The job: Child psychologist for toymakers Most of my work as a child development psychologist helps toy manufacturers design better products so they can meet children's developmental needs and increase brand loyalty. I have the most impact when companies get me in at the product development stage. For example, I am helping a jigsaw maker called Gibsons Games develop a children's range, building play value into the design so that the puzzles appeal to both parents and children. It surprises me that companies can still make costly, but basic mistakes. I was asked to look at a "first computer" type toy which was not selling. The product was very fancy but the on/off switch was indented - meaning you need to press it with a single finger. Children at that age still use their whole hand so they couldn't switch it on. Ultimately it was taken off the market. I fell into this work: after completing a PhD in psychology I lectured for the Open University. When my father, a toy sales agent, heard about a company that wanted to know if a games console in Japan would be suitable for the UK, I offered to help. The company recommended me elsewhere and the work mushroomed. I'm still something of a rarity in the toy industry: there aren't many psychologists combining their knowledge of child development with a commercial understanding.