d.MBA business designer course

My personal journey with d.MBA

9 min readOct 22, 2023

About me

I’m Martina, a Product Designer who sometimes wrestles with what they call “Impostor Syndrome.” I come from a background in visual design, and despite having quite a few years in the industry, I often find myself doubting my own abilities. That’s why I always try to stay updated and learn from the best teachers.

As for my work journey, I’ve worked with different startups in Berlin, and now I’m with TIER, where I focus on B2B projects. I’m the one responsible for the entire design process, from the first chat with clients to the final prototype. I decided to take this course to improve my business knowledge. It’s mainly because I want to feel more confident when I need to talk to people who have a stake in the projects I’m working on. Also, I believe that all designers can benefit from knowing a bit about business if they want to enhance their skills and maybe climb the ladder a bit.

You can check some of my projects here.

Disclaimer

As I compose this article, I find myself in the midst of my second week attending the d.MBA course. The purpose of this article is to offer my personal insights to prospective newcomers or people who are uncertain about whether this course suits them. It’s important to note that my perspective is subjective, and others may have different experiences. I hope this article helps you decide, and I wish you all the best in your future as a designer!

Criteria of the course

I want to give you my input on the general information about the course.

Relevance to Your Goals: This course is suitable for designers with minimal or no business background. It helps in adopting a more comprehensive approach to design decisions. I was initially nervous about starting it since my prior business knowledge was nearly nonexistent.
Instructor or Trainer: Alen, the CEO, and Franz were my instructors. Alen was with us on the first day to introduce himself, but he played a prominent role in the course through videos and recorded lectures. He was also quite active in our Slack channel, providing continuous support. Meanwhile, Franz served as our primary teacher and assistant. He actively engaged in all our weekly calls and assisted us in the Slack channel, ensuring we could overcome challenges and make progress.
Course Format: The course is entirely online and self-paced, with two weekly calls and ongoing communication through Slack. Despite the self-paced nature, to be honest I never felt isolated. I always felt part of the community, thanks to our teachers and the Slack channels.
Course Duration: 6 weeks, part time — I was working around 16 hours per week to the assignments. Consider that I am never satisfied of my work, so maybe other individuals can take less time to work on the course assignments.
Course Materials: d.MBA has you covered with all the essential materials you need for the course. All you’ll require is a trusty laptop. When it comes to the tools of the trade, my go-to helpers were Excel Sheets, Figma (for presentations, you can explore other options), Google Drive, and Miro.
Assessment and Certification: the course offers a certification. If the assignments do not respect the deadlines, after the second deadline the student is expected to leave the course. This seemed a bit intimidating [😟😨🤯]. However, I soon realised that with determination, there’s always time to complete the assignments.
Cost and Financial Considerations: the course is not cheap — I paid 2900 euro out of my pocket — but there are discounts, or you can ask your company to cover it. I don’t have a clear idea if the price is reasonable or not. I mean, anyone can set their own prices, right? It’s really up to the customers to decide if it’s worth it. But here’s the deal — I’m genuinely pleased with the course. So, in hindsight, I’m happy I invested in it.
Support and Resources: from the moment I subscribed to the course I got immediately support. All the links, resources, documentation have been provided on time. I never felt lost.
Flexibility: joining the calls is not mandatory but strongly beneficial. At the enrolment students are asked at which time slot they want to be part — there are 3 slots morning, afternoon and evening. The course and the time to allocate to the self study and assessment are totally up to the student, however, as I said before, it’s crucial to respect the deadlines.
Networking Opportunities: the course provides opportunities to connect with peers and build a network, during and after the course. The Slack channel is a good way to start discussions, and eventually connect.
Prerequisites: the course is in English (but there is no language test). There are not particular prerequisites, but once you will fill out the application form, a member of the d.MBA team will reach out to you to evaluate if you are a good match.
Career Advancement: in my path of growth from a junior to a senior in my design career, I’ve noticed that the more I advance, the greater the expectation to understand business aspects. I believe this course can equip designers with the skills to speak the language of business and make more informed decisions that benefit both users and the business
Time Commitment: 12 to 18 hours per week, depending on your experience and wish to learn.

My Experience through the week

Each new module commences on a Tuesday, introducing us to fresh course materials and assignments. Typically, I allocate a portion of Tuesday and the entire Wednesday to delve into the study materials, watch videos, and thoroughly comprehend the assignment.

