Explore every episode of the podcast d.MBA

🎟️ WHO GETS TO DECIDE? Brighton, 23 September 2026

Want to experience Melin’s workshop for yourself? Join us at Sea Lanes in Brighton for an evening exploring where designers fit in leadership as AI changes our work.

You’ll work through real AI decisions, practise navigating difficult stakeholder conversations, and leave with a practical decision checklist and your own AI manifesto.

Tickets are just £30 including food and a drink, £25 each if you bring a friend, and even less if you come as a team.

👉 Get your ticket: https://d.mba/sessions-brighton

Before you add AI, ask these 5 questions.

Designers are increasingly being asked to put AI into products, processes and workflows. But how do you know when it’s actually the right decision?

In this episode of In Practice, I’m joined by Melin Edomwonyi, founder and UX Director at Seedable Studio, to explore five areas we should be questioning before reaching for AI: value, trust, cost, safety and ethics.

We talk about starting with the problem rather than the tool, the risks AI can introduce to users and brands, and how designers can bring balance and critical thinking into conversations about AI without getting caught up in either the hype or the backlash.

Melin also shares how designers can use the skills we already have to ask better questions, bring evidence into the room and have more influence over the decisions being made around AI.

FIND MELIN

Seedable Studio: https://seedable.studio

LinkedIn:   / melinedo 

🎓 APPLICATIONS FOR d.MBA ARE OPEN

Our next five-month d.MBA cohort starts on 5 October 2026. If you want to build your confidence around business, strategy and having more influence in the decisions that shape your work, applications are open now.

Apply: https://d.mba/apply

00:00 The AI mess that took years to clean up
01:30 Conversation starts: meet Melin
02:06 Pressured to use AI in 2023 — and the fallout
04:54 Inside "Leading With Clarity in the AI Era"
07:09 Love and hate: how you really feel about AI
07:51 Personal values vs organisational values
10:27 The five hard questions
11:09 Value: don't start with the tool
14:24 Trust & UX: hallucinations and who's accountable
18:03 Cost: compute, maintenance and the tech giant risk
22:12 Safety & ethics: bias, data leakage, energy
25:03 ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude
27:42 Pushing back without being "the AI skeptic"
34:45 Writing your AI leadership manifesto
38:00 Seedable Studio and where to find Melin

Would anyone miss your product if it vanished tomorrow? It's one of the best strategic questions you can ask, and it's just one part of the Worth-It Test.

Juju (Juliana Muñoz Uribe) is a strategist and writer whose Substack, Unfluence Lab, tracks how behaviour and meaning are shifting in tech. Her argument: as products mature, extraction creeps into the business model, meaning breaks, and users quietly stop caring. Her answer is a scorecard built on four pillars of meaning from social psychology, coherence, connection, contribution, and something bigger, that lets you audit any product, filter ideas, and work out whether what you're building is genuinely worth it. In this episode she opens it up on screen, scores real products with it, and then does something braver: she scores this podcast, live, with me pushing back on the grades.

We get into:

• The four pillars: does it hold together, does it create a space people return to unprompted, is it genuinely useful, does it serve something beyond the transaction

• The vanish test: would anyone miss it if it disappeared tomorrow

Live audits: Too Good To Go (where trust is cracking) and Cosmos (the intention economy done right)

• The self-audit: Juju scores In Practice, and I argue two of her grades down

• Using the scorecard to filter ideas now that building is no longer the bottleneck

• What to do when the scorecard tells you your work isn't worth it, and why frustration is the most useful emotion you have

• The shift from the attention economy to the intention economy

TRY IT YOURSELF
The scorecard comes from Juju's essay The Worth-It Test, read it, run it on your own product, and she'd genuinely love to hear how it went
https://unfluencelab.substack.com/p/t...

JUJU'S LINKS
Unfluence Lab, Juju's Substack on psycho-technology shifts: https://unfluencelab.substack.com
Juju on LinkedIn:   / jujumunoz 

d.MBA
Business education for designers: https://d.mba

00:00 "When extraction breaks meaning"
01:01 The conversation with Juju
01:30 Deleting Facebook: where the question started
02:57 The product playbook that erodes meaning
05:39 A model for "is it worth it?"
06:39 The four pillars of meaning
08:45 Turning the pillars into a scorecard
14:00 How the scoring works (0–3)
16:33 Auditing the DMBA podcast live
24:03 Real-world audits
30:06 The crisis of meaning
34:33 When your product isn't worth it
39:51 Final advice & where to find Juju

The real skill with AI tools isn't prompting. It's knowing when to stop prompting, when to step in, do it by hand, and hand the result back to the machine.

Darshan Gajara is a design leader who actually ships. His latest is Beanpresso, a coffee journaling app built in Lovable, launched, and refined in the wild. In this episode he shares his screen and walks through the whole build, the real project, the prompt history, the dead ends, and the moments a designer's eye had to take over, from first idea to live product, plus how he's approaching monetisation and marketing as a solo maker.

