Mutaz Hennawi

PhD Student in Human-Computer Interaction

mutaz.alhennawi@utah.edu

I'm a PhD student at the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah, advised by Vineet Pandey. For my research at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and digital health, I design and evaluate smartphone-based tools for cognitive health assessments. My work investigates how interactive tasks delivered via mobile devices can assess cognitive impairments quickly and reliably. I also study how to elicit design requirements from domain experts in healthcare, and how technology can support older adults through cognitive change and life transitions.

View My CV

Research Interests

My work sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction and digital health, exploring how technology can become more human-centered.

How can smartphone-based interactive tasks assess cognitive impairments within minutes of use?

Cognitive Assessment Digital Health

How might designers effectively learn the needs of busy experts in complex knowledge domains such as healthcare?

Designing with Experts Healthcare Workflows

How can we design technology that adapts to cognitive changes and life transitions in older adults?

Aging & Technology Cognition Accessibility

Favorite Books

A selection of books that have shaped how I think about design, technology, and human behavior.

📚

The Design of Everyday Things

by Don Norman

A great read that taught me to become aware of design in everyday life—and see the world a little differently.

🧠

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

A deep dive into the two systems that drive how we think.

⚖️

Crime and Punishment

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

A story about a man wrestling with guilt and morality after crossing a moral line, showing how our minds justify our actions.

🌅

The Stranger

by Albert Camus

A man goes through life feeling disconnected from the world around him, questioning what it means to live meaningfully.

📱

Democracy's Fourth Wave?

by Philip N. Howard & Muzammil M. Hussain

Explores how social computing and digital networks became powerful tools for political change during the Arab Spring.