Val graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Ergonomics After working as an ergonomist in a design consultancy in Sweden and in the health service, Val joined Loughborough University as a researcher. She has managed and worked on many research and consultancy projects particularly relating to the design of ICT and mobile communication product and services. Her PhD entitled: “Methods for Exploring User Needs for Future Mobile Products and Services” was conducted in collaboration with a major UK manufacturer of mobile communication technologies.

Val has over 20 years multidisciplinary research experience specialising in the development of User Centred Design (UCD) and User Experience Design (UX) methodologies for eliciting user requirements for future technologies and services, in particular understanding user needs and requirements for mobile communication products and services.

She is particularly interested in the communication of user needs and requirements to designers using scenarios and personas and the design of creative Participatory Design and Co-design methods for eliciting needs from users. She was a member of an Advisory Board member for the AHRC funded Service Design Research UK network http://www.servicedesignresearch.com/uk/ and has been an organiser of the Loughborough Global Service Jam for the last three years. https://lufbrajam.wordpress.com/

She was Co- I on the recently completed EPSRC funded LEEDR project which explored from an interdisciplinary perspective how energy and media fit into domestic life and identified opportunities to reduce domestic energy demand through innovative use of digital media. See http://energyanddigitalliving.com/

She is Co-I on the EPSRC funded REFIT project which is studying smart homes and energy demand reduction. http://www.refitsmarthomes.org/

She is also Co-I on the recently EPSRC funded HOTHOUSE project which is building on findings from the LEEDR project to explore hot water use in future homes from an interdisciplinary perspective http://www.hothouse-project.co.uk/

She was previously a senior researcher on the EPSRC/E.On funded CALEBRE project which investigated user behaviours and comfort relating to the implementation of energy saving technologies within the home. She was also a Senior Researcher on the EPSRC/DoT/TSB funded User Innovation project which investigated how user driven innovation can be used to inform the design of sustainable transport and travel product and services.