d.MBA d.MBA

For our latest episode we put our new business school quiz to the test, with our unsuspecting producer Tom Prior in the hot-seat.
When it comes to understanding business terminology and concepts, it can regularly feel like our knowledge is under the spotlight. 
What does that business terminology mean?
Should I know what that stakeholder was referring to?
I’ve heard that acronym before… what the hell is ROI?
In these situations we might want to phone a friend or ask the audience. But what if you could go into your next stakeholder meeting and have the confidence of a bit more business knowledge?
Well, to get your started we’ve put together 7 questions for designers who want to start their journey towards business confidence.
Want to play along with Alen, Franz and Tom? Head to the multiple-choice quiz now and see how you get on!








 

Sept 15th, 2022.
The day Adobe announced its intention to acquire Figma for an eyewatering $20Bn was also a day of mourning for much of the design community. Our industry’s main tool was falling into the hands of a brand many have grown increasingly skeptical of.
Sad times.
But at a company retreat in rural Spain, the team at Penpot was rejoicing. Their nimble, open-source design tool is an alternative to the monopoly. An innovative upstart in the face of a seemingly greedy, toxic brand.
But how does an open-source tool with a tiny market share face up to the might of Adobe?
In this interview with Penpot's CEO Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz, we uncover:
How Penpot’s developer-inclusive product strategy can be an engine of growth
Why a “Tax the controller” subscription model can make open source a profitable business model
Using the ‘value created vs value captured’ ratio to create a compelling pricing proposition
 
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Discounting and Tesla are two words you never hear together.
Elon Musk famously wrote in an email to Tesla staff that “There can never – and I mean never – be a discount on a new car coming out of the factory in pristine condition… The acid test is that if you cannot explain to any customer who paid full price why other another customer didn’t without being embarrassed, then it is not right.”
So Tesla’s recent decision to deeply discount across its product range has many scratching their heads. Why is Tesla doing this now? What could it indicate about the state of the business? Will it have a long-term effect on their brand and position in the market?

These are questions we dive into as part of the latest Business Design Jam. In this episode we cover:
Why a business like Tesla might choose to discount
The pros and cons of discounting
5 considerations before choosing to cut prices
Why price is so intrinsically linked to UX
How designers can add value to the pricing process - it’s not all maths!

In this episode of the d.MBA podcast, we explore the exciting and rapidly-evolving field of artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on the design community and the future of business. We discuss:
The latest advances in AI technology and how it is transforming the way we design products, services, and experiences.
We also delve into the potential risks and opportunities that AI presents for businesses and designers, and offer insights on how to navigate this rapidly-changing landscape.
Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of AI and its implications for the future of design and business.
The episode’s description was written by an AI chatbot ChatGPT. Impressive, right?

How can we best align the goals of employees and owners?
It’s an age-old problem of a principal-agent relationship. But there is a promising trend that could really align incentives between employees and owners. It’s by making employees owners!
We decided to invite two d.MBA alumni, Sandra Fernandez and Chris How to share how employee ownership works in their companies.
We talked about:
what even are employee-owned companies,
what are the benefits and drawbacks for employees and companies,
and the advice Sandra and Chris would give to others who are in the position to suggest or adopt the employee ownership program.
 
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In the latest Designer in Nature Talking Business, we are hosting Elisabeth Graf, a service designer, innovation coach, and facilitator. And a d.MBA alumna!
Lilly shared how she got into design and learned about the importance of a business concept called opportunity costs. Along the way, we also discussed how she negotiated her salary and got a 50% raise only 3 months after being hired, and why her most hated business buzzword is MVP.