Design for Futures

*We understand planetary wellbeing as a state that allows species and populations to thrive in the future and achieve wellbeing. As a concept, it recognises that the wellbeing of ecosystems and Earth processes secures both human and more-than-human wellbeing.

Our research towards planetary wellbeing contributes to design aims, leadership, knowledge, capabilities, practices, and education through the following core areas:

1. Transformation through Design

Research in this theme studies how design, as a practice, can create sustainable value, shape norms, and drive systemic change towards planetary wellbeing with a focus on regenerative design, systems thinking, sustainable design drivers, and more-than-human perspectives.

2. Future-oriented design practices

Exploring and developing design practices and methods, this research theme supports people and organisations in anticipating changes, imagining futures, and designing for long-term impact. Areas of focus include speculative design, design fiction, and user experience.

3. Future design capabilities

Investigating the design capabilities required for systemic change and innovative solutions that support resilient futures, this theme focuses on how design education can build these capabilities for creative professionals, and on the role of creativity at the intersection of digital and sustainable development.

Members of the research group

Jenni Niemelä-Nyrhinen

Chief Specialist, Docent (visual studies, photography research). Jenni is a visual studies scholar with a multidisciplinary background. She is the group lead for the Design for Futures research group. Jenni’s current research interests relate to the intersection of photography and design and their role in imagining and making sense of possible futures. 

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Markus Ahola

Chief Specialist, Doctor of Arts. Markus is an experience design researcher. His research focuses on understanding how human experiences can be traced and translated into design drivers for developing systems, services, environments, and products.

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Paulo R. N. Dziobczenski

Chief Specialist Strategic Design, Doctor of Arts (Art and Design). Paulo is a design researcher and graphic designer. His research focuses on how organizations can benefit from strategic design. His early research has been published in the International Journal of Design, Design Journal, DRS Conferences among others.

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Ari Hautaniemi

RDI Specialist, Doctor of Social Sciences (Sociology). Ari is specialised in organisational cultures, sociology of work, and group behaviour. He has extensive experience in RDI projects, focusing on design thinking and behavioural sciences. Recently, Ari has focused on media, gamification, emerging technologies, and their human implications.

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Mikko Illi

Chief Specialist, Doctor of Arts. Mikko is a design researcher with multi-disciplinary and international interests. His expertise relates to research that combines design and business knowledge. Mikko’s doctoral dissertation focused on selling industrial machines with visuals. Mikko has also researched visual metaphors in group meetings using physical objects.

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Susanne Jacobson

Chief Specialist, Doctor of Arts. Susanne is a design researcher with a background in industrial and strategic design. Her research has focused on user experience, user innovation, and design semantics especially in accessibility and assistive products. She is interested in combining social and ecological dimensions of sustainability towards planetary well-being.

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Mirja Kälviäinen

Principal Lecturer, Docent (user-centred product development, design thinking). Mirja is a design researcher with a background in clothing design. She works as a principal lecturer in the Master's degree programs in design thinking. Her research focuses on environmentally and socially responsible service design.

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Aino Vepsäläinen

Chief Specialist, Master of Arts (Design). Aino specialises in sustainable and circular design. She has extensive experience in the versatile application of design, as well as in building and leading both national and international projects.

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Publications and articles

2025

Ahola, M., Illi, M. & Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J. (2025). How AI transforms design work? Studying three years of professional experiences on artificial intelligence. Proceedings of 7 Experiences Summit 2025.

Hamper, J., Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., Davidjants, J., Rose, G., Tiidenberg, K., & Lehmuskallio, A. (2025). Learning From the Mess: What Happens in Social Media Elicitation Interviews. Qualitative Inquiry, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004251346741

Hautaniemi, A. (2025). Balancing Freedom and Structure: Tight–Loose Cultural Orientations in European Student Radio Organisations. Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, 11(4), 243–260. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajmmc.11-4-2

Heikkinen, S. & Ahola, M. (2025). Segmentation of Cruise Experience Preferences: A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of Budget-Constrained Choices. Proceedings of 7 Experiences Summit 2025.

Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Uusitalo, N. (2025). Redistributing the sensible: exploring aesthetic practices in a photography course. Environmental Education Research, 31(1), 173–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2403454

Närhinen, T., Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Leisti, T. (2025). Constructing knowledge within the photographic apparatus. Photographies, 18(2), 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/17540763.2025.2486375

2024

Dziobczenski, P.R.N., Keinonen, T., Sekar, B. (2024). 'My previous view of design was limited' -Teaching design to non-designers at Aalto University. In NordDesign 2024 Conference. Reykjavik, Iceland. https://doi.org/10.35199/NORDDESIGN2024.9

Dziobczenski, P.R.N. (2024). 'Strategic design for green transition: Expanding designers' responsibilities and impact' In What's around design? Conference. Portimão, Portugal. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384894816_Strategic_Design_for_Green_Transition_Expanding_Designers'_Responsibilities_and_Impact

Hautaniemi, A. (2024). Against the machine – Deep-seated beliefs about the purpose and identity of European student radio. The International Communication Gazette. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485241302693

Hautaniemi, A. (2024). Organizational artefacts in European student radio: Exploring the organizational culture of student radio in Europe. The International Communication Gazette, 86(2), 146–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485221141607

Illi, M., Gustafsson, R., & Masoodian, M. (2024). Visual metaphors for collaboration planning in strategy meetings. Journal of Strategy and Management, 17(4), 781–801. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-05-2024-0089

Lehmuskallio, A., & Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J. (2024). Kuvallinen viestintä osana sosiaalista vuorovaikutusta. [Visual Communication as Part of Social Interaction.] Duodecim, 140(24), 2068–2073. https://www.duodecimlehti.fi/duo18571

2023

Eloranta, E., Kumpulainen, K., Kälviäinen, M., Palokangas, A. & Qvist, M. (2023). Menesty asiakaslähtöisesti ja ympäristövastuullisesti : Opas PK-yrityksille. LAB-ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisusarja, osa 66. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/810053

Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Seppänen, J. (2023). Photography as play: examining constant photographing and photo sharing among young people. Visual Communication, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572211008485

2022

Ahola, M., Uusitalo, S., Palva, L., & Sepponen, R. (2022). Scaling the magnetic resonance imaging through design research. In Human Interaction, Emerging Technologies and Future Systems V: Proceedings of the 5th International Virtual Conference on Human Interaction and Emerging Technologies, IHIET 2021, August 27-29, 2021 and the 6th IHIET: Future Systems (IHIET-FS 2021), October 28-30, 2021, France (pp. 1018-1025). Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-85540-6_130

Hautaniemi, A. (2022). Balancing the Turbulence: Organizational Values in European Student Radio. Journal of Radio & Audio Media.

Illi, M. (2022). SELLING MACHINES WITH VISUALS - Interaction Analysis of Granularity in Sensemaking and Persuasive Sales Logics (Doctoral dissertation in Aalto University). Aalto University publication series. https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/117066

Kälviäinen, M. (2022). User-driven Service Design for Environmentally Responsible Consumption. The Publication Series of LAB University of Applied Sciences, part 4. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/755960

Uusitalo N. & Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J. (2022). Visuaalinen journalismi ilmastokriisin estetiikan muovaajana. [Visual Journalism as a Shaper of the Aesthetics of the Climate Crisis.] In J. Mikkonen, S. Lehtinen, K. Kortekallio & N.-H. Korpelainen (Eds.), Ympäristömuutos ja estetiikka [Environmental Change and Aesthetics] (pp. 236–267). Helsinki: Suomen Estetiikan Seura ry. https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/343564

2021

Ahola, M., Himberg, T., Ahola, P., & Vainio, T. (2021). Kohti yhteisöllisen tiedon rakentamista: Näkökulmia kokemuksen tutkimusmenetelmistä käsittelevän kurssin toteutuksesta Aalto-yliopistossa. Yliopistopedagogiikka, 28(2). https://lehti.yliopistopedagogiikka.fi/2021/12/20/kohti-yhteisollisen-tiedon-rakentamista-nakokulmia-kokemuksen-tutkimusmenetelmia-kasittelevan-kurssin-toteutuksesta-aalto-yliopistossa/

Hautaniemi, A. (2021) Metataidot tulevaisuuden työelämässä – aikuisopiskelijoiden reflektointia oman osaamisen kehittämisestä. LAB RDI Journal.