We get into:

• Starting in Lovable and only bringing in Figma once the idea took shape, "give it a designer's touch"

• Why you don't need to design whole flows anymore: get one page right and Lovable infers your design system

• The handoff problem: screenshots plus precise description, component by component, down to corner radii

• The SVG trick: when the animation kept breaking, he built the UI by hand, named every layer, exported an SVG and told Lovable to animate exactly that

• "I'm still a designer": choosing to do the branding by hand, and why some things are better that way

• Monetising a side project: premium taste insights, and a roaster marketplace his own users suggested

• Marketing by making: free tools, a Berlin coffee guide the roasters reshared, and an AI writing setup trained on his own style

GET THE APP
Beanpresso, coffee journaling for people who take their beans seriously: https://beanpresso.com

MY REFLECTIONS
I share my personal takeaways from each episode in the d.MBA newsletter, what I actually learned and what I'm stealing for my own builds: https://d.mba/newsletter

LINKS
Darshan on LinkedIn:   / darshangajara 
Product Disrupt, Darshan's design learning resource: https://productdisrupt.com
Darshan's site: https://darshan.design
d.MBA, business education for designers: https://d.mba

00:00 – "They just keep banging their heads, burning through tokens"
00:36 – Who Darshan is, and what this episode is really about
01:36 – Interview starts: scratching his own itch.
05:51 – App demo: scanning a bag, community feed, taste stats
10:51 – Validating the idea (and why the existing coffee apps weren't good enough)
14:12 – Version one: built straight in Lovable, no design
15:54 – The prompting workflow: voice notes → Notion AI → Claude → Lovable
18:21 – Why he dropped the native app and went web
19:33 – Mood boarding with Variant, and finding the visual language
23:54 – Naming it, and why AI is terrible at logos
27:15 – What AI is good at, and what he had to do by hand
30:45 – Taking the design back into Lovable, component by component
33:27 – Building new flows once Lovable knows your design system
36:36 – The SVG animation trick
38:27 – Don't expect one tool to do everything
42:06 – Monetisation: premium stats and a roaster marketplace
45:45 – Distribution: small free tools, Instagram, and SEO
49:15 – Where to find Beanpresso and Darshan

Everybody thinks they know what matters to them. Then you ask them, and they can't tell you.

Daniel Burka has stood at more career crossroads than most: Digg, Glitch (which became Slack), a company sold to Google, five years at Google Ventures, then eight years in global public health. Every time the stakes got high, he reached for the same thing: Job Rank, a weighted-scoring spreadsheet for choosing your next role. In this episode he opens the real template on screen and walks through exactly how it works, for designers, product people, and anyone in tech staring at a hard career decision.

We get into:

• Why the spreadsheet isn't really the tool: 90% of the value is being forced to write down what you value and rank it

• If everything's important, nothing's important: how the weighting forces the trade-offs a pros and cons list politely avoids

• The moment the sheet told Daniel something his ego didn't want to hear about a big role at Google

• How the tool travels with you: same values, different weights, as your life changes

• Where AI fits into a decision that should stay human

GET THE TEMPLATE
Free to copy, in Daniel's full write-up: https://www.hardproblems.com/articles...

LINKS
Hard Problems, helping designers and people in tech find work that matters: https://www.hardproblems.com

d.MBA, business education for designers: https://d.mba

00:15 – What this episode is about
02:10 – Daniel's career crossroads
04:15 – Job Rank: it's just a spreadsheet
04:40 – Writing down what matters to you
06:25 – Weighting each value (and why not everything's a 5)
09:50 – Scoring the jobs you're considering
11:20 – Scoring jobs that don't exist yet
13:10 – How to make your own job
16:50 – The Google role his ego wanted
19:10 – Why 90% of the value is just writing it down
21:10 – Hard Problems: work that actually matters
25:05 – Jobs that matte

Avi Ashkenazi, Senior Director of Product Design at Deel (Shopify and iwoca before that), walks through the Shredder: the framework he built for reverse-engineering any company's strategy from the outside, using nothing but public information.

It's the skill that moves designers from executing the brief to shaping it.

We get into:

• Why studying competitors through their screens is the most superficial read there is

• The tree metaphor: products are the fruit, strategy is the hidden trunk, and everything around it talks

• How to read org charts, careers pages, investors and partners as leading indicators of a company's next move

• Why companies ship their org chart, and how to spot the seams in the product

• How AI has changed the way Avi runs the framework since he built it at iwoca

• Using the Shredder on your own company, to find out what your strategy actually is

Ever thought about the ingenious business and design strategies that turned an everyday gadget into an adventurer's (and content creator's) best friend?

Our latest Business Design Teardown dives into the thrilling business and design strategies behind the iconic action camera brand GoPro, revealing the creative and strategic decisions that shaped GoPro's journey to becoming a market leader. 

Join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they explore the trails and navigate the rapids of GoPro's fascinating journey. They'll zoom in on...

• How a founder's passion for surfing and desire to capture his adventures identified a gap in the market for him to explore
• The role of prototyping and rapid iteration that led to GoPro's innovation breakthroughs
• Why user-generated content was a critical marketing flywheel driving GoPro's early successes
• How arrogance and a focus on iteration over innovation may have stifled GoPro's journey to the top of the action camera mountain...

Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a design lover, or someone who loves a good adventure tale, this episode has twists and turns that will elevate your perspective on GoPro's fascinating story.

When you want to learn about the intersection of business and design, you can turn to d.MBA Business Design Teardowns.

But for everything else? It has to be Wikipedia.

In this podcast episode, we're tearing down one of the most significant sources of knowledge on the internet and uncovering how it isn't just a website—it's a worldwide wonder.

We'll delve into why Wikipedia is a fascinating case study for designers, discovering the clever design and organizational strategies that make it user-friendly, universally engaging, and completely ubiquitous.

Join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they explore…

• The critical shift from scholar-led to community-led content creation that revolutionized Wikipedia's output and productivity
• Why a commitment to form over function has led to a design language which prioritises readability, accessibility, and performance
• The thousands of stakeholders - and novel-length conversations! - that Wikipedia's design team has to manage when shipping updates
• How Wikipedia manages to stay informative and reliable without resorting to paid advertising

So tune in to hear how design and strategy converge to keep this information titan thriving. 

You'll never look at Wikipedia the same way again…

Ready for a business adventure?

For our latest Teardown, we're exploring the terrain of a brand that has revolutionized business and ethical standards. Yes, we're unearthing the tale of Patagonia, a brand that's more than just outdoor apparel. It's a testament to sustainability, innovation, and an unwavering love for the great outdoors.

Patagonia is an icon of ethical business and thoughtful design. It's a brand that has masterfully woven the threads of environmental activism with cutting-edge business strategies. In this episode, Alen, Franz, and Tom will unravel how Patagonia has managed to design not just clothes but also a culture of sustainability and product innovation that other brands are dying to replicate.

Join us as we explore...

• The relatable conflicts of Patagonia's founder, a craftsperson at heart who remains reluctant to call himself a businessman
• Why Yvon Chouinard committed early business self-sabotage in the interests of the environment he loved… and set the standard for the business's future decision-making.
• How Patagonia weaves philosophy into its culture, always prioritizing its most important stakeholder: our planet
• The role of activism in its brand ethos and the marketing side-effects that this fosters

So, lace up your hiking boots, and let's hit the trail together in this latest Business Design Teardown. It will be one wild ride through Patagonia's business peaks and design valleys.

Prepare to immerse yourself in a tale of innovation and color that revolutionized design and branding. Our latest Business Design Teardown paints the vibrant journey of Pantone, the brand that turned the art of color consistency into a global industry.

Join us as we explore the canvas of challenges and innovations Pantone navigated to become the global authority on color. We'll brush up on how Pantone didn't just stop at solving a problem; they became trendsetters, influencing design and fashion and setting tones that reflect cultural moods and movements.

It's a story of strategic brilliance as much as it is about the beauty of color. So tune in as Alen, Franz, and Tom uncover...

• How faded camera film boxes brought to light the critical need for color consistency
• Why Pantone's strategic decision to sell early in the value chain to ink manufacturers set the stage for a color revolution.
• Pantone's journey from standardization to 'Colour of The Year' trend-setting
• The reasons Pantone's Colour Matching System has dominated for decades, and the threats to its future...

So, enjoy the spectrum of strategic stories about Pantone, the brand that painted its way into our lives and lexicons. From standardizing hues to dictating trends, this episode promises to add a splash of color to your day!

Get ready to crack open a can of intrigue with our latest Business Design Teardown, where we're diving headfirst into the chilling waters of Liquid Death's business and creativity genius.

We're peeling back the heavy-metal label to reveal the secrets behind their killer branding that's taken the beverage industry by storm. From the mountainous origins of their water to the razor-sharp humor of their marketing campaigns, we'll explore how Liquid Death has managed to make hydration feel like an act of defiance.

Join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they explore how this brand turned the simple act of drinking water into a rebellious statement as we explore...

• How sneaky energy drink marketing at festivals first planted the seed of an idea for Liquid Death's founder
• Why using a fake advert to measure demand was a breakthrough move designers can learn from
• The playbook that Liquid Death used to shake up a stale product category with edgy branding and marketing
• Why Liquid Death's 'Murder Your Thirst' tagline means more than hydration; it's an environmental call to action

So, if you're thirsting for a business story that's as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot day, tune in. This episode promises to murder your boredom and resurrect your love for innovative branding and design.

Stay hydrated. It's going to be a killer episode.

Tap, tap... is this thing ON? Great, because we've got an exciting new Teardown episode for you!

In this latest podcast installment we're taking you behind the scenes of ON, the Swiss brand racing to the forefront of the athletic footwear industry. With its unique CloudTec technology and striking sneaker silhouettes, ON is a brand taking on the big players using design as a critical differentiator.

From its humble beginnings to its rise as a global contender, we'll explore how this innovative brand has made significant strides in a competitive market. 

So tune in as Alen, Franz, and Tom discuss…

• ON's technology and design breakthroughs, from the humble garden hose to innovative footwear.
• How a founder's dedication to continuous innovation through experimentation keeps ON moving forward.
• The David vs. Goliath battle ON faces in the fiercely competitive athletic footwear arena.
• ON's enormous potential for expansion into new market categories.

