Shey Cobley, User Experience Consultant

The professional

Shey joined Optimal Experience in September 2010. She previously worked in both the government and finance sector in the UK and Australia. In the UK she worked for Oxford City Council for 3 years where she managed their online presence including the council website, micro sites and social media. Most recently Shey worked for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia on an 8 month website redesign project and online marketing review. She has also worked on government projects in India successfully helping local government organisations create user centred sites that enable citizens to access valuable services.

Having worked on large scale IT projects and redesigns she has a clear understanding of what is required in the delivery of successful projects and user centred design. She enjoys working with organisations to create sites that deliver quality services and meet the needs of the customer.

She has a very detailed knowledge of the government sector. Her success in understanding these needs is reflected by the Oxford City Council website being recognised as a top 10 district site in the UK while she was managing it.

Shey has contributed to guidelines for local authorities on accessibility and usability and was a member of the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) advisory board on government website usability. She has also been a board member for the Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) which advises on best practice for government sites.

You can tell Shey is passionate about eGovernment. She has lectured on the subject at Oxford Brookes University, is presently completing a doctorate on the subject and has conducted extensive research of government sites.

Shey has a masters degree in The Politics of Democracy, and a double honours Bachelor of History and Politics both from Oxford Brookes University, UK. She is currently completing a doctorate at Oxford Brookes University on the impact of the internet on democratic processes and practices.