Design meets neuroscience.
27+ yrs in design.
PhD-to-be in neurodesign. Novelist. Strategist.
Co-thinker.
Design loves neuroscience, with radical empathy.
This neurodesign research (both MA and PhD) is my “why”. Design – basically everything we see, touch, hear, smell, taste – happens in our nervous system. Design can support, or hijack our brain. (I’ve chosen my side.)
For me, it’s about radical empathy and its neuroscience, together with creativity and innovation — each always tied to space: the physical, the social, the emotional.
The Research Plan
I’m happy and honored to call University of Oulu (Finland) my academic home. UNI Oulu is consistently ranked among the top 3% of universities worldwide across multiple global rankings.
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In the junk, the real stuff – our connection and humanness – gets lost. Billions are spent on products, policies, spaces and societies that miss the point.
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Understanding our nervous system. Then designing for it, with ethics, and care.
Understand the unseen: attention, emotional resonance, memory traces. The neuroscience of our decision making, innovation, team dynamics, empathy, creativity.
Measure. Labs, field data.
Design for the brain, not against it.
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Neuroscience and design in conversation. Labs and lived experiences. Data and story. HCD. Qualitative, mixed methods, prototyping, design probes, and field data — neuroscience of decision-making, innovation, sustainability & resilience.
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My aim is to find tools that support our wellbeing in all levels:
Individual – protecting focus, wellbeing, and empathy.
Societal – building trust, clarity, and connection. Belonging.
Systemic – sustainable & resilient systems, ethical value creation & tech.
(In short: design & tech that protect our humanity. After all, humans, as a species, are dear to me.)
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The explotion of synthetic media, AI, is affecting every aspect of our lives, whether we like it or not. Climate crisis (IPCC, 2023), mental health concerns (WHO, 2022) and UN SDGs (2015) highlight the urgent need to support sustainability, wellbeing, and societal resilience.
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I live in the noise too. HCD can help address the deepest problems in our systems. I’ve also been persistent about wellbeing since the sudden loss of my mother at 24.
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Neurodesign & HCD help us to zoom in and out from individual experience to systemic level.
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I did my MA on design + neuroscience, and am now working on my PhD on it.
(Also, I have kids. I’d rather not see them end up on Mars. Too dusty.)
I want to do my part.
I do the research with the background of 27+ yrs of experience in designing, storytelling with radical creativity. Also, I come with Finnish SISU*.
Expert reviews on my research.
…”groundbreaking research…”
– Professor, Clinical medicine, University of Eastern Finland
“…the research topic is timely and forward-looking, addressing complex intersections.
…work is of an excellent standard.”
– Dean, Faculty of Arts and design, University of Lapland
“This research is valuable”
”…masters the principles and practices of design research with a clear vision…”
– DA, Faculty of Art and Design, University of Lapland
My research interests
Core areas
Neurodesign
Neuroscience of Design
Science-Based HCD
Radical Empathy
Radical Creativity & Innovation
Decision-Making (+Cognitive Biases)
Cognition, Sustainability & Value Creation
Human-Centered AI
Narrative & Storytelling
Supporting themes
AI & Human-Centered Technology
Human-Centered, responsible AI
AI-Augmented creativity
Biases in AI
Wellbeing & Psychology
Design for Flourishing
Psychological Safety
Systemic Wellbeing
Innovation,
Creativity
Cognitive, Affective & Social Neuroscience
Systems & Complexity
Wicked Problems
Systemic Design
Societal Impact
Spatial & Architecture
Built environments & urban planning
Spatial Cognition
Biophilic Design
How does neuroscience go together with design?
Gorgeous work has been done in Stanford, HPI, UCL and other universities.
I feel humbled to walk the path they’ve paved, and hopeful to contribute a small piece to the larger story.
Why this is important to me?
Understanding our brain can save lives.
Multitasking is not efficient (Ophir et al. 2009). Interruptions in work raise risks of errors – redesigning the critical points of the work flow cut errors by 88 % (Kliger et al., 2009; 2012).
Imagine scaling this for systemic level.
Q&A: What are the benefits of neuroscience in design?
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A: It's about neurodesign—the intersection of neuroscience and design. I explore how environments (digital, spatial, systemic) shape the nervous system, and how we can design more ethically, intentionally, and humanely.
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A: Because our bodies respond to design before we even think. Face perception takes just 100 ms (Willis & Todorov, 2006), and our environments affect stress, trust, memory, and healing. This is design’s new frontier.
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A: I'm a designer and storyteller with 27+ years of experience, always drawn to psychology, architecture, systems thinking, and cognition. While finishing my MA, I asked: what connects all of this? Neurodesign answered.
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A: I'm a designer and storyteller with 25+ years of experience, always drawn to psychology, architecture, systems thinking, and cognition. While finishing my MA, I asked: what connects all of this? Neurodesign answered.
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A: I want to expand how we think about design—from visual surface to neurobiological depth. My goal is design that restores presence, builds trust, and supports human thriving.