Helen Cheetham

Helen specialises in:

• Usability
• Workplace ergonomics
• Display screen equipment training and assessment
• Manual handling training and assessment

Biography

Helen completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Occupational Therapy at the University of Southampton, and then went on to pursue a Master of Science in Ergonomics (Human Factors) at Loughborough University.  Her Masters dissertation investigated the observed and perceived effects of wearing an Osteoarthritis Simulation Suit on performance in a series of physical tasks.  She was awarded the Ergonomics prize for Academic Excellence during her time at Loughborough University.  Helen is a graduate member of the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors and a member of the Usability Professionals Association.

Prior to joining System Concepts, Helen worked as a Consultant for Posturite, where she was responsible for developing and delivering training courses and performing complex workstation and vehicle assessments.   She also has three years’ experience working as an Occupational Therapist in an acute hospital setting with patients who have a range of physical problems.  She has achieved a Level 3 PTTLS teaching qualification and is a qualified and HSE-approved First Aid at Work Instructor/Assessor and First Aider.

Client Projects / Case Studies

• Facilitating user testing sessions, conducting concurrent analysis and note-taking for various confidential future products, websites and mobile device applications for two leading network operators.
• Facilitating, note-taking and analysing user testing sessions for multiple clients, including a leading Building Society to evaluate a new telephone banking platform.
• Conducting user testing, accessibility testing and in-context research of several parts of the BBC website; one project as part of a major ethnographical study.
• Conducting and evaluating user testing sessions and card sorting exercises with children and adults to evaluate a clickable prototype of a new BBC educational website aimed at 7-11 year olds.
• Carrying out ergonomics evaluations of post rooms and a reprographics area with emphasis on manual handling issues.
• Performing Display Screen Equipment (DSE) workplace risk assessments and complex workstation assessment for a range of clients in the legal, finance and insurance sectors.  This includes assessments of people with a wide range of chronic and acute disabilities; assessing people who already use assistive technology as well as assessing people for technologies such as JAWS (a screen reader), ZoomText (a screen magnifier) and Dragon Naturally Speaking.
• Conducting vehicle assessments from an ergonomics perspective; making appropriate recommendations to address a range of musculoskeletal and eyesight issues.
• Delivering First Aid, DSE and Manual Handling training in various UK locations, run as either open or in-house courses for a range of office-based or manual workers.
• Developing training courses, e-learning packages and advice sheets on ergonomics topics aimed at mobile workers and children.

Real life interests

• Travelling
• Mountain bike riding
• Socialising.