Louise is a cross-disciplinary design researcher whose work explores design and its roles in the development and implementation of policy at global, national and regional levels. Her previous research has explored the role of design in the sustainability of small enterprises (Manchester School of Art, MMU) and how design principles can be deployed in order to bring about balance between data-driven and situated understandings of place (PhD research).

Louise has published a range of peer-reviewed articles that can be accessed here 

She is interested in developing collaborations both within academia and beyond to explore the implications of design within the creation of policies in a wide range of areas, such as emerging technologies, urban environments and in tackling social issues.

Current projects:

Designing in a pandemic: towards recovery and resilience. This project documents a wide range of design interventions that have been used globally during the COVID-19 pandemic and developing an understanding of how designers might contribute to our collective recovery and future resilience.

Designing for local policy. A project that will explore how design methods are and can be deployed in the development and deployment of a range of policies within a district council. The end product of this research will be a toolkit of design methods that can be deployed in a range of policy areas and at different scales.

Designing a policy for sensor deployment in local government. Working with a local council to design a policy that encourages ethical and sustainable deployment of sensors.

Design for policy: literature review. Exploring how design methods are used in public policymaking processes and how gaps between knowledge and practice (between policymakers and designers) might be addressed.

Prior to joining Imagination, Louise was research associate on the Living Design project at Manchester School of Art MMU. She is currently in the process of completing her PhD studies which are co-located between Imagination and the School of Computing and Communications.