I genuinely value that the assignments are based on real companies facing actual issues. After studying and grasping the provided resources, we get the opportunity to propose practical solutions. This proves particularly beneficial during the research phase, where we are expected to delve into articles, websites, and even engage with experts if the opportunity arises.
We start working on the assignment from Tuesday, and we have until Sunday to finish it. This deadline keeps us from procrastinating. The teachers aren’t concerned about fancy slides; they want to see our thinking and storytelling skills.

By Sunday, we all need to share our assignments in the related Slack channel, but we can submit it earlier if we want. From Sunday to Tuesday morning, we write a reflection. We look back on the week, think about what we did well, what we could improve, and give kudos to our classmates for their presentations. I really like this mini-retro because it helps me reflect on my emotions and experiences during the week. It also allows me to see my peers’ work, which is the best part. It shows me different approaches to solving problems and helps me discover new ways of thinking.

During the week, we have two important calls — a coworking call on Friday and a reflection call on Monday. The coworking call is designed to assist us with the assignment. Typically, the TA begins by explaining the key topics of the week and helps us better understand the problem. We also have time to ask questions, allowing the TA to provide support and address any doubts students may have. This call is highly valuable and provides valuable insights. To make the most of it, it’s a good idea to start working on the assignment beforehand. The idea is to come to the call with a foundation of knowledge and plenty of questions, so the TA can provide clarification.

The goal of the reflection call is to present a potential solution along with the “good practices” as recommended by the TA. During this call, the TA also showcases slides from the students to highlight the best work and areas where improvements could be made. The aim is not to praise or criticize individuals. Instead, since we’re all learners, it’s incredibly insightful to see both exemplary work and examples of what not to do.

Communication

If students have questions or doubts during the week, they can use a Slack channel to post their inquiries. This channel is public, so when one student asks a question, it can help the entire group. The questions get answered by the teachers within few hours, it’s nice that sometimes also other students are participating. Personally, I find this system quite helpful because, in the calls, I tend to be a bit shy and introverted. Having the option to type my questions is more comfortable for me than speaking in front of the whole class.

Teaching method

In this course, the learning approach is individual, focusing on single projects rather than group work. The course employs a variety of teaching methods, including:

Video Lectures: The course provides informative video lectures where Alen explains the topics.
Transcripts: For those who prefer reading, transcripts of the video lectures are available, allowing for flexibility in learning.
Slack for Questions: Students are encouraged to use Slack for posing questions and seeking clarification during the week, fostering a sense of interaction and timely assistance.
Coworking Calls: These calls serve as a platform for students to engage in discussions and receive guidance, especially during the assignment phase.
Well-Explained Assignments: The assignments are thoroughly detailed and come with sufficient resources to ensure students can complete them effectively.
Podcasts: d.mba produces fantastic podcasts where they engage with experts to discuss various products. These podcasts offer valuable insights and are particularly helpful in the context of assignments.

A sample of the video class in which Alen is explaining

Challenges and Highlights

The most challenging part of the D.mba course was trying to focus on my studies while dealing with life’s responsibilities. It takes dedication to stay on track, study effectively, and meet assignment deadlines.

For instance I had to deal with personal issues. Even though I had health problems diagnosed during the course, I managed to keep working on my assignments. My advice to future students is to avoid making too many plans during the six-week course. This gives you the best chance to fully concentrate on your studies.

The course is doable, even if you have a family and a full-time job. Many of my fellow students were in the same situation, so it’s possible. However, it’s a good idea to limit other commitments during this time, say no to some social invitations, and give your full attention to the course. It’s a fantastic learning opportunity that benefits from your complete focus.

For who is the course

This course is like a guide for designers, especially those in UX and product design. It’s for folks who want to understand the business side of things, not just the user part.

You see, it’s all about helping designers improve their skills and make smarter business decisions. And guess what? When you’re aiming for those leadership roles, a bit of business knowledge can be a game-changer.

Now, I’m not a business expert myself, but this course gave me the confidence to join business conversations and apply what I’ve learned to my work. It’s like having a trusty sidekick for your design career! 🦸‍♂️✨

Final thoughts

I’d say, if your dream is to be a full-fledged business guru, a product manager, or a project manager, there are probably other courses out there that dive even deeper into those realms.

But if you’re like me, coming from a design background and working as a Product Designer, this course is like a golden ticket. It’s designed for folks who might not have much business know-how. It’s perfect if you want to understand why stakeholders make certain choices or even be an active participant in those business meetings without feeling like the quiet one in the room.

If you’re a freelancer, this course can add a whole new layer to your projects, it gives a more holistic approach. And if you’re all about putting users first but want to sprinkle in some business smarts, this course is your secret sauce. It’s like combining user needs with business goals and having a strategy with you. 💼🚀