DIA DESIGN GUILD

## Mission
DIA Design Guild educates and provides resources and support to underrepresented and traditionally unsupported people so they can thrive as user experience (UX) professionals in the tech industry. We aim to create a more diverse, inclusive, and accessible tech industry through personalized mentorship, practical experience, and community support.

## About DIA Design Guild
Founded in 2017 by Grace Lau and fellow designers who wanted to become the mentors they wished they'd had, DIA Design Guild addresses the lack of meaningful support for new talent entering the UX field. What began as LA DIA Design—based in Los Angeles but working with mentors worldwide—evolved into a California nonprofit corporation in 2023 and achieved 509(a)(2) public charity status in 2025.

DIA stands for "Designing for Inclusion and Accessibility," reflecting our commitment to creating inclusive design practices and our belief that professional development thrives through authentic relationships within supportive communities.

## Our unique mentorship approach
DIA's model diverges significantly from traditional educational programs and for-profit bootcamps:
- Personalized long-term mentorship: We custom-match apprentices with mentors based on shared interests, experience levels, and personal values. This individualized attention allows mentors to provide tailored guidance addressing each apprentice's unique challenges and aspirations—fostering enduring relationships that cultivate deep growth over time rather than transactional, one-size-fits-all interactions.
- Community focus: Recognizing that career transitions can be daunting and isolating, we prioritize building supportive communities through group projects, online events, and shared resources. This combats the competitive, isolating nature often found in traditional programs and creates spaces where people develop genuine connections and peer support.
- Practical experience: Our apprentices work on real client projects—both pro bono and paid—gaining hands-on experience in web design, UX research, information architecture, content strategy, and more. This emphasis on real-world application helps them build strong portfolios while contributing to meaningful work with mission-aligned organizations.
Ethical standards: We ensure mentors are experienced industry professionals genuinely committed to supporting apprentices' growth. Apprentices receive targeted feedback over time, helping them develop substantially compared to one-off networking meetings or programs employing unqualified mentors.

## How we work
Our activities divide roughly as follows:
- Client projects (60%): We collaborate with companies and nonprofits on web design, UX consultation, research, and information architecture. These partnerships generate revenue to sustain our free apprentice program while providing real-world learning opportunities.
- Apprentice program (15%): Our year-long program pairs apprentices with experienced mentors who provide individualized guidance, portfolio development support, and industry insights. Relationships often extend beyond formal program duration.
- Community building (15%): We host local events, workshops, and maintain connections through newsletters, resources, and networking opportunities for current apprentices and alumni.
- Education (5%): We develop open-source curriculum (DIA Academy) with lectures and presentations on UX history, landscape, and applications, available to apprentices and anyone wanting to learn.
- Operations (5%): Board meetings, marketing, fundraising, bookkeeping, grants, and technology infrastructure.

## Our approach to sustainability
We operate as both a design consultancy and social enterprise, reinvesting client project revenue into our free apprentice program. We supplement this with individual donations, grant funding, and partnerships with agencies seeking diverse UX talent.

Our volunteer leadership structure—including executive director, programming director, and development director—allows us to allocate maximum resources toward supporting apprentices and programming. This extensive volunteerism, combined with alumni who return as mentors, creates a cyclical model where those who've benefited contribute to continued success.

## Leadership and governance
As a 509(a)(2) public charity, we're recognized as "publicly supported" rather than a private foundation—thriving from broad community support through client partnerships, donations, and volunteer contributions rather than relying on single wealthy donors. This structure keeps us accountable to both our community and regulatory requirements while remaining agile and responsive to evolving needs.

Our volunteer board brings diverse backgrounds in UX design, research, community building, and organizational development. We make decisions collaboratively, with transparent governance practices and each board member contributing real-world experience to keep us mission-focused.

## Geographic reach
While based in California (where in-person events occasionally occur), our mentors and apprentices span the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Taiwan, and beyond. Our primarily remote model allows us to serve people regardless of location.

## Intentional growth philosophy
We've deliberately chosen a path that prioritizes depth over breadth, sustainability over rapid scaling, and meaningful impact over growth metrics.

This approach sometimes feels countercultural in a tech world rewarding exponential growth, but it allows us to maintain quality mentorship, authentic community relationships, and sustainable operations. We pause programs when necessary to focus on retention and refinement rather than continuously expanding offerings.

## Get involved
We welcome volunteers who share our vision for inclusive design education and can provide sustained guidance to apprentices navigating career transitions. We particularly seek mentors and content creators with expertise in UX research, content design, information architecture, taxonomy development, content strategy, web development, and social media management.

All volunteer opportunities are remote and ongoing, supporting our year-long apprentice program and open-source learning resource development.