Joyce Thomas

EDUCATION
Executive Masters of Product Design & Development, Northwestern University
Master of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial / Environmental Design, Rochester Institute of Technology

Joyce Thomas is an Ulm Associate Professor of Industrial Design in the Auburn University School of Industrial and Graphic Design, where she teaches design thinking, design research, computer aided design and industrial design studio courses. Prior to joining Auburn in fall 2018, she taught for 12 years in the ID program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Thomas has a passion to empower people through good design. She employs the user as an active participant in the designing process, incorporating human-centered design, design ethnography, and empathic research strategies. In her professional career of more than 30 years she has designed innovative products for Electrolux, Shark, Bosch, Jarden Consumer Solutions, Sunbeam, Crock-Pot and others, and has been awarded 59 US and international patents.

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Design Thinking
Empathic Design Research Strategies
New Product Development Process
Entrepreneurship