About
A brief description of who you are and what you do.
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Write about yourself in the third person. Aim for 100 to 150 words covering the main points about who you are and what you currently do. Clear, simple language is best. You can include specialist or technical terms.
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Research
Research interests
- Product and Service Design for Ageing and Health: Developing inclusive products and services that empower healthier living, support independent ageing, and enhance quality of life.
- Design for Healthier Community Spaces: Exploring how design can shape inclusive, supportive community spaces that foster physical, mental, and social well-being across the lifespan.
- Visual Communication, User Experience (UX) and Interaction Design: Designing user-centered visual and interactive systems that integrate communication and technology to enhance usability, accessibility, and emotional engagement.
Current research
Shan’s research focuses on product and service design for ageing and health, with an emphasis on developing inclusive solutions that promote healthier living, support independent ageing, and enhance quality of life. She also investigates how design can shape supportive and inclusive community spaces that foster physical, mental, and social well-being across the lifespan. In addition, her work in visual communication, user experience (UX), and interaction design involves creating user-centered systems that integrate communication and technology to improve usability, accessibility, and emotional engagement.
Her research is grounded in a strong interdisciplinary approach, involving collaboration across design, health sciences, social sciences, and computer science. She employs a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including co-design and cultural probe techniques, to deeply engage with users and stakeholders. Partnerships with external organizations such as Solent NHS Trust, Southampton Mayflower Care Home, Protolyst Technologies, and Rodd Design Company have provided real-world contexts for applying and testing her research, while also opening new pathways for funding. Shan has further contributed to interdisciplinary initiatives with the Global Smart Lab at WSA, exploring how emerging technologies—such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI)—can enhance digital experiences for ageing populations.
Funded Projects:
- 2023-2024, £25K, IAA AHRC Business and Commercialization Fellow
- 2022-2023, Project Lead, £4.6K, ESRC Impact Funding: Design a better user experience for Protolyst. Enabled a collaborative project with Protolyst Technologies Ltd, resulting in enhanced interface designs for a knowledge management tool.
- 2022-2023, Co- Lead, £14.5K, Web Science Institute Research, Image-based Conversational Search for Users with Intellectual Disability, under User-Centred Interactive Information Retrieval and Graphic Design Theme
- 2022-2023, Co- Lead, £4K, BU Design and Engineering QR, Psychosocial inclusivity in older people’ smart supermarket shopping
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Research groups
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Research interests
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Current research
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Describe your current research in 100 to 200 words. Write in the third person. Include broad key terms to help people discover your work, for example, “sustainability” or “fashion textiles”.
Research projects
Research Council funded projects will automatically appear here. The active project name is taken from the finance system.
Publications
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Supervision
Current PhD Students
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Teaching
Contexts: Design Process and Innovation (Module lead)
Design and Project management Methods (Module lead)
Strategic Design Management (SDM)
Design Management Principles and Practices
Supervisor for Design Management Final Project: Critical Paper
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Courses and modules
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External roles and responsibilities
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Biography
Dr Shan Wang is a dedicated educator, an innovative designer, and a passionate researcher in inclusive and user experience (UX) design. As an Assistant Professor (Lecturer), she is also a responsible academic leader and an active Knowledge Exchange & Enterprise (KEE) practitioner, committed to creating meaningful social impact through design.
At the University of Southampton, Shan leads postgraduate modules in Design Process and Innovation and Design and Management Methods within the Design Management programme. She holds a PhD in Design and brings a strong track record of both academic research and industry-facing design practice. Shan has delivered guest lectures and invited talks at numerous UK universities, sharing her expertise in areas such as design thinking, UX design, and inclusive design. She is also a frequent speaker at national and international conferences, where she presents her research on designing for ageing and the vital role of inclusive design in developing user-centred products and services.
Shan’s research interests span user-centred design, design for ageing, healthcare design, inclusive design, and UI/UX design. She has led and contributed to a variety of interdisciplinary projects focused on developing innovative solutions to support ageing populations. These include:
- Art therapy for dementia
- Ageing-friendly supermarket design
- Smart healthcare products for older adults
- Inclusive home environments to support independent living
Beyond ageing-related research, Shan also works closely with industry partners to co-create user-friendly digital products. Notable projects include:
- UX design for knowledge management tools
- Interactive museum UX design to enhance visitor engagement
In 2023, Shan was awarded a one-year AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange and Engagement (KEE) Fellowship with the Technology Transfer and Impact Team at Research and Innovation Services (RIS). She is actively involved in knowledge exchange initiatives and collaborates closely with the Global Smart Lab to provide students with live projects and opportunities to engage with industry and external partners. In 2025, she was appointed as the Department KEE Champion and continues to lead and promote enterprise activities across the School.
Shan’s work bridges academic research, design practice, and knowledge exchange with a strong focus on inclusivity, social impact, and real-world application.
Shan's Current PhD Supervision
- Jingnan Bian (2024–2028): Emotional Furniture Design for Dementia
- Jiangpan Niu (2024–2028): Community Service Design for Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes
- Yuqi Huang (2024–2028): Home Environment Design for Early-stage Dementia
- Lian Pan (2023–2026): Age-inclusive UX Design for Immersive Virtual Reality: A Practice-based Study on Virtual Exhibitions
Shan's Completed PhD Supervision
- Dr Fahad Alhathal (2020–2024): Enhancing the Grocery Shopping Experience of Customers Aged 65 and Above in the UK Using Emerging Technologies
Prizes
- Academic Awards 2023 - Most Engaging Lecturer (Highly Commended) (2023)
- AHRC IAA KEE Fellowship (2023-2024) Amount Awarded: £25,000 (2023)
- Academic Awards 2023 - Most Engaging Lecturer (Highly Commended) (2023)
- AHRC IAA KEE Fellowship (2023-2024) Amount Awarded: £25,000 (2023)
You can update your biography section in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select your ‘Personal’ tab then ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading, and ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘Biography’. Aim for no more than 400 words.
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Prizes
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