Senior Human Factors Engineer, industrial design

How did you find out about ergonomics?
We touched on the subject very briefly in A-Level Design Technology but like most ergonomists, I didn’t head to university thinking "I really want to study ergonomics!" In actual fact I didn’t really realise it was a subject you could do as a separate entity until I did a module on design ergonomics in my first year of a product design engineering degree. I found it really interesting and when I decided not to continue with the engineering degree it seemed a sensible option. I was fortunate that I was already a member of the only university in the country to offer ergonomics as an undergraduate degree so could transfer over very easily.

Why a career in ergonomics?
I’ve always been interested in design, from an early age I always enjoyed designing and making things. I went to university expecting to carry on into a product design career but I soon found that I’d chosen the wrong course. When I looked into the side of design I enjoyed the most I realised that it was the concept of solving somebody else’s problem with a design which was perfect for them. To me, this is the central core to what I do as an ergonomist. I like to speak to a client, help them highlight what problems they’re having, what the root cause of these is and then work with them to create the ideal solution. I like to use the skills I’ve learned as a designer to combine with the knowledge of human factors and ergonomics to really create unusual solutions and designs. Another reason for my career is that I’ve got thoroughly frustrated and heard people complain a lot about 'bad design'. In my opinion there’s no such thing as a bad designer, just an ill-informed one and an ergonomist should be involved in the design of absolutely anything which is going to be used by people. Frankly I want to be that ergonomist who’s making the right designs go out so in a few years’ time I can point to something in a friend’s house and say "I helped design that!"

What has been the most interesting project you have worked on?
The most interesting projects for me inevitably involve designing things for our clients and particularly anything which involves creating 3D computer models as this is my specialty. The most interesting jobs which I get involved with tend to be creating designs for products which will be installed in publicly accessible areas on transport systems or similar places that I know my friends and family will probably see. One of these was the design of the electronic status boards which are in the entrances of almost every London Underground station which we developed the first prototypes for. The major challenges with the project were creating a system which was not only easy to read for customers but which didn’t create too much heat and was very easy to install and carry out maintenance on. Our design involved creating a simple design concept in an afternoon which I then CAD-modelled and which went on to be installed as a working prototype on a number of stations. I can now proudly point to these and bore whoever’s with me by saying "that’s one of ours!"

What’s been the most challenging work you’ve done?
The most challenging projects I have carried out have been installing real-world solutions to problems in out-dated control rooms. Our clients have come to us on numerous occasions with problems raised by their control staff regarding the environment, equipment or design of their old control rooms. Once we’ve been in and studied the issues using various ergonomics tools we make recommendations as to how the client can solve them. Unlike some other groups, we also manage the whole process through to completed installation of the solution and this is where it gets challenging! Fitting a completely new custom-built desking system onto a control desk which was built in the 1950s out of rusty steel, during a three hour night shift because you’re unable to access the room during the day, can get pretty messy.

What do you do on a typical day?
My typical day involves either meetings with clients at their places of work to talk through issues and ongoing projects with them or working from our offices on creating the solutions the client needs. My work ranges on a day-to-day basis from reading current research and standards through writing analysis reports and carrying out workload analyses all the way through to creating 3D visualisations of entire buildings and products. I spend a lot of time working on computer aided design packages creating images and videos of our proposed solutions to give the client a real view of what they’ll get. The rest of my day is taken up with the thrills of running a hockey team and running around like an idiot doing cross-country races and marathons!

What do you find most satisfying about your work?
The most satisfying part of my job is linked to the work we do in our group. As consultants we work in a very wide variety of industries which means that generally the work I’m doing changes on a day-to-day basis. I like that I’m able to help clients by providing them not only with reports identifying what issues they have but also real-world solutions which make those problems go away. I also like working within our tight-knit team where all of us have our own areas of expertise. Gaining experience from the other members of the team has really helped me get better at my job and also increased my enjoyment of it.