So, get set and join us as we race through the story of ON - a business running on innovation, savvy leadership, and unique design.

Prepare to embark on an exciting journey about the magic of building – both in terms of creative design and prosperous business strategy.

We're about to unravel the colorful story of LEGO, where imagination and innovation interlock seamlessly to create an empire that's been stacking up success, one brick at a time! It's a brand where business philosophy and product design are as interconnected as the bricks it's so famous for.

So join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they explore how this iconic brand has masterfully constructed its path to global acclaim, including...

• How a pivot from wood to plastic (and from traditional toys to bricks) transformed the direction of a small Danish toy brand
• Why a chance encounter on a business boat trip would lead to a critical strategic decision in Lego's history
• Lego's 1990s slump and how it turned things around through franchising, IP, and the mature play market
• The surprising margins Lego maintains in the declining toy market

Whether you're a lifelong LEGO enthusiast or intrigued by the story of turning creativity into commerce, this episode shows how every great idea starts with a solid foundation and a few strategic building blocks!

In a world where organizations constantly strive for efficiency and innovation, Design Systems have emerged as essential tools. They are pivotal in delivering greater value to users while simultaneously enhancing team productivity and satisfaction.

Yet, these systems often stumble. Many companies face challenges in implementing and maintaining effective Design Systems.

In our latest episode, Alen and Tom delve into these challenges with Dan Mall, a leading authority on Design Systems and the author of the new book "Design that Scales." 

Dan also runs Design System University, creating, collecting, and curating curriculum, content, and community to help enterprise teams design at scale.

Previously, Dan ran design system consultancy SuperFriendly for over a decade. We discuss his experience running a successful distributed agency and his reflections on what he'd do differently a year after wrapping up this business.

Our conversation also ventures into critical areas for design freelancers and agencies: pricing strategies and the evolving landscape of design subscription models. Drawing from his expertise and his book Pricing Design, Dan offers clarity on these often misunderstood topics.

So join us as we uncover the intricacies of successfully implementing and gaining buy-in for Design Systems. Discover how to measure their impact meaningfully, and learn from Dan's extensive experience in running a distributed agency and navigating the complex world of design pricing.

Have you ever marveled at a Dyson product's seamless integration of form and function? Or how their pioneering approach to mundane appliances has shaped an entire market?

Behind each groundbreaking product, there's a world of calculated business, design, and engineering decisions. Dyson has consistently raised the bar, from revolutionary bagless vacuum cleaners to the elegant engineering of their air purifiers. 

But what propels a company from domestic dust busters to global design icons? What strategies propelled them from a single idea in a British workshop to a worldwide household name? And beyond their sleek products, what insights can we gain about their research, development, and market expansion approach?

In our latest Business Design Teardown, Alen, Franz, and Tom lift the lid on…

• How Sir James Dyson went from designing wheelbarrows to vacuum cleaners and created over 5000 prototypes along the way!
• Why Dyson's persistence and self-belief paid off in the face of rejection and mounting debt
• The decisive strategic moves that made a global powerhouse that has captured an enormous share of the appliance market
• The pioneering ventures that could propel Dyson to even greater success, including…. Farming!

So join us as we ride the wave (or should that be cyclone?) of Dyson's success and explore how a global brand has elevated humble appliances to lust-worthy gadgets.

Birkenstock…

A symbol of practical beauty, or just an ugly shoe you wouldn't dream of slipping on? Few footwear items split opinion like this classic German brand's iconic sandals.

Behind the love-it-or-hate-it reputation is a business that's weathered the tides of fashion for nearly 250 years. And behind its design lies a compelling narrative of commitment to craft, sustainability, and business innovation.

In this latest episode, Alen, Franz, and Tom are tearing down this enduring example of substance over style to understand how a human-centered shoe design became emblematic of a company's entire ethos.

In this Business Design Teardown, we'll unravel:

• How the thoughtful details behind Birkenstock's iconic design reveal much about its foundational beliefs and mission.
• Birkenstock's evolution from a modest German shoemaker to a global footwear leader and how it retained its values throughout this journey.
• Why smart collaborations and high-fashion takeovers have been central to its recent wave of popularity.
• How vertical integration has allowed Birkenstock to remain highly profitable while committing to high-quality manufacturing and sustainable practices.

Marvel Studios isn't just about capes, hammers, and infinity stones. It's an unparalleled tapestry of storytelling, business acumen, and creative brilliance. But how did a comic book company evolve into a cinematic juggernaut?

In our latest Business Design Teardown, we delve deep into the very core of Marvel Studios' business strategy.

Have you ever wondered why the narrative of this multi-billion dollar franchise is so intricately woven? Or how creative and character choices have impacted the financial success of a cinematic universe? A world of business decisions goes into every scene.

In this episode, Alen, Franz, and Tom discuss...

• The hero's journey that enabled Marvel's creative leaders to unlock their unique angle on superhero storytelling
• How IP and distribution reinvention were critical elements in setting Marvel Studios up for success
• Why viewing habit trends and new technologies could start another wave of dominance for Marvel and its vast cast of superheroes! 

