Sharon Cook

DEVICE: Design for Vulnerable Generations: Children and Elderly. Accordingly, the overall goal of the project was to combine knowledge, competencies and skills encapsulated in the traditional design HE curricula with insights on ergonomics, usability issues, and user-centred and participatory design techniques thereby expanding traditional teaching to embrace identifying and designing for the needs of more vulnerable generations.

Protecting the occupational health of older construction workers. Given the ageing population and the high loss of skills within the construction industry due to older workers exiting early, due to the high physical demands of the job, this research project investigated novel training methods to encourage engagement with occupational health practices. Innovative wearable simulations of key occupational health conditions were developed and used to provide a step change within industry training.

Designing bus displays to meet the needs of people with low vision. People with reduced physical, sensory or cognitive capabilities may be excluded from public transport, thus reducing their independent mobility and contributing to a reduced quality of life. With the advent of different display technologies, the aim of the project was to understand the needs of those with reduced vision to determine which technology may best address them with the aim of improving public transport accessibility and passenger confidence.  

• Allen, R.; Cook, S.; Hignett, S. and Jais, C. (2017) Involving people with dementia I participatory design: Ethical processes and consent for dementia research.  Alzheimer’s and Dementia 13(7) pp156-7.
• Hignett, S.; Maguire, M.; Cook, S. and Taylor, E. (2017) Human Factors and Ergonomics through the Lifespan in Health and Well-being for Interior Architecture (Kopec, D. Ed).
• Aceves-González C; May, A. and Cook, S (2015) An observational comparison of the older and younger bus passenger experience in a developing world city. Ergonomics 59(6) pp1-11.
• Gibb, A.; Cook, S.; Nyateka, N.; Bust, P.; Jones, W. and Finneran, A. (2015) Wearable simulations for ill-health conditions in construction. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering, Vol.168, Issue 6, pp51-56.