The Mayo Clinic Center’s director for design, Lorna Ross, spoke about her experiences as a designer in healthcare and how it isn’t all about good ideas when it comes to innovation.

Previously speaking to Siliconrepublic.com, Ross recalled a moment when she sat in on a meeting about issues in the NHS and became aware of the potential for design to improve healthcare.

She admitted that it can be really hard to break into healthcare if you are not a scientist or a medical professional.

Upon entering the Mayo Clinic, Ross said it was abundantly clear that change was not a welcome word there, as it had become a “hallowed space” and “Mecca” of healthcare.

“[When] working in innovation, you can feel like your ideas are really good and you don’t understand why it didn’t gain any traction, but it is all about context and timing,” she said.

Words by Colm Gorey