Join us as we decode the Marvel magic and uncover why every designer should read the pages from the Marvel Comics playbook.

Designers.... assemble!

www.d.mba

From the academic corridors of Sweden to the bustling coffee shops and supermarket chillers of major cities worldwide; one company has seamlessly merged innovation with a global market strategy to dominate the plant-based beverage scene. That's right, in this latest Business Design Teardown, we’re diving deep into the world of Oatly. 

Join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they chart the journey of how this Swedish sensation not only pioneered the oat milk industry but also set new standards for sustainable business practices worldwide.

From their groundbreaking enzyme technology birthed in Lund University to their masterful entrance into international markets, Oatly has consistently made bold, strategic moves that have positioned them as leaders in the plant-based revolution. 

In this episode we explore…

• Oatly’s audacious decision to put brave brand leaders at the center of their business
• How building buzz with baristas was at the center of their US go-to-market approach
• The marketing campaigns that put them on the map, from lawsuits to that Super Bowl ad
• Why brand bravery might not be enough for Oatly to survive an increasingly competitive market…

This Teardown tale of oats, strategy, and sustainability promises to be a treat! So grab your favorite plant-infused beverage, and let's embark on the Oatly odyssey.

Born in Japan yet embraced globally, Muji challenges the consumerist tide with its 'no-brand' philosophy. From their iconic pens to the soft glow of their aroma diffusers, Muji has reshaped how we perceive functionality and design. In this episode, we'll explore the minimalist marvel that is Muji - its roots, its rise, and how it carves tranquillity in everyday life.

Heralded as the epitome of simplicity, Muji isn't just about simple aesthetics; it's a masterclass in brand strategy, thoughtful global expansion, and sustainable business practices.

So how does a company champion a 'no-brand' philosophy and still achieve global recognition and loyalty? How have they navigated the treacherous waters of international retail? And what lies beneath their sleek product designs in terms of production, supply chain management, and profit margins?

In this latest Teardown, we will also discuss…

• How Muji has taken their home product philosophy into some unexpected areas… like campsites and cars!
• Why a commitment to user-centered design remains a hallmark of the Muji mindset
• The challenges Muji continues to face taking a brand rooted in Japanese culture into Western markets
• A critical KPI for retail: inventory turnover rate, and how Muji performs compared to some other brands you might know…

So grab your Muji gel pen and notepad as we unpack the business genius behind those unbranded, beloved products. If you've ever bought a Muji product or contemplated its strategic international footprint, this episode is for you.

www.d.mba

You may not think about it often, but it's everywhere—on billboards, in your emails, on your favorite websites, and perhaps even your company's logo.

Yes, we're talking about fonts and, more specifically, Helvetica.

Our latest Business Design Teardown explores the iconic typeface used by businesses worldwide for over half a century. Created in 1957, this Swiss-born font has become one of the world's most used and recognized fonts. Today, we'll explore the intricate details that have propelled Helvetica to its iconic status. But that's not all.

We'll also pull back the curtain on Monotype, the powerhouse font foundry behind Helvetica, and many fonts that define our visual landscape.

How did Monotype come to wield such influence in the world of commercial fonts? And how do they monetize typefaces, an asset that most of us use daily but seldom think about? 

Together, we'll explore the combination of aesthetics and commerce that's turned simple lines and curves into a multi-million-dollar enterprise, including…

• How Helvetica was successfully rebranded to appeal to a wider English-speaking market

• Monotype's most crucial strategic move; from typesetting hardware to font distribution

• Why big businesses are constantly developing Helvetica clones (hint: it's usually to cut licensing costs!)

• Threats and opportunities for the typeface industry, including AI font generation and virtual reality

If you enjoyed this dive into the world of Helvetica, join our new Teardown Slack (invite is on www.d.mba/slack) channel and let us know your favourite brands using this iconic font.

Ahh, the unmistakable scent of a new Business Teardown! This one has notes of brand elegance and a touch of sophisticated aesthetics… but does it have the sweet smell of business success? 

Excuse our indulgence in some beauty-based puns; this week, we're taking our first look at a skincare brand that has long been admired for its design, customer experience, and attention to detail - Aesop.

With its unique amber bottles, stunningly designed stores, and a deep-rooted commitment to botanical science, Aesop's strategy goes beyond just selling skincare products. It's about selling an experience, a philosophy, and a lifestyle.

The brand has carved out a niche in the competitive skincare market by merging a keen sense of design with quality formulations. In this episode, we'll explore how Aesop's distinctive branding, commitment to sustainability, and authentic storytelling have made it a beacon in luxury skincare. 

But is this high-end brand all looks and no business substance? Or does Aesop deserve its fabled status?

In this latest dMBA teardown, Alen, Franz, and Tom discuss….

• Why Aesop's investment in spa-like store experiences has been a strategic masterstroke

• How a deep commitment to saying 'no' has helped Aesop own its place in a competitive market

• The reasons its recent acquisition was a complete no-brainer for new owner L'Oreal

• How China (and its booming luxury market) could unlock enormous growth for Aesop

So relax, unwind, and indulge in another episode of the Business Teardown.

www.d.mba

When you think of truly iconic design, what comes to mind?

