Strategic Design Career Accelerator

4.8 (47)

4 - 5 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Transform from craft designer to strategic business partner. Alumni report 67% higher confidence connecting design to business outcomes.

Strategic Design Career Accelerator

4.8 (47)

4 - 5 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Transform from craft designer to strategic business partner. Alumni report 67% higher confidence connecting design to business outcomes.

Hosted by

Jacalin Ding

Product Design Leader | 2x Business Founder | Coached 10,000+ Designers

Jacalin Ding

Product Design Leader | 2x Business Founder | Coached 10,000+ Designers

Course alumni from:

Course overview

Master Strategic Business Skills to Accelerate Your Design Career

🌎 MAR cohort timezone - AEST / PST / EST

🌎 JUN cohort timezone - EU / APAC / UAE / AEST

🌎 NOV cohort timezone - AEST / PST / EST

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⭐️9.7/10 Rating ⭐️ 3 cohorts annually ⭐️ 20 students per cohort ⭐️ Unlimited 1-1 support

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Many designers face these challenges:

- Hesitating to contribute to business strategy discussions

- Hitting a career ceiling despite strong design skills

- Struggling to communicate design value to business stakeholders

This course bridges the gap between design craft and business strategy.

Successful designers understand business. They connect design decisions to company growth and communicate value effectively, making them invaluable strategic partners.

💬 "This is by far, one of the best courses I've taken about combining business with design."

- Lead Designer, Course Alumni

Tap into the real live MBA strategies and success frameworks I've used to grow my own multi 6 figure business, as well as helping companies to secure millions in funding.

Course Impact (Alumni Results):

+ 67% higher confidence connecting design to business outcomes

+ 63% higher confidence in strategic decision-making

+ 62% higher confidence at identifying strategic opportunities

+ 44% improvement in storytelling skills

P.S. This course may qualify for company L&D reimbursement or professional development tax deductions.

Who is this course for

Growth Designers

Infuse strategic business thinking into your process, lead and inspire your team through trends, strategy and execution.

Senior Designers

You've mastered craft-focused skills and ready to level up to become the most business savvy designer in the room.

Start-up / Freelance Designer

Gain confidence in business decision-making, become an invincible design partner to drive business growth

Growth Designers

Infuse strategic business thinking into your process, lead and inspire your team through trends, strategy and execution.

Senior Designers

You've mastered craft-focused skills and ready to level up to become the most business savvy designer in the room.

Start-up / Freelance Designer

Gain confidence in business decision-making, become an invincible design partner to drive business growth

NOT for Junior Designers

This course is best suited for anyone with any least 3 years industry experience or a career transitioner.

What you’ll get out of this course

Master Business Acumen & Strategy Thinking

Navigate business landscapes with confidence and contribute to strategic discussions using the language of business. Develop confidence in understanding how businesses operate, grow, and make strategic decisions across the eco-system.

Drive Business Growth Through Multiplying Design Impact

Transform from a craft-focused designer to a strategic business partner by connecting design decisions to business outcomes. Learn to identify and measure design's impact on key metrics, enabling you to shape design impacts at an organizational level.

Design ROI & Business Storytelling

Master quantifying and communicating design's business value through ROI prototyping. Build data-backed design rationales that resonate with stakeholders, while improving your written and vocal storytelling skills.

Strategic Career Planning & Growth

Create a clear roadmap for advancing your strategic design career with concrete, measurable milestones. Demonstrate your business impact and build your growth path into design leadership roles.

Instructor 1-1 support when you need

Any questions or challenges during the course, Instructor is only one message away to provide any support you need to maximise your learning experience.

