At IA Collaborative, we believe that diverse perspectives, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging result in a thriving community and breakthrough work. We welcome a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and skills to IA Collaborative to create the future of human experience, because we know that diverse teams are smarter, more innovative teams.
We empower people of all gender identities, races, religions and backgrounds to be inclusive of, and learn from, each other’s diverse backgrounds – and we collaborate with clients who share our same values. With a female co-founder and 50% female leadership team, gender equity has been a part of our company DNA since Day 1. One of our maxims says, “if you work here, you are a leader.” At IA, every team member’s perspective is welcomed, valued, and given weight.
Belonging Is a Business Imperative
We believe that creating a culture of belonging is a business imperative. A sense of belonging impacts your well-being and your work, and a diverse and inclusive workplace empowers our collective output. But top-down demands only build compliance, not culture. That’s why, from interns to founders, every individual at IA Collaborative is responsible for seeing and understanding their role in company culture.
We ask everyone to appreciate and acknowledge differences and experiences; to seek out multiple, diverse perspectives outside of one’s peer group to bring into project work; to make each other feel welcomed and valued every day.
Diverse Perspectives Fuel Creativity
Collaborative is in our name for a reason – we intentionally build multidisciplinary teams who collaborate in real-time, bringing multiple perspectives to our work and creating an environment of mutual respect and trust to encourage diversity of thought. This also extends to our research participants, with whom we co-create solutions. As human-centered designers, what we place into the world is created through our shared values, recognizing our own biases, and seeking to learn from and include all human factors in our design process.
Designing the Future of Human Experience
Our mission explicitly includes “human experience” and “society” because we think about the broader impact in everything we do. It’s built into our process – we lead with immersive research in a wide range of cultural contexts, from spending time with Indian families in their homes, to shooting hoops with teens in the Bronx. From our Design for Women offering to working with clients on Responsible Design initiatives, we recognize the importance of an inclusive and human-centered design process.
Diversity, inclusion, and belonging should be communicated through celebration and honor, not lecturing and fear. As designers, we are always learning, seeking to understand, and generating new ideas. This extends from championing a diverse and inclusive workplace, to championing a more inclusive world, through the power of design.