In tech, perhaps it’s the iPhone.

In typography, Helvetica claims legendary status.

In the furniture world, one piece has a hold over designers like no other; the Eames Lounge Chair.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, its form is instantly recognizable. From appearances in Frasier, Iron Man, Beyonce videos, and Bond films, the Eames silhouette has become a cultural icon, unchanged since its inception in 1956. The brainchild of design legends Charles and Ray Eames, the Lounge Chair has become a case study in great design and business...

So in today's Teardown, we're not just unpicking what makes the Lounge Chair a great product, but the business of the company behind it - Herman Miller.

From the Eames Lounge Chair to the Aeron tech office staple, Herman Miller products have found their way into our homes and offices and earned a place in prestigious museums like the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

But this episode isn't just about chairs. Today, we're diving deep into the business side of Herman Miller.

• What strategies have propelled them to the forefront of the high-end furniture industry?

• Why has design collaboration been critical to the enduring desirability of their products?

• How has their commitment to design, innovation, and sustainability shaped their business model?

• And in this new age of remote work, how is Herman Miller evolving, and what does it mean for the future of office spaces?

So get cozy (or better yet, settle into your favorite chair) and let's unfold the business story of Herman Miller.

The Tour de France isn't just a test of physical endurance; it's a spectacle fueling a vast economic ecosystem. From the massive investments poured into team sponsorships to the bustling local economies along the race route, the Tour de France leaves no stone unturned when exploring potential income streams.

In this Business Design Teardown, we'll examine the financial gears that keep the Tour de France rolling. We'll dive into the lucrative world of sponsorships, uncovering how corporate giants strategically align themselves with teams and riders to gain exposure and promote their brands.

We'll explore the unique factors that contribute to the Tour's success and the strategic masterstrokes that have helped made it the world's most-viewed sporting event. 

So zip up your lycra, clip into your pedals, and Join Alen, Franz, and Tom as they discuss: 

• The surprising business-focused origin story of the Tour (it was created to sell more newspapers!)
• Genius strategic maneuvers that opened up lucrative income streams for Tour organizers
• Why every city wants the economic boost of a visit from The Tour (and not just in France!)
• How climate change could be the biggest threat to the Tour's existing dominance

www.d.mba

When is a real estate business not a real estate business? When it declares its mission to "elevate the world's consciousness", brands itself a tech company, and promises to blur the line between work and life through beautifully designed spaces.

Yes, we're talking about WeWork in the latest Business Design Teardown.

With its lofty promises to deliver not just a desk, but a dynamic, community-driven environment, WeWork swept the globe at an unprecedented speed. This meteoric rise was fuelled by eye-watering investments, inflated valuations, and a well-documented fall from grace.

In this episode, Alen, Franz, and Tom grab their hot desks, refill their complimentary coffee, and cast a critical eye on…

• How WeWork’s business model disrupted traditional commercial real estate
• The economics of co-working: is it a business worth being in?
• How WeWork's new leadership steadied the ship toward sustainability
• Why the Sunk Cost Fallacy could be the only reason WeWork is still in business!

So settle into your hot desk, put those headphones on, and prepare for a deep dive into the wild story of WeWork.

www.d.mba

How do you know you’ve made an enormous impact in the world of business design? When you have a popular expression coined about you!

Warby Parker set new standards for customer experience in the eyewear industry, and “The Warby Parker of…” has become shorthand to describe direct-to-consumer businesses that challenge traditional retail norms.

The Warby Parker template is now commonplace in everything from luggage to mattresses, and from strollers to clothing.

But how did they do it? With low pricing, high-end design, and a breakthrough try-at-home offering. You could say they executed a perfect business vision! 🤓

But are Warby Parker still seeing 20:20 in 2023, or do they need a fresh prescription of business innovation to remain one of the kings of DTC? In this d.MBA Business Teardown we focus our lens on…

• Who controls the global eyeglasses market, and how Warby Parker took on this monopoly -
• How Warby Parker cut out the middleman to offer high-end design at low cost
• Why a shift from online-only to retail investment has supercharged Warby Parker sales
• The threats and opportunities for Warby Parker in its journey to profitability

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Can you hear that? It’s the sweet sound of another business teardown, this time focused on a company that’s all about great listening experiences…. Sonos!

From slick unboxing and setup to seamless connectivity, Sonos have designed a product experience that is the envy of the hardware world. But is it the envy of the business world, too?

In this episode Alen, Franz and Tom take a deep dive into the strategy, brand, and financials behind one of the design world’s most admired brands. We discuss:

- How a brave bet on WiFi connectivity set the scene for Sono’s future success

- Why mass adoption of streaming was key to Sonos’s growth strategy

- How Sonos can continue to fight its corner in the notoriously tough hardware market

- Headphones, content, or business model innovation… where are the opportunities in Sonos’s future?

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One of the best ways to learn about business is to find a topic or product you love, and dive into the business side of it.

Whether it’s your favourite footwear brand, sports team, hotel chain or streaming provider, we all have businesses we’re fascinated by, care about, or affiliate ourselves with. 

