Young Mi Choi


Associate Professor, School of Industrial Design
MID Program Coordinator



Young Mi Choi is an associate professor in the School of Industrial Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Master of Industrial Design Program Coordinator. She teaches both product development as well as human factors and ergonomics. Her research activities focus on applying evidence-based design in innovation and human-centered design. Her research focuses on topics related to the roles played by users, industrial designers, engineers, and marketers during the process of creating new products and assistive technologies.

Current projects explore the validity of product concept evaluations based on the medium through which they are presented, such as through augmented reality and tangible augmented reality. Applications include improved communication with end users, improvements in product design decision making, and improved effectiveness of final products. Her research has been supported through the National Science Foundation (NSF); the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); and industry collaborations such as with LG Electronics USA and the Shepherd Center.

She is director of the I3 Lab and a project director with the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Inclusive Technologies (WIT RERC). She has received the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Program Women of Excellence Award, Outstanding Faculty Award and multiple course teaching effectiveness awards.

Education

  • 2009 – Ph.D., Architecture (Industrial Design), Georgia Institute of Technology;  Minor emphasis - Marketing Management
  • 2002 – M.Sc., Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 2000 – M.I.D., Industrial (Product and Space) Design, Sook-Myung Women’s University
  • 1998 – B.F.A., Industrial (Product) Design, Sook-Myung Women’s University

Professional Experience

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
    Associate Professor, School of Industrial Design, March 2017 - present
    Master of Industrial Design (MID) Program Coordinator, 2018 - present
    Master of Industrial Design (MID) Thesis Coordinator, 2017 - 2018
    Assistant Professor, School of Industrial Design, May 2012 - February 2017
    Industrial Design faculty advisor for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) for Wireless Technology, October 2014 - present
    Human-Computer Interaction, Master of Science Program (MS-HCI) faculty member, 2013 - present
    Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Industrial Design (Full Time), May 2010 - May 2012
    Graduate Research Scientist, Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) at Georgia Tech, Fall 2004 - August 2010
  • Time & Space Tech, Seoul, South Korea
    Marketing Associate & Coordinator, February 2000 - August 2000
    Marketing Intern & Part-time Employee, January 1998 - February 2000

Current Research: As Principal Investigator

  • Title of Project: Wireless RERC: R2-Augmented Reality for Design
    Agency/Company: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) Program on Wireless Technologies
    Period of Contract: August 2016 - August 2021
  • Title of Project: Wireless RERC: T3-Building Research and Design Capacity
    Agency/Company: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) Program on Wireless Technologies
    Collaborators: Brian Jones
    Period of Contract: August 2016 - August 2021
  • Title of Project: Discovery of User Needs and Preferences for Information and Communication Technologies: Priority Needs and Access Issues
    Agency: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
    Period of Contract: January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2017

Honors and Awards

  • Georgia Tech Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award, 2017
    Faculty receiving this award had a response rate of at least 85 percent on the Course-Instructor Opinion Survey and had teaching effectiveness scores of at least 4.9/5.0 in classes that were at least 40 students in size or scores of 4.9/5.0 in classes that were at least 15 students in size. Only 40 awards are given to the top rated classes (12 for larger classes and 28 for smaller classes) across the Institute.
  • National Science Foundation ADVANCE Program Women of Excellence Award, 2016
    Presented to a female faculty member who has distinguished herself through professional leadership, mentoring, academic excellence and sustained service on behalf of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the College of Architecture.
  • Outstanding Faculty Award, College of Architecture, 2015
    Recognizes outstanding achievement in the areas of teaching, scholarship, creative activity, and service by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. It is given to one who has made significant contributions to the College in one or more of these areas that have brought recognition to the faculty member and School.
  • Georgia Tech Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), Class of 1934 Teaching Effectiveness Award, 2012
    Faculty receiving this award had a response rate of at least 85 percent to the Course-Instructor Opinion Survey and had teaching effectiveness scores of 4.8/5.0 in classes that were at least 40 students in size or scores of 4.9/5.0 in classes that were at least 15 students in size.