My iLab Experience

The iLab really is not as easy as it sounds, neither is it a boring experience. My iLab experience was not really the most smooth, because it had its ups and downs despite the fact that I never changed group and I stayed with one project till the end.

I have to say it played a very crucial part towards my professional growth and development. The experience made me more open minded and considerate and taught me several things about leadership, business, teamwork, team-bonding and lots more.

The most important thing to do is stay open minded, listen more and work towards your set goal.

My Take-aways

In the iLab, I was the youngest participant at 19 years old and I have also had experience with various interdisciplinary projects. Also working on a project which was in close relation to my study programme, I believe I had a good foundation and skillset to work efficiently with the team. Being one of the few people whose projects did not get eliminated, I was given the privilege to work on the same project throughout the span of the iLab.

I had several tasks in my team, some of which are;

Research
Designing of the Prototye and MVP
Logo Design
Business Plan and Blueprint Design
Energy Calculations and Estimations
Contacting partners and Companies
Conducting Interviews and Surveys etc.

What did I Learn in the iLab?

I learnt a lot of things during the iLab, in business, management, project management, time management, project organization, teamwork, communication, receiving and giving feedback, pitching, 3D Designing, 3D Printing, storytelling and lots more. The experience really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and take on more challenges.

Leadership

In the iLab, I was the youngest participant at 19 years old and I have also had experience with various interdisciplinary projects. Working on a project which was in close relation to my study programme, I believed I had a good foundation and skillset to work efficiently and lead the team. Being one of the few people whose projects did not get eliminated, I was given the privilege to work on the same project throughout the span of the iLab. My group had no set or defined leader as we all had leadership qualities. Therefore we were able to switch responsibility or leadership when it came to tasks or aspects which one person had more experience with or expertise. With this method of working we were able to keep a balance and good working atmosphere within the group.

During the iLab, I have learnt to become more assertive, communicate more, exercise patience and many other leadership qualities

Camille

“I have been working with Daniel for the whole ILab, we have been on the same project the entire time.
At the beginning I was not sure on how it would work out, I was a bit afraid that our two personalities would not match, but after sometime we both learned to work together and I really saw an evolution in Daniel's way of working in this project.
In the end, I am really happy that I have been able to work with him :)"

Romain

"I have worked with Daniel for 3 months as an iLab teammate. Daniel is a person you can trust and a motivated worker. He also has good ideas, useful for the improvement of the project. I can also say that working with Daniel is always fun because it’s easy to make joke and laugh with him. So, I would say that the working atmosphere is pleasant when I work with him. "

Andy

“In my experience I can say, Daniel is proud to take on the responsible Task of leading a group and was able to gain a lot of experiences in the process of iLab. In my opinion the iLab isn't only about Projects and reaching goals but also about personal learning. In this sense I think that he deepen his understanding that fullfilling a certain task isn't the only focus but also the way to get there and it also takes time for the calm Exchange of ideas and Arguments.”