And few disciplines make these connections with their favourite brands like designers!

So, in this new d.MBA podcast format, we’re tearing down some designer favourites. From finances to strategies, and from brand-building to competitive areas; we’ll shine a light on the factors that make these businesses work.

For this first episode we put luxury athleisure brand Lululemon under the microscope as Alen, Franz and Tom discuss...

• How Lululemon invented a whole new product category (and owned it!)

• Why timing and finding a niche are so critical to Lululemon’s success

• Challengers in the athleisure space… Who are the competition?

• Lululemon’s incredible growth, and how it outperforms more well known brands

• The threats to Lululemon’s long term success vs the ways it could continue to win

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AI has rapidly evolved from science-fiction fantasy into a tangible tool that is already impacting our lives and work.

But it’s just the beginning… Not just for end users, but for the businesses hoping to emerge victorious from this new industrial age. But who will come out on top in this race? And what are the business categories they’re competing in?

In this episode of the d.MBA podcast, Alen and Franz delve into the strategies and business models shaping the AI business landscape.

They discuss the emerging sectors in the AI industry, and the organisations best placed to win in each category, including…

• AI solution providers (like OpenAI)

• Data-rich organisations (like Google, Amazon… and governments)

• Hardware manufacturers (like the semiconductor industry)

Tune in to hear Alen and Franz’s predictions… Some of them might surprise you!

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Curious how to make your money work for you as a designer or creative?

Well, you've come to the right place! In this episode, Alen and his guest, Akshan Ish (a design manager at Spotify), have an insightful conversation about mastering the art of financial literacy.

Join them as they cover topics like:

• Personal finance stories and lessons

• Investing in emerging markets

• Navigating financial systems across borders

Alen and Akshan open up about their own journeys with money management, investing, and finding their way through different countries' financial systems. They stress the importance of education and awareness around personal finance, and how it can lead to long-term benefits for creatives.

Akshan, who's not just an expert in design but also has a keen eye for investments, shares his thoughts on investing in India and offers some valuable resources for learning about personal finance.

So, whether you're a designer, a creative, or just someone looking to brush up on financial literacy, this episode is a must-listen.

www.d.mba/minimba

Does the thought of negotiating make you break out in a cold sweat, fellow designer?

Join Alen and our special guest Jo as they explore the ins and outs of negotiation in various contexts, from job offers to client negotiations.

In this episode, Alen and Jo discuss:

• The power of empathy in understanding the other party's perspective and priorities

• Practical application of the framework using a job offer negotiation example

• Uncovering the intriguing similarities between negotiation and business design

Tune in and level up your negotiation game today!

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Are you a faced with a business-related question, but don’t know who to ask for help?

Facing challenges at work as you build your business confidence, and need some expert advice?

Well, the d.MBA’s very own Alen and Franz are here to help! 

Welcome to the d.MBA Mailbag, our new podcast format where Alen and Franz turn Agony Uncles as they tackle anonymous questions from the d.MBA community. 

In episode one our expert hosts offer sage advice on…

• How to influence business strategy as a design leader

• Ways to make business metrics more fun (no, really!)

• Methods to uncover business opportunities around your personal passions

• AI-proofing your career as a designer

Do you need Alen and Franz’s help? Submit an anonymous question by dropping us an email at hello@d.mba! 

Seen enough AI tool renderings of fantasy avatars, futuristic skyline designs, or unicorns playing tennis? Franz Blach certainly has.

As tools like Chat GPT, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion continue to capture our imaginations and headlines, they’ve also prompted an existential crisis in our industry. Could AI make us redundant?

Franz doesn’t think so. Strategic decisions still need our expertise, and the wicked problems AI can help us solve are orders of magnitude more ambitious than those tennis playing unicorns.

In this interview Alen sits down with Creative Director at Pinterest Franz Blach to discuss the biggest opportunities for AI in the design industry, and the surprising business models that could emerge as these technologies mature. The conversation explores: 

• How designers can prepare for the AI revolution

• The ambitious, wicked problems AI can help us tackle

• How attribution business models can make AI profitable and equitable

• Why we should embrace the opportunity for creative chaos!

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Jim Barksdale, a former CEO of Netscape, once famously proclaimed there are “only two ways to make money in business: one is to bundle; the other is unbundle.”

Bundling is the business of rolling up products or services into packages, usually at a lower cost than buying them individually. Think meal deals, all-inclusive holidays, and software suite subscriptions that throw in all manner of bonus products for “free”.

Who can resist great deals like these?

Well, sometimes bundling comes at a cost. Both customers and regulators might take issue with a strategy that on the surface offers great value, but can have major drawbacks for choice, competition, and quality.

In this episode we unpick both bundling and unbundling, as Alen and Franz discuss:

• The benefits and drawbacks of each strategy for businesses and customers

• Famous examples of bundling and unbundling we can learn from

• How much impact design has in unbundled vs bundled scenarios

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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.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a moat is “a deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle, fort, or town, typically filled with water and intended as a defence against attack”.

Ok, basically some kind of defense around the castle. So, how does this concept translate to business? And design work?

