What does the role of a Business Designer look like? Dina from MING Labs in Singapore always wanted to work in the field of innovation. To not only analyze but also create something herself — designing, building businesses, and creating great experiences for customers. And that’s what led her to becoming a Business Designer at MING Labs.
Yet, Business Design is still a relatively new topic.
“On the one hand, it is a very challenging role as there is nothing set in stone and a lot depends on learning by doing and creating new things on your own. But on the other, I see it as a great opportunity to contribute your own ideas and thoughts.” We followed Dina around to get a better understanding of what a Business Designer at MING Labs does and what a sample workday looks like.
9:30 am: Walking To Work️🚶♀️
Thanks to MING’s central office location, Dina enjoys a short walk to work in Singapore’s sunny and green environment. Even though the office is located in the midst of the busy Central Business District, in a traditional shophouse close to the historic Chinatown area, there is lots of greenery around. Did you know that Singapore is both the greenest and most sustainable city in Asia?
10:00 am: Monday Morning Meeting (MoMoMe) ☕
The folks at MING Singapore start every week with a joint team meeting to gather together and keep everyone informed on what is happening throughout the week. Over coffee, they talk about who is working on which project, which guests will visit the office, any tasks where support might be needed, and other miscellaneous topics that come up. Communication across departments is really important to them and improves collaboration between colleagues a lot.
10:30 am: Researching 🔍
Before diving into project work, Dina spends some time researching online to check on news and trends out there. What new startups are on the rise? Which new tools can make our work life easier or can be used for workshops? What communities are interesting to connect with? Keeping herself up to date with the latest happenings in the business environment helps Dina to talk about these topics with clients and colleagues — and to potentially identify new ideas.
12:00 pm: Team Lunch 🥘
Singaporeans are especially proud of their food. With lots of eateries and lunch options around, the team decided to go for a traditional hawker center that day. Due to busy schedules, they won’t always manage to sit down together over lunch, but they do enjoy joint lunches outside the office every now and then. They shared some delicious meals!
1:00 pm: User Testing 👤
As part of the Design Thinking process, Dina and our UX Designers conduct user testing sessions with external users to see how the newly designed services are understood.
User testing helps to validate ideas and assumptions with real users and to gain valuable feedback for later iteration stages.
In order to get there, you need to prototype the ideas and assumptions you want to test. There is no limit for creativity when it comes to prototypes. Every format fits, as long as it helps you get the feedback you are looking for. In this specific case, the team decided to go with a brochure created by our UX Designers because they wanted to learn whether the value proposition and the related product offering were appealing to the potential customer.
3:00 pm: Business Modeling 📝
In the afternoon, Dina blocks some time to work on different business model scenarios. Business Modeling is applied when the value proposition has already been set up and the description of the offerings is clear. Then you can further define what features a model should include, such as products or services to be sold, the exact target market, and expenses. Dina sets up various business models to clarify which offerings each model provides, and to compare them to one another.
6:00 pm: Global Business Design Call 📞
In the cozy office attic, Dina takes the weekly global alignment call. The Business Design teams from our offices in Berlin, Munich, Shanghai, and Singapore keep each other up to date on the latest agenda and projects in each region, exchange learnings on new tools and processes, and stay connected as a team.
7:00 pm: Heading Home 🧘
Wrapped up another efficient working day! Now Dina’s off to a yoga class in order to unwind and recharge for the next day at MING.
Dina Tagabergenova is Business Designer at MING Labs.
MING Labs is a leading digital business builder located in Berlin, Munich, New York City, Shanghai and Singapore. We guide clients in designing their businesses for the future, ensuring they are leaders in the field of innovation.
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