IDEO London

The London studio of IDEO, the global design and innovation company, that works with organisations on products, services and experiences using a people-first approach.

About IDEO London

IDEO is a global design and innovation company, and this page is about its London studio. IDEO uses a human-centred approach, which means starting with what people need and testing ideas by making them. In its own words on a recent jobs page, its work includes imagining new possibilities, turning strategy into products, services, experiences and ventures, helping people and organisations build creative skills, and designing responsible solutions for a fairer, more sustainable future. Its mission, as quoted there, is that a more sustainable, equitable future is one "for all of us to design".

The studio's own blog says its values are guideposts for its work, and that it extended this to the design of its London office. The team wanted a space that showcases design and innovation, welcomes clients, sets a good tone for work and stays flexible for years. IDEO's roots, the blog says, lie in working with friends. It lists the London studio alongside others in Cambridge, Chicago, San Francisco and Shanghai. We did not find the company's founding history in the pages we read.

In the UK the London studio is in Clerkenwell. An Office Snapshots article from 2016 describes a roughly 2,500 square foot space designed with Forster Inc, with moved project rooms, a new material palette and a bar that works as a gathering spot. A Built In London page lists four current London roles, all in the office: a senior business development associate, an interaction design lead, a digital product director and a strategy and organisational design director. It gives a total of about 1,273 employees, but that is almost certainly the global company rather than London alone.

On how people work, the blog says the studio puts making ahead of meetings. The workshop is near the entrance so teams can go from a discussion straight to building prototypes. There are only two meeting rooms, and small phone booths handle most video calls. Teams get open, flexible spaces that they can make their own, with glass walls for light that can be closed for confidential client work. The space is designed to host everything from client dinners to informal coffee chats and to bring together employees, clients and the wider community. These are the company's own descriptions.

The roles named on the jobs page show the mix of people in a design studio: interaction designers, who plan how digital products work; strategists; business development staff; and directors who lead projects. Other typical roles are researchers, visual and industrial designers, and makers who build prototypes. If you like solving real-world problems with people from different backgrounds, this is the kind of environment where you do that. Check IDEO's website for current London openings.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Creating physical and digital products and services from a human-centred starting point.', 'title': 'Design for products and services'}
• {'desc': 'Helping organisations plan how to grow and change.', 'title': 'Strategy and organisational design'}
• {'desc': 'Helping people and teams learn to work creatively.', 'title': 'Building creative skills'}

Key facts

• London studio in Clerkenwell (office article dated 2016)
• Part of a global company with studios in Cambridge, Chicago, San Francisco and Shanghai
• Four open roles listed in London on a jobs page
• Mission quoted as a more sustainable, equitable future 'for all of us to design'

Website: www.ideo.com