Kälviäinen, M. (2021). Heuristics in Design for Behaviour Change. Game + Design Education. Proceedings of PUDCAD 2020. Editors: Prof. Dr. Özge Cordan, Prof. Demet Arslan Dinçay, Dr. Çağıl Yurdakul Toker, Prof. Elif Belkıs Öksüz, Dr. Sena Semizoğlu. Springer Series in Design and Innovation. Springer International Publishing.

Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Uusitalo, N. (2021). Aesthetic practices in the climate crisis: Intervening in consensual frameworks of the sensible through images. Nordic Journal of Media Studies, 3(1), 164–183. https://doi.org/10.2478/njms-2021-0009

2020

Kälviäinen, Mirja (2020). Palvelumuotoilulla käyttäjälähtöistä ympäristövastuullisuutta. LAB-ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisusarja, osa 4. https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/345227

Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Seppänen, J. (2020). Visual communion: The photographic image as phatic communication. New Media & Society, 22(6), 1043–1057. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819876237

2019

Ilen, E., Groth, C., Ahola, M., & Niinimäki, K. (2019). Empathy in a Technology-Driven Design Process: Designing for users without a voice of their own. Nordes, (8). https://archive.nordes.org/index.php/n13/article/view/492/0

Kälviäinen, M. (2019). Green Design as Service Design. In Managing Complexity and Creating Innovation through Design. Editors Satu Miettinen, Melanie Sarantou. Taylor & Francis. Routledge.

Nylander, N. & Kälviäinen, M. (2019). Learning Design process for Sense Making. In (eds.) Jonna Häkkilä, Minna Pakanen, Elina Luiro, Enni Mikkonen, Satu Miettinen. Cumulus Conference Proceedings Rovaniemi 2019. Around the Campfire – Resilience and Intelligence, Rovaniemi, Finland.

Niemelä-Nyrhinen, J., & Seppänen, J. (2019). Kuvajournalismi ja eettisen kuluttamisen haaste. [Photojournalism and the Challenge of Ethical Consumption.] Media & viestintä [Media & Communication], 42(3), 165-186. https://doi.org/10.23983/mv.85780

2018

Dziobczenski, P.R.N., Person, O., Meriläinen, S. (2018). Designing Career Paths in Graphic Design: A Document Analysis of Job Advertisements for Graphic Design Positions in Finland. The Design Journal. 21(3): 349–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2018.1444874

Dziobczenski, P.R.N., Person, O., Tonetto, L.M., Mandelli, R.R. (2018). Requests from Companies and Requirements for Design Education in Brazil: Where do they meet? in DRS International Conference Series. London: Design Research Society. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-1-912294-22-0

Hautaniemi, A. (2018). Promoting social capital through grassroots radio. In Peltonen, K. (Ed.), Well-Being and Regenerative Growth Annual Review 2017.

Hautaniemi, A. (2018). Empathy – a Gamechanger in the male-biased game industry. In Kotonen, Ulla (ed.) Smart Business Annual Review. Lahden ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisusarja 49.

Illi, M., Karyda, M., and Lucero, A. (2018). On Visual Granularity - Collocated Sales Meeting Interactions in the Machine Industry. In Proceedings of the ACM CHI ‘Conference on human factors in computing systems,’ Montreal. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3173574.3173721

Kälviäinen, M. (2018). Supporting innovation and co-design process skills by visual tools. Chapter for a book: 'Visual Tools for Developing Student Capacity for Cross-disciplinary Collaboration, innovation and Entrepreneurship.' In series Transformative Pedagogies in the Visual Domain. The University of New South Wales, Art & Design, Sydney, Australia.

2017

Ahola, M., & Mugge, R. (2017). Safety in passenger ships: The influence of environmental design characteristics on people's perception of safety. Applied Ergonomics, 59, 143–152. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687016301521

Dziobczenski, P.R.N., Person, O. (2017). Graphic Designer Wanted: A Document Analysis of the Described Skill Set of Graphic Designers in Job Advertisements from the United Kingdom. International Journal of Design, 11(2), 41–55. https://www.ijdesign.org/index.php/IJDesign/article/view/2790/781

Vanhamäki, S., Heinonen, A., Manskinen, K. & Kälviäinen, M. (2017). Information design as a tool for promoting renewable energy. Proceeding of the Design for Next 12th EAD Conference. Sapienza University of Rome. 12-14 April 2017. The Design Journal, 20:sup1.