Caroline Hodgson is an unashamed, self-confessed “techie”.

The Birchenclffe woman who runs IT consultancy theheuristics has been passionate about her subject ever since her father bought Caroline her first computer – a Sinclair Spectrum – in the early 1980s. “We got the programming book and sat for hours programming it,” she recalls. The former Brooksbank School pupil later moved on to a Commodore Plus 4 – and the dye was cast.

She studied computing at University Sector College in Northampton, where her lecturers included a number of “Bletchley Park types” who had been among the pioneers of computing dating back to the Second World War.

Looking back, she marvels at the foresight displayed by some of her mentors, whose predictions for the way computing would develop sounded like pure sci-fi – but have become reality.

Predicting the next big trend in technology is a large part of what Caroline does at theheuristics.

The distinctive name comes from the Greek meaning to find or discover and refers to experience-based techniques for solving problems.

In Caroline’s case, that means helping businesses get the best from their websites and mobile technology by researching and analysing user experience – to ensure businesses are making life online as easy as possible for their customers.

She also carries out computer audits, helps firms formulate social media policies and ensures information is secure.

“The aim is to provide the business with a very good idea of what their customers are experiencing as they use their online product,” she says.

“It could be shopping on the website, downloading data or using social media.”

Caroline has 15 years’ experience working in internet design and development and software consultancy with businesses ranging from digital design agencies to investment banks. She also worked with start-ups for three years, including one specialising in mobile services.

She says: “It’s about helping firms understand their customers better – and helping firms that are seeing a drop-off in customer numbers find out the reason for it.

“It’s about charting the customer journey from search engine optimisation to using the website and what happens when they do.

“The problem may be something as simple as unclear instructions or a confusing part of the interface that needs tweaking to make it easier to use.”

As an example, Caroline cites Amazon which developed its “one-click” policy to enable users to make their purchases online more quickly. “That came about through customer research and learning about customer behaviour, she says.

Keeping the customer happy in the digital age is going to be increasingly vital, says Caroline – as millions of people around the world use their mobiles and tablets to find out about products and services and make transactions.

“At the outset, companies decided they wanted a website because their competitors had one,” she says. “They didn’t know what they wanted to do with it. Then they discovered that e-commerce was a great way to sell products while keeping their costs and overheads down. Making websites which can be accessed by millions effectively increases customer footfall in a digital context.”

Now firms are having to look at specific customers and what they want. Firms with “homogenised” websites that do not change with customer needs will find their customer numbers falling, she says.

“Mobile is a massive marketplace now,” says Caroline. “A lot of businesses that run with a website presence are not picking up on the challenge or opportunity of mobile applications for their business. Smart phone use worldwide is increasing hugely and as the technology progresses will take over from desktop.

“Mobile users have the phone constantly in the palms of their hands and can access products or services sitting at home watching the football. Lack of understanding of that technology is like going back to the early days of the web. Companies know they need a mobile application, but they don’t know what it is going to do for them.

“Researching user experience helps firms find out what customers want from their business. In the case of Nike, customers have the ability to choose, personalise and order a pair of shoes online and get it delivered. That’s the result of user experience research.”

Caroline set up theheuristics in April with the intention of helping small and medium-sized enterprises which lack the in-house expertise to make more of their online presence.

Membership of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has presented Caroline with the opportunity to work with other businesses of that size as well as attend networking events.

“It’s about trying to make people’s lives easier, she says. “It’s about creating an interface that’s efficient, consistent and aesthetically pleasing for the customer to use. For the business, it’s getting them to a position where they can throw away the help manual.”

Technology is a big part of Caroline’s life away from work.”I spend a lot of time in the gym,” she says.

“It’s the best way to get things out of your system when you’ve had one of those days!

“Chocolate is a proper ‘hobby’ of mine and I love conceptual art.

“But I also enjoy doing a lot of research on things like social media, computer hardware and innovations coming along. It’s the only way to keep up with developments.

“It’s impossible to work in IT without constantly updating your knowledge.

“Things change rapidly and you have to be in a situation where you are ready for the next development.”

Role: Owner

Age: 37

Family: Single

Car: I don’t have a car at the moment. When I do, it’s normally a Peugeot

Holidays: Singapore. It was the best holiday ever. The rain forest is pretty accessible and the country has a very peace-loving culture compared with the UK – and fantastic seafood

First job: I worked on a “virtual college” project for Barnsley College to put its learning services online

Best thing about job: Seeing satisfied clients and getting a pat on the back for a job well done

Worst thing about job: Undoing the work of “rock star” developers who do things their way rather than making things easier for everyone else

Business tip: Get involved with the local business community. Being a member of the chamber of commerce and attending networking groups has been extremely beneficial

Work: User experience and IT consultancy

Site: Birchencliffe

Phone: 07928 607238

Email: info@theheuristics.co.uk

Web: www.theheuristics.co.uk