This website provides insight in to Dr. Sharon Joines’ research and supports her teaching. Projects, publications and opportunities will conveyed through the pages and postings. Joines CV for web
Dr. Sharon Joines, associate professor of industrial design at NCSU, is a researcher and ergonomist, teaching studios and courses in human centered design, ergonomics, design methods, and interdisciplinary solution development. Her interests reside in co-creation, universal design, and applied product and process research. Her research focuses on quantifying the interaction between individuals with diverse abilities, products and their environment. Sharon works with engineers, designers and user experts in all phases of the design cycle. The challenges addressed traversed consumer markets, warehousing and distribution, medical and military applications, and manufacturing environments ranging from forging to clean rooms.
Dr. Joines was named a University Faculty Scholar in recognition of significant achievements in scholarship, teaching and/or service. Sharon is director of the Research in Ergonomics and Design (RED) Lab and a member of IDSA, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Design Research Society, the Order of Thirty and Three, and Alpha Pi Mu. Sharon received her BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University.
In addition to providing a solid understanding of the strengths and limitations of the human, one of Joines’s teaching goals is helping students understand how to evaluate product solutions as they develop them. In courses she has developed, students are exposed to formal and informal assessment methods using quantitative and qualitative methods focusing on user experience, ergonomics and human factors. Product development cycles have been shortened by rapid prototyping, agile manufacturing methods and interdisciplinary teams. Thus, she address the designers’ evaluation of product performance during the development process resulting in better product solutions highlighting this as a highly valued skill in the field. In addition to opportunities in the traditional studio and classroom environments, her mentoring and project work has allowed 6 PhD, 31 masters and 2 undergraduate students to have had hands-on experiences with design research by working on projects in the RED lab.
Dr. Joines has supported graduate students with a broad range of interests including experience design, design strategy, design research, shoe design, exhibit design, and inclusive design. Her students are contributing to diverse areas ranging from software design to creating children’s learning experiences, from shoe design to helping injured farmers regain their ability to work independently. Evidence of contributions of Sharon’s students can be found in the nationally held positions of her students including:
- User Experience Designer, Design Strategist, Microsoft, Greater Seattle Area, Washington
- Industrial Designer at MeadWestvaco, Richmond, Virginia
- Brownlie Design, Syracuse, New York
- Industrial Designer at Xi3 Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Product Line Manager & Footwear Designer- SMU, Greater Los Angeles, California