This course includes

Interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

44 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

7 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

May 29—Jun 1

Nothing scheduled for this week

Week 2

Jun 2—Jun 8

Module 1: Mastering Business Acumen

12 items

Week 3

Jun 9—Jun 15

Design Impact: Connecting Design With Business Transformation

12 items

Week 4

Jun 16—Jun 22

Module 3 - Design Rationales, Design ROI & Business Storytelling

12 items

Week 5

Jun 23—Jun 29

Module 4 - Strategic Design Career Planning

10 items

Week 6

Jun 30

Nothing scheduled for this week

Post-course

Continuous learning

4 items

Bonus: Facilitate to Influence

1 item

4.8 (47 ratings)

What students are saying

Course schedule

2 live sessions + 4-5 hours self study

Weekly Live Classes
See cohort timezones
1-1.5hr
Weekly module learning
Q&A
Collaborations

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MAR Cohort: AEST 9am / PDT 4pm / EST 7pm
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JUN Cohort: CET 9am / AEST 6pm / Gulf 12pm / APAC 4pm
Q&A, Learning Reflection
See cohort timezones
1hr
Weekly assignment learning review
Q&A

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MAR Cohort: AEST 8.30am / PDT 1.30pm / EDT 4.30pm
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JUN Cohort: EU 8am / Gulf 11am / AEST 6pm / APAC 4pm

What's it like to learn from Jacalin?

This is by far, one of the best courses I've taken about combining business and design. I've spent a lot of time and money in so many courses and this one has it all, plus the amazing experience of Jacalin! She is one of the most intelligent, knowledgeable and approachable persons I know. Highly recommend the course!

Paulina Galindo 🇺🇸

Lead Product Designer | DoorDash | Ex-Linkedin

Jac, you made this course fun and enjoyable to attend. I personally valued your holistic approach to what you taught and provided valuable information not just for our design careers but for life.

Nikki Beckman 🇺🇸

Product Designer | Paramount | CBS Sports

Jac's approach to measuring design value and communicating with stakeholders is inspiring. She has taught me to analyse challenges beyond design. One quote from her that has shifted how I solve problems since the beginning of my career is "A great designer always thinks like a business designer".

Man Hin Ma 🇦🇺

Senior Product Designer | Zip | ex-Eucalyptus

I loved learning from Jac. She was an absolute legend - making sure our class was always engaged and went out of her way to make the class time productive, fun and of course very relevant. Jac also kept the learning pace at a good rate. Can’t thank her enough for such a valuable learning experience!!

Aneka Reid 🇦🇺

UX Manager | My Muscle Chef

I see Jacalin as a role model for designers - always learning, curious and passionate. She generously shared her knowledge, resources and inspiration to help me grow into a more impactful designer.

Michelle Ou 🇦🇺

Human-Centred Designer | Inclusive Design Practitioner | Design Mentor

This course provides meaningful content for UX Designers wanting to elevate their practice and move into a senior role. During this course, Jacalin has mentored me on strategic thinking with real world applications that allow me to build influence within my organisation. I feel much better positioned now to deliver measurable design outcomes.

Reece Turnbull 🇦🇺

Senior UX Designer

Free resource

From Designer to Strategic Partner: 3 Ways to Elevate Your Impact

In this focused webinar, learn the mindset shifts and practical steps to move beyond craft and align your design work with business outcomes.

Break through common mental blockers and discover what it really takes to become an influential business partner – not just a designer.

Featuring Jac's personal journey and practical insights.

Unlock this 18-min power session 👇🏼

(limited access)

Watch now:

Meet your instructor

Jacalin Ding

Principal Product Design Leader // Entrepreneur // Mentor // Speaker

Jacalin Ding is a seasoned product design leader and business strategist with over 15 years of experience in building and leading design teams and products. She has collaborated with startups, enterprises, and agencies across New York, Vancouver, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney.

As a strategic business designer, Jacalin has worked directly with CEOs and founders, helping to raise millions in funding for their businesses. She has also successfully built a side business that generates multiple six figures in annual revenue.

Since 2018, Jacalin's courses have empowered over 10,000 designers to connect design with business success. She has coached designers from leading companies including Google, DoorDash, LinkedIn, Visa and Atlassian.

Join an upcoming cohort