who it’s for

People who have previously worked as full time employees at IDEO and are not currently or actively working at or retained by IDEO or its affiliates.

how to join

Simply email the alumni volunteers
using the form right below the community guidelines.

Upon confirmation of your post-IDEO status, look for a Slack Invite to join the ‘IDEO Alumni’ channel.

Feel free to send this page (www.alumnideo.com) to other IDEO alumni too.

onboarding

There are currently over 60 channels to peruse as you wish! You join these channels automatically upon arrival:

#ideo-alumni-all (general posts to the global community)

#iso-hivemind-brainstorm (when you’re “in search of” anything

#job-opps (for job listings you know of or leads you’re trying to fill)

#open-for-hire (if you’re looking for / available for work)

Once you join, please take a moment to:

• Set up your slack profile with your full name and a recent headshot. (We are a non-anonymous community.)

• Set your profile ‘status’ to show your current location and your IDEO tour of duty (years + studios). Set your profile status to 'Clear after: don’t clear’ to keep that info (or anything else you prefer) persistent.

• Slack a brief intro message to everyone in the #ideo-alumni-all channel with whatever you want to share about where you are now (career and life).

community guidelines

We are here because we all had a professional affiliation with IDEO, have started new chapters in our careers, and still want to be connected to a network of designers and design thinkers. With Slack as our tool, we can connect on ideas, job opportunities, and more. It enables us to support each other and seek the support we need. And it allows us to have large group conversations, small group conversations, or private chats.

By opting into this group, we opt into communal norms. As a self-governed community, the hope is that we’ll all lead with curiosity and respect for the collective and individuals, even at times when we may disagree with each other. Without a hierarchy to enforce these guidelines, we should all try to be extra thoughtful in our interactions here.

• We have a collective responsibility to foster inclusivity. If you are here, you belong. It’s up to each one of us to ensure this remains an inclusive space for everyone. Healthy design fosters disagreement, so we don't expect everyone will see everything similarly. But identity-based biases and discrimination should not be tolerated here by anyone, and we should all respectfully hold space for a variety of lived experiences and perspectives. (Helpful questions could be: If I feel strongly about something, what belief is at the root of that feeling? Can I imagine others having a different experience or belief than me?) 

• We are in a (private) public, professional space. Yes, this group is only accessible to IDEO and IDEO affiliate alumni, but at nearly 1000 members and growing, you’ll likely find familiar faces and a lot of people you haven’t met…yet! Of course, as with any tool, an online platform like Slack has its limitations. It won’t always be the best place for a nuanced conversation. (Helpful questions could be: What is the best way to give and receive context for this conversation? Who's my audience? All alumni? A certain channel? Or a private DM?)

• We all have something to contribute. A community thrives on active and balanced exchange of value, and we all have something we bring to the table. That goes for those who were at IDEO 20 years just as it does for those who were there 20 months, in any job function. So whether commenting on a post, sharing a job opportunity, starting a new channel, sharing something you’re proud of, or organizing an event… go for it! It will only add to the richness of this community. (Helpful questions could be: What do I gain from this community? What do I wish to contribute?)