Martyn Reding, chief design officer at Upzelo and former head of design at Virgin Atlantic, shared how he learned about economic moats and how he uses the concept in designing digital products.

Let’s take a moment of silence. Adobe is acquiring Figma. Judging by Adobe’s previous acquisitions this is surely the end of Figma’s best days, right? But Adobe is promising to keep Figma independent! Should we believe Adobe?

But let’s also celebrate. The founder of Patagonia is giving away his company to fight the climate crisis. He is setting a beautiful example of how companies can shift their main stakeholder from stockholders to the society and planet. But it also sets a dangerous precedent that other billionaires could exploit.

In this episode, we cover:

• why is Adobe really acquiring Figma,

• is Adobe likely to keep Figma independent,

• and how Patagonia’s news is a beautiful and dangerous precedent for other billionaires.

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Most of us have already tried to offset the carbon footprint of our consumption. Maybe you’ve paid to offset your flight, a parcel delivery, or even production of a product you bought. And it made you feel good, right?

Well, this episode will make you feel a bit worse. Sorry. But if you are ready to take the red pill listen in and we’ll share:

• how governments try to force certain industries and companies into decreasing pollution,

• why do some companies voluntarily offset their carbon footprint,

• and why, unfortunately, neither of these two paths is currently effective.

When you hire a designer to help you on a project, you don't expect them to say: "What if we don't focus on users here?". 

Franz shared his story of working on a client project that benefitted from designing for suppliers, not customers. To make his point for focusing on suppliers he used a tool called a value chain.

Tune in to Designers in Nature Talking Business, our new podcast format where designers (in nature) share their stories of how they learned or used their favorite business tools. And learn what is a value chain and how you can use it too!

Recently, you may have heard that money is getting more expensive. But how can the money be more expensive? Money is, well, just money.

To clarify this business lingo, Alen and Franz break down the current business environment and share what sets the price of money.

We talked about:

• what cheap and expensive capital even means,

• why is money now getting more expensive,

• and what implications this has on the business world.

It’s usually a bad sign when currencies take over news. It was no different this July 13th when the news broke that one euro is worth exactly one dollar for the first time in twenty years.

The US dollar has been gaining strength against other currencies over the last six months due to various reasons, which we cover in detail in this episode.

But the question is: Who benefits from a strong dollar. A strong dollar is good for US companies, right?

Well… It is not that simple. Listen in to learn

• what are the most common factors why currencies fluctuate,

• who benefits from a strong US dollar,

• and which companies and individuals will be harmed by it?

Working as a freelancer comes with opportunities and challenges. One of these challenges is how you position yourself to get the clients you love working with. And secondly, how do you price your services so you can survive and thrive.

We invited two d.MBA alumni and design freelancers (well, they prefer the term contractors - more about that in the show), Tom Prior and James Bickerton to share their experience.

We talked about:

• how James charges $7,500 for a 90-minute workshop

• when being a specialist makes more sense than being a generalist

• and how the future of freelance work could be equity pay.

There is a saying in business that if a company is trying to prove that it is a monopoly, then it is not one. But if a company is trying to prove that it is not a monopoly, it may very well be.

Holding a monopoly gives a company an unfair advantage, which is good for the company but usually bad for consumers and society as less (or no competition) leads to less (or no) innovation.

Lately, Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple are all facing legal actions to hinder their monopolistic position. So, in this Business Design Jam, we talked about:

• what exactly is a monopoly,

• how common business practices may lead to a monopoly,

• and what impact market-dominating positions have on customers and society.

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Surely, most of us would agree that a 4-day work week is a good idea, right? Early research shows no drop in productivity, and a big increase in employee well-being. So, why hasn’t it been more widely adopted?

At the d.MBA, we’ve been running a 4-day work week for the last four years. So, we thought we would comment on some common concerns about the setup and share our perspective.

Tune in to learn the most common arguments against the 4-day work week, and learn from our story how you could propose an experiment in your team or company.

The prices of tech companies have fallen dramatically. Facebook, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Amazon are all down between 20 and 80% since their record highs. Yikes.

Everyone is freaking out. But why? How does a market crash affect companies and us working for them? How does this affect designers?

In this Business Design Jam, we talked about:

• the recent (mini?) market crash in the tech sector,

• why Netflix’s stock price is down almost 80%,

• and what Netflix can (and plans to) do about it.

To read more about the profit tree, which was mentioned in the episode, check out this guide.

Have you ever hired a freelancer and paid them per hour?

And did you have the feeling that they are extending their scope of work so they could charge you more?

Then, you have already experienced misaligned incentives, which are one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for companies. They can hurt relationships within companies and damage partnerships with outside collaborators.

In our latest podcast episode, we explore how incentives affect the work of designers and why we are in a unique position to help companies better align incentives.

Business design is already pretty common among design agencies but not so much in product companies. So, we were excited to talk to Andrew Whelan, a Business Design Director at the D-Ford London Lab, where he leads a diverse and multi-skilled team tackling some of the biggest business model opportunities in the auto and mobility industry. We covered:

• what the role of business designers at D-Ford entails,

• Andrew’s favorite business design tools,

• and how to make the case for the business design discipline.