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Framework 02 · Learn

How to build your business layer as a designer

When anyone can create, what to create is the only thing that matters. This is your learning system.

The Two Great Minds

In an era of information overload, you do not need more content. You need a method. Two thinkers tell you exactly how.

The 3 Ingredients

These are not steps. They are habits that run in parallel. Start all three at the same time.

Every week pick one brand or company in your design stream. Study one decision they made. How did they solve a problem for their user? What was the outcome for the business? Start with brands you already use every day. Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Nykaa, Apple, Nike, Mamaearth.

The practice
  • ·One company. One decision. Every week.
  • ·Use the Feynman test: can you explain why that decision worked in one simple line?
  • ·Where you cannot explain it, that is what you go learn next.
5 Topics to Start With

Apply to every design stream. Pick one topic. Observe it in a real company. Try to explain it simply. Find your gap.

YouTube Channels Worth Following

Do not follow everything. Pick 2 or 3 and go deep. More channels means more consumption and less learning.

For business thinking in design
For UX, product thinking and user behaviour
For startup thinking and business models
Books, Ranked by Where You Are

Do not read everything at once. Pick one book. Finish it. Apply the Feynman test to the ideas inside it. Then move to the next.

Start here, read these first
Go deeper, after your first 6 months of real work
When you are building something real
The Feynman Worksheet

Build a curriculum that is entirely yours

Copy this into a Google Sheet. Fill one row every week. In 3 months you will have a curriculum made from your exact gaps, not someone else’s syllabus.

Column 1What did I observe?. Brand + the specific decision you studied.
Column 2My simple explanation. Explain why that decision was made in one line, no jargon.
Column 3Where did I get stuck?. What exactly could you not explain. Be specific.
Column 4What do I need to find next?. One specific thing to look up, ask, or read.
The College Filter

“Does your college expose you to real business problems, or only design briefs?”

If the answer is only design briefs, you will spend 4 years building craft but never the layer that makes the craft worth paying for. Look for colleges with a Venture Studio, industry partnerships, real client projects, or a curriculum that crosses design with business and technology.

Research Partner
Our Research Partner

The research for these episodes was done with the help of faculties at Rishihood University

Rishihood offers a 4 year B.Des in Design Innovation. One of the few programs in India built around real business exposure, cross-disciplinary thinking, and a Venture Studio on campus. Take the quiz below to see if it matches what you are looking for.

Visit Rishihood B.Des →
B.Des · 4 yearsSonipat, Delhi NCR₹1L Creative GrantVenture Studio50+ Mentors6 months paid experience

Check in 2 mins if Rishihood is compatible with your expectation or not.

Question 1 of 6
What level of program are you looking for?
Reflect · 2 minutes

How do you usually learn right now?

Pick the closest answer. Get the next step you can take to improve.

When you find a new topic in design, what do you usually do?
What Comes Next

You now know what to build and how to start building it.

Episode 3 of 4. How to Build Your First System as a Designer.

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