Jung-hye ShinDepartment Chair and Professor of Design Studies | Faculty Director of the Design Thinking Program | Interior Architecture Program Coordinator

I believe in the power of how we design our homes and communities to influence our everyday well-being. The experiences we have within their designs reflect complex interactions among the physical structure, social relations, and sociocultural expectations that govern our built environment. My most recent research has focused on the role of home and communities in helping older adults age in place. I listen to their lived experiences and observe their everyday practices in hopes of reflecting their views in policy discussions and design guidelines.

My research is primarily concerned with creating positive place experiences in homes and community buildings. I broadly interpret those experiences as an outcome of complex interactions among physical structure, social relations, and social and cultural norms and expectations that govern building shapes and uses. To better understand these places experiences, I examine both practical and symbolic aspects of buildings using field-based qualitative and quantitative approaches. Within this broad theoretical framework of place experiences, I focus on two general areas of study: (1) culture and the residential environment, where I explore social and cultural norms that give forms to building shapes and how they frame place experiences of the dwellers; and (2) spatial evaluation of community buildings, such as religious and educational facilities, according to the intended use. In both areas of study, I listen to the voices of the inhabitants and observe their everyday practices within those settings. The ultimate goal is to create deep global impact on design research and practice through policy discussion and provision of design guidelines.

My teaching efforts are directed towards demonstrating the application of research to the study of buildings. I emphasize a broad range of research methodologies and their conceptual linkage to theories in the inquiry of building design. I also play a central role in introducing design foundations to incoming design students.

Selected Publications

Shin, J., Her-Xiong, Y., Tredinnick, R., & Ponto., K. (2021). Toward Understanding Everyday Lives of older adults: A Methodological Exploration. The Gerontologist, 61(8), 1241-1253. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab045

Shin, J., Dennis, S., & Mohammed, H. (2021). Mental health outcome measures in environmental design research: A critical review. Heath Environments Research & Design Journal, 14(3), 331-357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586721999787

Ma, Y., Zou, G., Shin, J., Kang, Y., Gao, S., Siu, K., & Zhang, S. (2021). Locating community-based comprehensive old-age service facilities using GIS and the Nested Ecological Model of Aging in Place: A case study of Harbin, China. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 147(2). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000678

Kang, H., Shin, J., & Ponto, K. (2020). How 3D virtual reality store can shape consumer purchase decisions: The role of informativeness and playfulness. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 49(1), 70-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.07.002

Shin, J. (2018). Listen to the Elders: Design guidelines for affordable multi‐family housing for the elderly based on their experiences. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 32(2), 211-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2018.1431585

For a full list of publications, see Shin’s CV.