About

So-Yeon Yoon, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University. She is based in Ithaca, NY, and serves as the Director of the DUET Research Lab, which focuses on Design for User Experience with Technology. Her academic role includes teaching courses such as Design Graphics & Visualization, UX Design Studio, and Virtual Experience in Designed Environments. Additionally, she covers topics related to Research Ethics & Methods and Academic Communication. Her professional webpage was last updated in July 2019.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Business
• Social psychology
• Advertising
• Computer Science
• Microeconomics
• Marketing
• Cognitive psychology
• Medicine
• Economics
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Moderating Effects of Individual Traits on the Association Between Nature and Patient Wait Experiences

  HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal · 2024-02-02 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: We empirically investigated to what extent plants in the emergency department (ED) waiting areas influence patient wait experiences (i.e., anxiety, perceived service quality, and perception of wait time) depending on individual differences in cognitive thinking styles and one's bonds with the natural world. BACKGROUND: Positive effects of nature on patient experiences in healthcare environments are well established by empirical research findings. However, evidence is scarce on the impact of nature on patient wait experiences and the roles of patient traits often related to their backgrounds. METHODS: = 116) with two virtually built ED waiting rooms: with versus without indoor and outdoor plants. RESULTS: Findings confirmed that plants lower anxiety and improve perceptions of service quality and wait time. Cognitive thinking style significantly moderated how plants affected patient wait experiences. Although participants with higher connectedness to nature showed more positive responses to the nature condition, connectedness to nature did not significantly affect the association between nature and wait experiences. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on nature's effects in healthcare environments by examining the roles of individual differences in patients' and visitors' cognitive styles and connectedness to nature. Results highlighted the impact of these differences in patient experiences for effective implications of nature in waiting areas of healthcare facilities.

  PublisherDOI

• Design R[e]volution

  2024-12-10

  book-chapterSenior author

  In this chapter researchers and interior designers Susan Chung and So-Yeon Yoon, and public health researcher Whitney Austin-Gray emphasize the significance of obtaining feedback from occupants when designing a space. They stress the importance of measuring occupants’ experiences over time. Using the headquarters of the American Society of Interior Designers as a test bed, the group showcases the value of such feedback. The authors also highlight how building certification standards (specifically LEED and WELL) can facilitate the measurement of occupants and elevate spaces from merely providing shelter to promoting occupants' health and wellbeing. They argue that continuous measurement is key because a space is never truly “finished;” it evolves along with its occupants.

  PublisherDOI

• Reduced interfacial thermal resistance in acidic alumina-filled adhesives for heat dissipative applications

  Macromolecular Research · 2024-06-04 · 6 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Expert gaze behaviour in design evaluation: An eye-tracking study

  The Design Journal · 2024-08-02 · 1 citations

  article

  Expertise research studies show that experts more effectively allocate their attentional resources and exhibit distinct gaze behaviour. This study aims to investigate the effect of design expertise on gaze behaviour during the product-design evaluation process and, consequently, self-reported evaluations indicating different aspects of perceived design quality. We recruited a sample of participants with three levels of expertise (experts, quasi-experts, novices). The results provided partial support for the hypothesized classical expert gaze behaviour (i.e. fewer fixations of longer durations) identified by previous researchers in non-design fields. The distinct gaze pattern in experts was observed when multiple designs were presented simultaneously. Regarding evaluation outcomes, we found statistically non-significant differences in the design ratings and rankings reported by the three expertise groups. Altogether, the findings provide empirical evidence for the impact of design expertise on visual exploration and design judgement. This study provides valuable insight into the appropriateness of crowdsourced design evaluation.

  PublisherDOI

• Nature and patient waiting: Mediating effects of anxiety and perceived wait time on the association between nature and service perception

  Journal of Environmental Psychology · 2023-08-18 · 14 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Spatial User Experience for Design Guidelines: A Comparative Study of Outpatient Waiting Rooms With Conventional Versus Modern Features

  HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal · 2023-05-11 · 8 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVES: Identify waiting room design features that are most appreciated by outpatients and their companions in conventional and modern waiting rooms. Evaluate if end users evaluate the environment differently from experts and in what aspects. Provide evidence-based design guidelines that orient designers and healthcare managers. BACKGROUND: Built environments are relevant in patients' evaluation of overall healthcare service. For outpatients, waiting frequently consumes the largest amount of time; thus, waiting room interior design has great potential to enhance their experience. METHODS: = 426) with respect to the eight SUE model dimensions using multigroup structural equation modeling. In the second stage, an expert ergonomist and two professional interior designers assessed both types of waiting rooms. RESULTS: Results showed that modern waiting rooms were perceived to be significantly better in all SUE dimensions. We also found experts' evaluations were overall consistent with users' perceptions. Discrepancies were only found in temperature perception, signage evaluation, and spatial appreciation. CONCLUSIONS: Participants valued modern style waiting room features such as good quality signage, use of armchairs and sofas, a controlled environment, and decoration. We suggest involving end users in the design process to respond to their needs and promote a positive experience. Finally, we provide easy-to-adopt design guidelines to improve patients' waiting room experience.

  PublisherDOI

• An Investigation of the Effect of Virtual Reality on Alleviating Anxiety in Patients With Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics · 2023-07-12 · 23 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and their effect on learning style in the creative design process

  Liverpool John Moores University · 2023-07-03 · 27 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Research has shown that user characteristics such as preference for using an interface can result in effective use of the interface. Research has also suggested that there is a relationship between learner preference and creativity. This study uses the VARK learning styles inventory to assess students learning style then explores how this learning preference affect the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in the creative design process.

  PublisherDOI

• A Study on the Causal Relationship between the Internet Responses and TV Ratings: Panel Data Analysis

  International Telecommunications Policy Review · 2022-03-31 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  본 연구는 온라인 시청행태를 반영하는 인터넷 반응과 오프라인 TV 시청률 간의 인과관계 분석을 통해, 인터넷 반응이 시청률을 예측할 수 있는 지표로 활용될 수 있는지에 대해 알아보았다. 구체적으로 방송통신위원회와 한국방송광고진흥공사에서 개발한 방송콘텐츠 가치정보 분석시스템(RACOI)을 활용해 인터넷 반응지수 패널데이터를 구축한 후, 패널분석 기법을 통해 1) 다양한 인터넷 반응지수의 동질성 및 일관성과 2) 인터넷 반응지수와 시청률 간의 인과관계를 검증하였다. 분석결과, 다양한 인터넷 반응지수는 상호 간 높은 일관성이 나타나 단일차원의 지표로 활용될 수 있음을 확인하였다. 또한, 여러 인터넷 반응지수 중 프로그램에 대한 게시글수와 동영상 조회수가 시청률 증가에 유의미한 영향을 주는 것으로 나타나, 인터넷 반응과 시청률 사이의 인과관계도 입증하였다. 이러한 연구결과는 기존 연구의 횡단면 분석이나 상관분석의 한계를 보완하여 실증분석의 정확성을 높인 것으로, 방송콘텐츠 시청률의 보완지표 개발, 방송사업자의 콘텐츠 평가 및 홍보 전략 수립에 참고자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대한다.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing the Visualization-Based Decision Support System for Environmental Impact Assessments

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022-01-25 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Even though environmental impact assessments (EIAs) have been an important tool for environmental decision-making, most EIAs are published as a mix of text and tabular data that is not easily accessible to or understandable for the public. In this paper, we present a decision support system (DSS) that supports the decision-making of stakeholders in the EIA stage. The system was designed to improve the public's understanding of stakeholders before and after a construction project by providing visualization of key environmental elements. We recruited 107 participants to test the usability of the system and examined the impacts of individual differences between the participants on their perceptions of the system, including their environmental expertise and computer self-efficacy. The results showed that the proposed system had high usability, especially for users with high computational efficacy and environment expertise. The system could thus help to improve the communication between the public and experts during public hearings and enhance the environmental literacy of the public.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Minbum Kim

  Catholic Kwandong University

  9 shared

• Mi Joo Kim

  Catholic Kwandong University

  8 shared

• Ricardo A. Daziano

  7 shared

• Hyunjoo Oh

  7 shared

• Tilanka Chandrasekera

  Oklahoma State University

  6 shared

• Adam K. Anderson

  Cornell University

  4 shared

• Saeedeh Sadeghi

  California Institute of Technology

  4 shared

• Ho Jung Choo

  Seoul National University

  4 shared

Labs

• D.U.E.T. LabPI

Education

• PhD, Information Science and Technology

  University of Missouri

  2004

Awards & honors

• 2014 Educator of the Year, International Interior Design Ass…