Holistic Design Thinking & Practice: Turn your idea into a physical, real-world solution

Want to turn your idea into a physical, real-world solution?

Are you an entrepreneur with a brilliant idea for a practical solution but unsure how to bring it to life? 

Whether it’s a product, service, or system that could make a difference, this five-day immersive course is designed to help you take the first steps toward making it real. No engineering background required!

What you’ll gain:

• Hands-on experience turning ideas into prototypes
• Expert guidance from engineers, designers, and innovation specialists
• A supportive environment to explore, test, and refine your concept
• Connections with like-minded innovators and potential collaborators

The course: Holistic Design Thinking & Practice

The Holistic Design Thinking & Practice course from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London (UCL) is ideal for individuals who have the time and resources to invest in their idea. Whether you’re taking time off work or exploring a new venture, you’ll leave with a clearer path forward and the confidence to pursue it.

The course will cover the fundamentals of human-centred design theory, including understanding and defining the actual design problem before developing and delivering a solution through iterative prototyping. 

During the course, learners will have the chance to approach multiple design problems, with varying scale and complexity, before prototyping candidate design interventions with a focus on rapid iteration and testing. Participants will have the chance to be trained in a variety of prototyping techniques including model building, 3D printing, laser cutting, and virtual prototyping.

Apply skills to real world scenarios

On this course, learners will spend their time in the workshops moving between learning theory embedded in a practical environment and rapidly applying new skills to real world scenarios.

There are no formal prerequisites, but learners should be willing to challenge themselves both creatively and analytically. Instruction will be given in all tools and processes by expert practitioners. The course is equally suited to those currently in education (minimum age 16 years) or those wanting to change career direction or develop an innovative idea.

Those completing the course will leave with a portfolio of prototypes and examples to demonstrate the diverse range of problem-solving tools learned, and the skills to translate these techniques into a wide range of applications and industries.

The venue: UCL MechSpace

The course is based in UCL Mechanical Engineering’s award-winning teaching workshop, MechSpace; a collaborative design environment that hosts projects as diverse as high-efficiency vehicles, medical devices, circular economy systems, virtual reality, the future of air and space travel and more. 

Course Leaders

Tom Peach: Tom is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Director of UCL’s MechSpace where he leads on the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s practical and design teaching. Tom has experience in rapid design and development, as during the COVID-19 pandemic he was part of the engineering team that developed the UCL-Ventura CPAP breathing aid with University College Hospital and Mercedes-AMG HPP. This project saw 10,000 non-invasive ventilators supplied to the NHS and won the RAEng President’s Special Award for Pandemic Service, with the design also released open-source for non-profit use worldwide.

Peter Simpson: Peter is a Lecturer in Engineering Design and Industry Engagement with five years experience working in industry at Autodesk. Whilst at Autodesk, he worked in a variety of roles focussing on helping users to get the most out of the software. This ranged from design thinking exercises, aiding in the pathway from idea to realisation, to hands on design consultancy on longer projects such as generatively designed parts for the worlds fastest production electric motorbike, to consumer product design and manufacture. Peter’s passion lies at the nexus between design and manufacturing, focussing on utilising real world experience to design high quality, manufacturing capable designs to allow for efficient product development.

UCL Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering looks at the design, analysis, and manufacturing of systems that keep our world moving forward. It is a practical subject and the UCL Department of Mechanical Engineering has its own dedicated engineering teaching workshop, MechSpace, to allow our students hands on experience in design and development. 

World-leading educational innovation has always been at the heart of our programmes as UCL was home to the UK’s first-ever Professor of the Mechanical Principles of Engineering, Eaton Hodgkinson, way back in 1847. It was here too where Sir Alexander Blackie William Kennedy introduced organised laboratory practicals in university engineering training, something that continues to this day. 

Any questions?

If you have queries about the course and would like to find out more or discuss details before signing up, do reach out to our Dr Fiona Jamieson via the details below.