Thinking Like an Engineer
An engaging introduction to the engineering mindset, guiding students through the full design process from problem definition to testing, iteration, and real-world production.
Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: Sixthform, College, Undergraduate
This session, Thinking Like an Engineer, introduces students to the mindset and structured approach engineers use to solve real-world problems by walking through the 7 key stages of the engineering process: Design Requirements, Conceptual Design, Detailed Design, Manufacturing, Testing, Evaluation, and Production. The talk explains how engineering begins with understanding the client’s needs and defining success criteria, then moves into generating creative concepts before refining the best idea into accurate technical plans. Students learn how designs are turned into prototypes through manufacturing methods, then tested using measurable data to check performance, safety, and reliability. The lesson emphasises evaluation as a critical stage where results and feedback are analysed to improve the design through iteration. Finally, it shows how successful prototypes are scaled into full production, including quality assurance, cost planning, and real-world constraints such as standards and sustainability—helping students see engineering as a balance of creativity, science, problem-solving, and practical decision-making.
