun by Gurudutt Perichetla (Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/3TRhky1eQOYKa4ZUx5TyoV) 

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Golino and Rachel Feinberg, alumni of the MSHCI program at Georgia Tech. Matt and Rachel share their story of turning their masters project into a startup, working as a team, and launching the beta of their new app, ZenVR. Tune in to learn about how these HCI experts turned into entrepreneurs to bring meditation and technology together in one amazing product.  Check out www.zenvrapp.com to learn more about this project and sign up for the Beta! Credits: - Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge - Production and Edits: Ngoc Tran - Logo: Olivia Hughes - Featured Music: "Untitled" by Yeesh (Instagram: yeesh.jpg)

Ever wondered what makes a great video game? This episode, hosts Ngoc and Harshali sit down with fellow HCI students, Ryan, Stephanie, and Aditya, to hear about their thoughts on video game design. All avid gamers, the three guests shine light on how HCI intersects with game design, coursework at Georgia Tech, and spill some tea on terrible game UX. 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: "Devon" - Sue Reon Kim (Check out her EP here: https://suereonkim.bandcamp.com/album/oorideuren) 

In this episode, hosts Ngoc and Harshali travel into the wild west of research, in all its various forms. Many people think of UX research as a single type of work, but it's actually a wonderful medley of methodology, data, empathy, business processes, and puzzles. Guests Sonam, Tiffany, and Anjali shed some light on the complexity of studying humans, the skills you need, and some great pieces of advice. Listen for a great (and very nerdy) conversation! 

Credits:

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: "Vice City" - Gurudutt Perichetla 

This week, hosts Ngoc and Harshali sit down with Sav, Taylor, and Austin - other members of the podcast team - to discuss imposter syndrome and the unique challenges of fitting into the HCI world. Touching on HCI, UX, and grad school, the podcast team shares personal stories of how they've experienced imposter syndrome, as well as their strategies for overcoming it. Tune in for a great (and candid) conversation!

Disclaimer: We recorded remotely with each person in different environments. We're experimenting and will always aim to make every episode better than the last! 

Credits: 

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: a.DOT (Austin Peete)

Inclusive design is often mentioned in the HCI community, but what does inclusive design actually entail? How should we incorporate it in our work? This week, guest Hannan talks about the difference between universal and inclusive design, how it's used in the user-centered design process well (or not well), and what she'd like to redesign if she had the chance. She joins hosts Ngoc and Harshali to discuss designing with everyone in mind, along with what we can do better as designers, researchers, engineers, and anything in between. 

Disclaimer: We recorded remotely with each person in different environments. We're experimenting and will always aim to make every episode better than the last! 

Credits: 

- Host(s): Ngoc Tran, Harshali Wadge

- Production and Edits: Savannah Phillips

- Logo: Olivia Hughes

- Featured Music: Will Foody

What does a completely virtual, remote internship look like? Guests Yiming, Kunal, and Shelby join hosts Ngoc and Harshali to chat about their experiences interning this summer. They discuss the trials and triumphs with working from home, finding creative ways to connect with teammates, and achieving that great work/life balance during Covid-19. 

Note: Yiming was a Product Design Intern at VMWare, Kunal was a UX Design Intern at Nutanix, and Shelby was a Product Design Intern at U.S. Air Force Detachment 12: Kessel Run. 

Disclaimer: We recorded remotely with each person in different environments. We're experimenting and will always aim to make every episode better than the last! 

Logo made by Olivia Hughes. 

And we're back! Guests Tushar Gupta, Hannah Tam, and Gabriel Britain kick off the first episode by discussing their thoughts on the upcoming semester. From exciting class projects to personal goals (e.g. hitting the gym, picking up hobbies), they join hosts Ngoc and Harshali to talk about transitioning from "work mode" to "school mode", as well as sharing advice for students joining the program. 

Disclaimer: This is the first time we recorded remotely with each person in different environments. We're experimenting and will always aim to make every episode better than the last! 

Logo made by Olivia Hughes. 

This season on the HC-Hive, hosts Ngoc and Harshali explore various topics related to UX, HCI, and what it's like being a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology. 

In this episode, host Su chats with Dr. Carrie Bruce and Rishma Mendhekar about inclusive design and accessibility. 

Host: Su Fang

Production and Edits: Jordan Chen