We went all in with five days of fast-paced, full-fat product thinking, where a group of curious, motivated students jumped headfirst into the messy, collaborative world of digital design.
We’ve hosted student placements before, but this was something more deliberate. Less about observation, more about immersion. It was real teams, real constraints, and real briefs that didn’t have right answers - just trade-offs.
Because someone did it for us. Because our industry has a short memory and a long future. We believe (and not just in this week, but in our client work too) in showing what product design really looks like. Not the curated, post-rationalised version - but the real work of understanding people, framing problems, collaborating well, and working in the open.
That's what we wanted them to experience.
But this wasn’t really about just “giving back”. It was about inviting people in properly and making it worth their time by showing them the thinking, the uncertainty, and the decisions behind the pixels. And not just how to use the tools, but how to earn the trust.
We weren’t aiming for polished outputs or slick presentations. What mattered was how they thought: What’s the real problem here? Who are we designing for? Why does it matter? We wanted them to get comfortable asking those kinds of questions - and to realise that design is as much about the thinking as it is about the making.
From there, we layered in the disciplines - user research, product framing, agile planning, wireframing, interface design, basic prototyping. But the key was it was always in context. We didn’t teach Figma - we used it. We didn’t do a crit - we learned how to give useful, respectful feedback. We didn’t demo code - we showed how design decisions affect implementation.
By the end of the week, they’d built prototypes, not products. But more importantly, they’d learned how to work like a team. How to disagree usefully, how to simplify without dumbing down. How to find their way in a space with no clear path.
Running something like this takes effort. It’s not a side project, it’s a proper delivery. But like all good delivery, it’s collaborative, evolving, and energising.
It reminded us how much knowledge lives in the gaps: the bits between disciplines, the quiet decisions made in stand-ups and retros, the unspoken logic behind product choices. And how rare it is to stop and explain them.
It reminded us what good teaching looks like: not simplifying the work, but creating the conditions for people to stretch into it. Not controlling outcomes, but building enough scaffolding that people can surprise you.
It reminded us that students can handle more than we think: give them clarity, context and responsibility, and they’ll rise to meet it. They won’t get everything right - but neither do we.
We’ll run it again. We’ll make it better. And we’ll keep raising the bar because the industry doesn’t need more people focused on polish over purpose. It needs designers who can think in systems, write with clarity, present with purpose and design with care.
Last week gave us a glimpse of that. Thoughtful, engaged, generous young thinkers, doing proper design work under pressure - and thriving.
But don’t just believe me, hear it firsthand from some of the candidates…
University of East Anglia - BSc Computer Science with a Year in Industry
I recently had the opportunity to take part in Red Badger’s Design School, an immersive, fast-paced program to human-centered design held at their London office. Going into the week, I was definitely excited, but I didn’t know quite what to expect. I joined because of my interest in product design and was hoping it would help bridge the gap between theory and real-world practice. Spoiler: it did exactly that, and more.
Each day focused on a key element of the design process. We kicked off by learning how to better understand users, asking good questions, mapping assumptions, and conducting insightful interviews. From there, we moved through problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and testing, using the Double Diamond as our guiding framework.
Our team's challenge? Reimagining the library experience. Working alongside an incredible cohort of peers from diverse backgrounds, we collaboratively navigated the design process, sticky notes, Figma files, and lots of ideas flying around. One standout moment for me was when we shared our prototypes with others for feedback. It was humbling but eye-opening to see how even rough sketches sparked valuable conversations. I realised that prototyping isn’t about perfection, it’s about thinking out loud, visually. The week was a masterclass in collaboration. Our team had to quickly align on goals, divide tasks, and remain open to evolving ideas. I learned that great design rarely comes from one person in isolation, they come from collaborative effort, honest dialogue, and creative compromise.
In terms of tools and skills, the programme offered hands-on exposure to everything from user journey mapping to accessibility principles. Figma was a big part of our workflow, and using it collaboratively made prototyping feel genuinely fun. Inclusive design, in particular, really resonated with me, and I’m looking forward to exploring that more deeply moving forward.
By the end of the week, my perspective on design had shifted. I used to think of it as something visual, now I see it as a way of solving problems with empathy at the core. The experience pushed me to slow down, ask better questions, and stay open-minded throughout the process.
I’m honestly proud of how much I grew in just five days. And I’m really grateful to Red Badger for creating such a supportive space for learning, experimenting, and collaborating.
Oh, and the office culture? friendly, supportive, and refreshingly open. People even brought in their pets, which only made the space feel more relaxed, welcoming, and human.
University of Brighton - Computer Science with AI
Walking into Red Badger’s Old Street office, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was immediately taken aback by the space. Open, vibrant, and effortlessly welcoming, it created an atmosphere where learning felt natural. I arrived with an open mind, ready to absorb and contribute to whatever was thrown my way.
Throughout Design School Week, we were introduced to everything from product foundations to UX research and prototyping. The project my group decided to work on was our app concept Navi-Dogs, a tool that allows university students to book robot dogs from “Navi-Stations” to help them navigate campus. It was quirky, futuristic, and genuinely useful. Our team of four took a “divide and conquer” approach in researching, wireframing, and designing, then seamlessly combining our efforts into a unified final prototype for our presentation.
Using FigJam and Figma, we brainstormed, sketched, and brought our UI to life. A standout moment was discovering how vital research planning is as it shaped our entire project direction. More than anything, I was struck by how natural collaboration felt. Everyone brought different strengths, and I found myself stepping into a leadership role, not by dominating, but by helping spotlight others’ ideas and making sure everyone's perspective was heard and validated. We truly made the dream work with some outstanding teamwork.
This week has opened my eyes to the dynamic world of consulting. Solving new problems across diverse industries is such an interesting and dynamic working world to be in and I now hope to be a part of this world someday. I leave not only with new skills, but also with pride in how my group worked together.