We love a good field trip. It’s a chance to get out of the building while seeing and being inspired by other people and perspectives. As part of the third-year Innovation course, we planned a trip to London to visit design powerhouse IDEO and flagship FinTech innovation centre Barclays Rise. Ellie, Lawrence and Matei share their experiences:

"After nearly 3 years studying at the Innovation Centre, I found the experience of visiting IDEO so rewarding. The methodology and approach we’ve applied to numerous assignments had finally been validated out in the real world! These were professional designers sticking up the same yellow post-it™ notes on the same whiteboards that we use. While I had to come to terms with the fact that everybody on the trip now saw IDEO as their dream career, and I was very unlikely to ever actually work there, the visit gave me the drive and motivation do everything I can to at least come very close! Who doesn’t want to go to work where King George - the cutest dog you’ve ever seen - also comes to work everyday with none less than the Head of Talent?" 

- Ellie Leopold, Psychology with Innovation (MSci)

"Visiting IDEO was a real eye-opening experience into the world of human centred design in a professional and creative setting. Spending time with a couple of their designers and hearing their stories was very inspiring and has given me a vision of what I'd like to aim for in the future." 

- Lawrence Jepp, Physics with Innovation (MSci)

"The first 'school trip' for the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was definitely an amazing way to start what I hope will become a great tradition for the Centre. The day began early, and I am glad it did, because it allowed us to visit two incredible establishments in London.

First on our list was IDEO, the world-renowned design and innovation consultancy. What surprised me the most was everybody’s openness and their desire to share their knowledge. It was also great to see the same methods and tools we learn being applied in the real world and understand how and where exactly they fit into IDEO’s process.

The next stop, Barclays Rise, was equally exciting. We were given a tour of what is, in my opinion, the best all-around fin-tech incubator and collaboration space currently in operation. The association with one of the country's leading banks also provides the newly-founded companies with a launch ramp and easier access to decision-makers within the financial industry. On top of this, they also run an idea competition and give participating teams access to top consultants in the field. At the end of the day, I felt as though our trip to London was more than worthwhile as it provided us with the opportunity to gain knowledge and insight that would otherwise be impossible to recreate." 

- Matei Sterian, Computer Science with Innovation (MEng)