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Strategic Design Career Accelerator

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4 Weeks

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Cohort-based Course

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

Course alumni from:

Google
DoorDash
LinkedIn
Visa Inc.
Atlassian

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


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

Who is this course for

01

Growth Designers


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

02

Senior Designers


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

03

Start-up / Freelance Designer


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

04

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.

What’s included

Jacalin Ding

Live sessions

Learn directly from Jacalin Ding in a real-time, interactive format.

Lifetime access

Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

Community of peers

Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

Certificate of completion

Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

Maven Guarantee

This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.

Course syllabus

7 live sessions • 45 lessons • 7 projects

Week 1

Oct 17—Oct 19

    Oct

    16

    Course Kick off + Meet & Greet 👋🏽

    Thu 10/1610:00 PM—11:00 PM (UTC)

Week 2

Oct 20—Oct 26

    Oct

    24

    Module 1 - Mastering Business Acumen

    Fri 10/2411:00 PM—12:00 AM (UTC)

    Module 1: Mastering Business Acumen

    12 items

Week 3

Oct 27—Nov 2

    Oct

    27

    Learning review - Module 1

    Mon 10/279:30 PM—10:30 PM (UTC)

    Oct

    31

    Module 2: Design Impact: Connecting Design with Business Transformation

    Fri 10/3111:00 PM—12:30 AM (UTC)

    Module 2 - Design Impact: Connecting Design With Business Transformation

    12 items

Week 4

Nov 3—Nov 9

    Nov

    3

    Learning review - Module 2

    Mon 11/39:30 PM—10:30 PM (UTC)

    Nov

    7

    Module 3 - Design Rationales, Design ROI & Business Storytelling

    Fri 11/711:00 PM—12:00 AM (UTC)

    Module 3 - Design Rationales, Design ROI & Business Storytelling

    13 items

Week 5

Nov 10—Nov 11

    Nov

    10

    Final Learning review call 🤩

    Mon 11/109:30 PM—10:30 PM (UTC)

Post-course

    Continuous learning

    4 items

    Bonus: Strategic Design Career Planning

    10 items

    Bonus: Facilitate to Influence

    1 item

What students are saying

Stepping in the course with minimum knowledge about how businesses work, and the role of design in the business, this course was definitely an eye opening learning for me as a mid level designer. With tactics to communicate your design value and connecting this with the business strategies, I feel so much more confident about advocating myself and the work I do. Thanks Jac! You're a absolute gun.

TaeJin

Cohort 5 - Mar 2025

Product Designer

REA Group

The Strategic Accelerator course by Jacalin is nothing short of phenomenal. As a Product Designer, it’s rare to find a course that bridges the gap between design and business so seamlessly. This course dives deep into the business side of product development—something that’s absolutely essential, yet often overlooked in traditional design education. What sets this course apart is how it frames business strategy through a design lens. It equips designers with the language, tools, and mindset needed to think beyond pixels and user flows—to truly understand how design impacts business outcomes. In today’s world, where revenue and commercial impact often drive product decisions, this kind of thinking is no longer optional; it’s instrumental. Jacalin has created something truly valuable here. The content is clear, actionable, and empowering. I walked away not just with a better understanding of business models, revenue drivers, and strategic frameworks, but with the confidence to contribute meaningfully to product conversations at a leadership level. If you're a designer who wants to be more than just a contributor—if you want to influence product direction and drive real business value—this course is for you.

Lucie

Cohort 5 - Mar 2025

Senior Product Designer

Q-CTRL

I recommend this course wholeheartedly. It forced me to step out of my design bubble and start to connect the dots to business goals and metrics. I am leaving the course feeling more equipped and confident to become a strategic design partner.

Nadia

Cohort 5 - Mar 2025

Product Designer

REA Group

This course was a game-changer. It shifted how I see my role as a designer - from executing great work to driving meaningful impact. I learned how to connect design to business goals, manage stakeholders with clarity, and lead with a stronger, more strategic voice. It gave me the confidence and tools to not just do the work - but to move things forward.

Chengchang

Cohort 5 - Mar 2025

Staff product designer

ServiceNow

Learned so much from Jacalin, she's a wealth of knowledge. And I'm so glad we have access to this course even after the 4-weeks -- there's soo much I want to review because it was quite a lot to digest and many resources provided. Thank you so much for the inspiration and motivation to enhance the way I show up as a HCD practitioner and an internal business partner.

Kristin

Cohort 5 - Mar 2025

Senior Experience Designer

Who Gives A Crap

Jac's made this course very interactive and easy to digest for such topic. I've learned a lot in 4 weeks thanks to the helpful frameworks and looking to apply them in my current role regularly. Thanks Jac for your passionate coaching and valuable feedback throughout the course!

Gem

Cohort 4 - Nov 2024

Product Designer

REA Group

Course schedule

2 live sessions + 4 hours self study

  • Weekly Live Classes

    See cohort timezones

    1-1.5hr

    Weekly module learning

    Q&A

    Collaborations


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    OCT Cohort: AEST 9am / PDT 4pm / EST 7pm

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    JUN Cohort: CET 7am / AEST 4pm / Gulf 10pm / APAC 2pm

  • Q&A, Learning Reflection

    See cohort timezones

    1hr

    Weekly assignment learning review

    Q&A


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    OCT Cohort: AEST 8.30am / PDT 1.30pm / EDT 4.30pm

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    JUN Cohort: CET 7am / AEST 4pm / Gulf 10pm / APAC 2pm

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 🇺🇸

Paulina Galindo 🇺🇸

Principal Product Designer @Meta | ex-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 🇺🇸

Nikki Beckman 🇺🇸

Senior 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 🇦🇺

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 🇦🇺

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  🇦🇺

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 🇦🇺

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

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.



A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Strategic Design Career Accelerator

Cohort 7 - Oct - AEST / PDT / EDT

$980

Dates

Oct 16—Nov 11, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 16, 2025

Cohort 8 - Feb - EU / APAC / UAE / AEST

$980

Dates

Feb 13—Mar 10, 2026

Payment Deadline

Feb 12, 2026
Get reimbursed

Frequently Asked Questions

Stay in the loop

Sign up to be the first to know about course updates.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Strategic Design Career Accelerator

Cohort 7 - Oct - AEST / PDT / EDT

$980

Dates

Oct 16—Nov 11, 2025

Payment Deadline

Oct 16, 2025

Cohort 8 - Feb - EU / APAC / UAE / AEST

$980

Dates

Feb 13—Mar 10, 2026

Payment Deadline

Feb 12, 2026
Get reimbursed

$980

·

4 Weeks

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