Synthetic biology will require a multidisciplinary, collaborative design environment in order to engineer the complex biological systems of the future. In addition, as synthetic biology develops as a field, it is increasingly important to communicate to the public the excitement and constraints of cutting-edge research. Our team is creating a collection of software tools, which address specific technical synthetic biology challenges while simultaneously advancing the way in which users interact with computing environments. We also utilize advances in human-computer interaction to communicate core concepts of synthetic biology to the public. <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Wellesley_HCI/SynBio_Search">Synbio Search</a> is an online tool that generates data sheets for biological parts by aggregating data from various publicly available resources. <A href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Wellesley_HCI/MoClo_Planner">MoClo Planner</a> visualizes the Golden Gate Modular Cloning process and facilitates hierarchical design and production of multi-gene constructs.  <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Wellesley_HCI/SynFluo">SynFlo</a> is an interactive installation that utilizes tangible and tabletop human-computer interaction techniques to illustrate core concepts of synthetic biology in outreach programs. The application of novel human-computer interaction techniques to synthetic biology fosters the development of more effective, collaborative, and intuitive software tools, which enhance the design-build-test methodology.