IA Collaborative · 2 days ago
Summer Design Researcher - 2026 Master’s Internship
Chicago - Hybrid
Internship
Hybrid
Intern
$65/hr - $65/hr
1+ years exp
Start in 2026 SummerIA Collaborative is a global design and innovation consultancy seeking a Summer Design Researcher for a 10-week immersive experience in Summer 2026. The role involves conducting research, integrating AI methodologies, collaborating with teams to translate insights into design principles, and supporting business development efforts.
Business DevelopmentConsultingProduct Design
Responsibilities
Research: Through immersive, contextual research you will live design problems and uncover insights to solve them. This may include assisting with protocols, recruiting, conducting virtual and in-field observations, and synthesizing data into deep and actionable insights
AI-Guided Exploration: You will work at the forefront of research and design strategy, integrating AI-assisted methodologies into your research and synthesis processes— combining rich human insight with the scale and speed of automation
Strategic Thinking: You will help us push the boundaries of innovation, creating frameworks, organizing information, and positioning new offerings
Design: You will collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to translate research insights into principles and directives for design. This may include sketching and brainstorming ideas, and crafting stories to communicate insights, strategic recommendations, and design directions
Business Development: You will support IA Collaborative’s overall business by exploring future possibilities for the organization, including new offerings and capabilities, thought leadership, and other business growth-oriented activities
Qualification
Required
Currently within the first or second year in a Master's program with a concentration in Design Research, Design Strategy, Service Design, or equivalent field
Minimum one year of professional work experience with a proven track record of communication skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and personal management skills
Familiarity with a wide range of Design Thinking methodologies including: In-context observations, stakeholder interviews, journey mapping, and framework design
Ability to work with teams to identify user-needs and patterns, key insights, and opportunities, and then translate and prioritize opportunities into business and design implications
A drive to deliver impactful and actionable insights and provide clear strategic direction
Possess the ability to think conceptually about products and services, constantly exploring new and differentiated ways to design for users
Possess strong presentation and storytelling abilities
Experience using AI-powered platforms to support the research and synthesis process (e.g., Marvin, Dovetail, Notion, Dscout, Maze, etc.) in addition to a willingness to experiment with nascent tools
Ability to work from our downtown headquarters 3 days per week for the duration of the internship
Preferred
Previous experience in a research or design-related position
Experience with key research-related activities and deliverables: writing research plans, writing research protocols, developing screeners, working with recruiting agencies, facilitating research observations, note-taking and video recording, and debriefing observations
Familiar and comfortable using the Macintosh Operating System, Keynote, Figma, and Microsoft Office
Ability to travel consecutive days, if necessary
Company
IA Collaborative
IA Collaborative is a global design and innovation consultancy that provides business strategy services.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
IA Collaborative has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2024 (1)
2023 (3)
2022 (1)
2021 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
D
Dan Kraemer
Co-Founder, Co-CEO
K
Kathleen Brandenburg
Co-Founder, Co-CEO
Company data provided by crunchbase