Professor of Practice Pia Hannukainen: ‘I believe in the power of design also in the future’

What does your professorship mean?

‘I am a professor of practice in the Department of Design. My mission is to create a bridge between the business world and academic teaching. I teach courses, supervise and review final projects, and contribute to the debate on teaching development. I also do some research. The role of professor of practice is part-time. My other role is as Head of Design for the OP Financial Group.’

What brought you to Aalto?

‘I was a researcher at Aalto for a long time before moving into the corporate world. In recent years, I have "dabbled" in research and supervised final theses in various schools whenever interesting topics have come up, so I have not completely left the academic world behind. So, when I got a tip that the Department of Design was looking for a professor of practice, I thought it would be a great opportunity to combine business and academia.’

What are the highlights of your career?

‘On the academic side, my most memorable moment was early in my career when a paper I wrote based on my thesis won the Best Paper Award at a prestigious American conference. It felt absolutely incredible, when I myself had thought that this was just a master’s thesis. In the corporate world, the highlight of my career has been building and leading the Customer Insight capability in the OP Group. And of course, my current role as Head of Design, leading the largest design community in Finland, can be counted among the highlights.’

What do you research and why?

‘In my time, I have done my PhD on the use of lead users in product and service development and strategic user involvement in general. In recent years, I have been working and doing research on increasing design maturity in organisations.’

What issues are topical in your field right now?

‘The demands on designers' skills are constantly changing, for example, as companies' design maturity increases, and the development of generative artificial intelligence accelerates. It has been interesting to compare the kind of skills expected of designers in the financial sector, for example, compared to what is taught at school. Both the business and education sectors need to keep their eyes and ears open to ensure that companies secure skilled staff and that those who graduate as designers have sufficient skills.’

What are your expectations for the future of your field?

‘Design is iterative problem solving, taking into account user needs and expectations, business or public objectives and the limits of feasibility. The application areas will change, the skills and tools will evolve, but as an approach I believe design will continue to be a powerful force.’

What other interests do you have?

‘I go to Lapland for snow activities several times a year and spend a lot of time also training and competing in track and field and tennis. Architecture, urban planning, and everything related to housing and living are among my interests. Perhaps I will get to learn more about these topics also here in Aalto.’