Gain the skills, knowledge, and frameworks needed to influence business strategy, align design work with business goals, and become a more strategic partner within your organization.
Course Summary
Unlock Design Career Growth
Business savvy and strategic thinking, not design skills, are increasingly becoming the largest determinants of design career success.
“Business knowledge gives designers the ability to advocate for their work effectively.”
“Design without business is just decoration.”
“Business is an area where I see designers falling short the most.”
About this Course
Strategic Business Acumen for Designers equips you with the critical business knowledge to enhance the impact you drive within your organization and get your design career to the next level. This course bridges the gap between design and business strategy, teaching you how to align your design work with business goals and become a strategic partner in any setting.
Through a mix of online learning content, hands-on practice, real-life case studies, and special guest speakers, you’ll develop the confidence and skills to influence business outcomes and advocate for strategic design thinking. Whether you're eyeing a promotion, seeking to build stakeholder trust, or aiming to infuse more business strategy into your design process, this course offers the tools and insights needed to succeed.
HYBRID COURSEFORMAT
Complete coursework on your own time each week, including a total of 50+ video lessons, then meet live weekly in peer group sessions.
HANDS-ON PROJECTSAND EXERCISES
Apply your learning to real-world scenarios through weekly assignments and a final course project.
COHORT DISCUSSIONSAND CRITIQUES
Participate in live, scheduled group sessions to discuss work in progress and share insights.
SPECIAL GUESTSPEAKERS
Guest speakers will share case studies and Q&A about their own experiences navigating business decisions as designers.
MENTORFEEDBACK
Receive personalized guidance on your project work from industry experts.
Who It’s For
FOR EXPERIENCED DESIGNERS SEEKING TO INCREASE THEIR STRATEGIC VALUE
This course is designed for mid to senior-level designers, agency designers, freelancers, in-house design teams, and design entrepreneurs who want to advance their careers by integrating business strategy with design. Ideal for those who have been encouraged to think more strategically but lack formal business training, this course will empower you to translate design into business value, navigate and influence strategic decisions, and articulate the strategic importance of design in achieving business goals.
Have more questions about this course? Contact our admissions team.
Business Savvy Designers Drive Impact
YOU WILL LEARN
Exclusive Guest Lectures
Participants of the course will also gain exclusive access to three guest lectures by seasoned design leaders who will share insights about their experiences navigating the intersection of design and business. The final of the three lectures will be by course creator, Jacalin Ding.
Hang Le
Ex-Dropbox, SAP
Chetana Deorah
Ex-Design Director Netflix, Coursera
Jacalin Ding
Guided by Experts
Weekly peer group sessions will be facilitated by an expert mentor with experience bridging the the gap between design and business.
Course Curriculum
BUSINESS FoUNDATIONS
Gain a solid understanding of essential business concepts, organizational structures, and how they shape the context in which designers operate.
STRATEGIC POSITIONING & OPPORTUNITIES
Learn to analyze market landscapes, identify strategic opportunities, and develop insights that align design work with business objectives.
BUsiness Models & Metrics
Explore various business models and key performance indicators, understanding how they influence design decisions and priorities.
Becoming a strategic design partner
Elevate your role by applying strategic frameworks, connecting design to business outcomes, and effectively communicating the value of design initiatives.
In Partnership With
Showcase Your Work
Earn a certificate of completion when you complete Strategic Business Acumen with Designlab, and display it proudly on Linkedin, your portfolio website, or any other place you choose.
Have questions about the course?
Our Students, Alumni, and Mentors Work at Top Companies Around the World
Frequently Asked Questions
Strategic Business Acumen for Designers is for mid-level designers (whether you’re working in-house, freelancing, or at an agency) who are already successfully creating design work with proficiency. This course focuses on helping you take your design career to the next level, by demystifying business strategy and helping you connect your design work to the larger context and goals of the business you’re operating in. This course moves at a fast pace, and students are expected to create presentations in tools like Canva or Figma, share strategic decks, and present their work over Loom recordings and live.
Yes. Given that the first cohort of this course spans the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be a break the week of November 24-30. The course will then pickup as normal the week of December 1st.
Yes. Students who successfully complete Strategic Business Acumen for Designers will unlock a certificate that they can display on LinkedIn and other platforms as a credential.
Unique to the advanced courses Designlab offers, Peer Group Sessions are regularly scheduled meetings facilitated by a professional product designer with expert-level experience in the course topic. In these sessions students come together to discuss the lessons, project work, and any questions.
The Peer Group Sessions in Strategic Business Acumen for Designers meet weekly for 90 minutes.
After you enroll in the course, you’ll select your peer group time. Typically, peer groups are held several days throughout the week at 12pm ET (9am PT) and 6pm ET (3pm PT).
None of the above times work for your schedule? Contact our admissions team by scheduling a call or emailing at advanced.admissions@designlab.com and we'll try to find something to accommodate.
This course will feature three bonus guest speakers, including Jacalin Ding, the course instructor. Guest speakers will share their experiences connecting design with business impact, and be available for Q&A with students. Sessions will be held on Weeks 2, 3, and 4 of the course — with times TBA. Students may attend these sessions live or receive a recording to watch asynchronously.
We currently offer discounts for veterans. We also offer a payment plan that allows you to pay half up front and half at the end of the course. To learn more, contact our admissions team.
If you're interested in bundling this course with other advanced courses, you can save $200 for 2 courses, $375 for 3 courses, or $600 for 4 courses. To get started selecting your course bundle, go here.
Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week on course work including time for self-paced lessons, practice projects, and peer group sessions. The following milestones will exist each week:
- Sunday: New content is released.
- Wednesday or Thursday: Participants will meet with their mentor and peer group.
- Various TBA Times: Participants will attend an optional guest speaker lecture and Q&A.
- 48 hours after meeting with your peer group you should submit your project work on the platform.
- 48 hours after submitting your project work you’ll receive feedback on your work from your mentor.
You can also unlock the next unit early by completing all lessons and project work ahead of the deadline.
You’ll have some flexibility on when you complete coursework, but you should plan to have watched the recording of the video lecture and completed exercises before meeting with your peer group.
Absolutely! Many of our students’ tuition is sponsored by their employer. If you have any questions about how to do this when you’re enrolling for the course, please reach out via our Help Center contact form for more information or contact our admissions team.
Also, to help you with requesting reimbursement, feel free to copy / paste / edit the below email text:
Hi {Manager Name},
I’m writing to you about a course called Strategic Business Acumen for Designers that I’d love to enroll in using my learning & development budget. The course is on Designlab, a platform that’s trained thousands of UX / UI / Product Designers who work at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google. The course is designed to teach me how to:
- Connect design decisions to business goals
- Analyze markets and identify opportunities
- Articulate design value to stakeholders
- Communicate the business impact of design decisions effectively
- Understand various business models and their implications for design
- Apply strategic frameworks to design work
- Consider multiple business factors when setting design priorities
The course format was specifically set up with working designers in mind and is a mix of asynchronous lessons, hands-on project work, and weekly peer group sessions facilitated by an expert in business and design. The course costs $1299 USD, and you can check out the course details here.
Thanks,
{Your Name}
We’re happy to work with a team or company. To chat through options, including multi-seat discounts, customs training, and more, book a call with our team.
Strategic Business Acumen for Designers is backed by The Designlab Happiness Promise. After you've fully participated in the course, if you're not satisfied, you can get your money back. Read more here.
take your design career to the next level
Enroll today in Strategic Business Acumen for Designers to reserve your seat, or speak with our Admissions team to get answers to any questions you might have.