Better MBA through user-centrism and UX design
User experience (UX) design is a big factor in the digital
marketing world and it is time for business schools to embrace its principles.
On websites, user experience is a key element in the sales process and can make
a big difference to the bottom line. Understanding how people think and what
they want to achieve, is key to getting good leads and making sales. In the
world of MBA, the standard practice was one of providing a course and expecting
students to adapt their lives and goals to the content. Now, as competition
becomes greater and the idea of a typical MBA student evolves, savvy institutions
should take a closer look at what students want and who they are, then balance
it with what they need, to provide a course that delivers results.
Once, a MBA was considered the domain of a CEO or someone in
upper management. Someone who had 10 or 20 years’ experience in their industry.
However, as the jobs market becomes more and more competitive and the required
qualifications in certain industries escalates, the number of less experienced
people embarking on MBAs is increasing. An undergraduate going straight into a
MBA program is no longer considered an anomaly and more people under 25 and
with no industry experience, are choosing to get a postgraduate qualification
immediately after their bachelors.
This influx of students fresh out of the undergrad world
means that business schools will need to adapt their courses to suit a younger
mindset and provide them the soft skills to effectively communicate their ideas
and knowledge. Without the practical understanding of how companies and
businesses work at the coal face, it is important for a MBA course to offer a
taste of what they can expect when they enter the working world.
A user-centric MBA would still include all the business
fundamentals expected but give these lessons more real-life context and strike the
balance between theoretical concepts and how to put them into action. These
real-life situations are also important for teaching the soft skills required
to effectively put theory into practice. Understanding information at a text
book level and in the sterile vacuum of a tertiary institution is irrelevant
without the people skills and conceptual understanding to use it effectively. While it is impossible to fully replicate the
ebbs and flows of the business world, a user-centric MBA would place the student
at the centre of the experience to help provide the context of a human being
interacting in a fast and often messy real world.
Useful Links
Why
undergraduates are getting in early on MBAs
The Good 