Focusing on Growth
Brea Dumbacher found confidence and knowledge during her mpd² experience that she now applies to her work as a senior product designer at Sprout Social.
There were instances when, as a part-time student in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²) program, something Brea Dumbacher (mpd² '23) just learned in the classroom applied directly to a problem she faced at her full-time job.
Those moments weren’t rare, she said.
“A professor would say something in a class, and suddenly I’d understand something I’d been pondering at work,” Dumbacher said. “Or someone at work would bring up a topic, and I could share a piece of relevant learning from a recent class. I found it really rewarding.”
Those moments helped Dumbacher transition from being a UX designer for an insurance company to a product designer at Sprout Social while still in school. She was promoted to senior product designer focused on growth in September 2023.
Sprout, which is a social media management platform, was named the best software product in G2's 2024 Best Software Awards. The platform helps businesses centralize management of their social media accounts and provides detailed analytics to its users.
As a growth designer, Dumbacher's job is to advocate for users and design experiences that help them learn the project and enhance their social media savvy.
“I’m really working between the intersection of business and design, which I love,” she said. “Sprout is a very powerful but often complex tool. We’re always looking for small changes we can make to keep it easy to digest and discover the tools you need.”
That intersection appeals to Dumbacher — and it’s what first drew her to mpd².
Dumbacher's background is journalism, and her early career started in web design and UX design. Cases of imposter syndrome began appearing as her career progressed. The mpd² program helped her no longer doubt her skills and abilities.
"A big part of mpd² for me was a confidence boost,” she said.
Dumbacher learned a lot about teamwork while balancing school and work. While juggling different people's schedules, backgrounds, and goals was a challenge, it was one of the most rewarding parts of her mpd² experience.
"I loved getting to work with so many people from diverse backgrounds,” Dumbacher said. “The different areas of expertise each person brings to the program is what makes it really rich. The connections matter.”
Those connections were so strong that she and a contingent from her cohort went to India to celebrate a classmate’s wedding during the second year of the program.
Dumbacher finds herself working to build that same connection in her current role, which at times can be a challenge as a fully-remote team member.
"I’ve definitely learned how important it is for me personally to feel connected to my teams at work," she said. "Making space, virtually, or at company on-sites to laugh and build friendships with my coworkers is something I’ve learned is crucial to my work."
With that bond in place, Dumbacher's focus is to show customers how crucial Sprout can be to their work. A large percentage of Sprout users do not receive 1:1 support from the company, so it's Dumbacher's job to design a product that makes users feel like they're being guided with individualized support.
It's a challenge, but it's one Dumbacher relishes.
"Designing tech experiences that can be as thoughtful and caring as a human would be is what gets me most excited," she said. "I don’t think computers will ever replace human jobs, but it is incredibly exciting to ask how an app can improve someone’s quality of life. I like to think that if I can make someone’s job 10% easier, they get that energy back to put into the world and connect with other humans."