In an era where design many times has become synonymous with aesthetics and surface-level improvements, Kaisa Kauppinen represents something far more profound: the evolution of design as a rigorous science capable of transforming organizations, industries, and societies. With over 25 years of experience spanning Nokia’s golden era to her current role shaping digital transformation at Tietoevry, Kaisa embodies the rare convergence of creative intuition, academic rigor, and strategic leadership that defines the future of design.
Her journey began not in a design studio, but in the halls of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, in the late 1990s, where she pursued Information Technology with a focus that would prove prophetic: Group Technologies, Computer-Supported Collaborative Work, and Social Computing. It was here, through her thesis applying ethnography to understand people in their real contexts, that the foundation of her career philosophy took root.
“This experience ignited my interest in design as both a creative and systematic discipline,” Kaisa reflects on those formative years. The realization that emerged from her academic work was powerful: systems grounded in deep human insight possessed transformative potential that purely technical solutions could never achieve.
This foundation, together with spending junior years abroad in IT consultancy, carried her into Nokia Mobile Phones, where she would spend nearly 14 years during the company’s most transformative period. Leading projects with major European operators, Kaisa witnessed firsthand how structured processes and human-centered design could deliver both strategic impact and practical value at unprecedented scale.
“I learned how structured processes and human-centered design could deliver both strategic impact and practical value,” she explains, describing lessons that continue to guide her work today. Those Nokia years were not merely a job but an immersion in innovation at global scale, where every project reinforced the power of combining rigorous methodology with genuine empathy for users.
THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ADVANTAGE: BRIDGING WORLDS TO CREATE TRANSFORMATION
What distinguishes Kaisa’s approach to design leadership is her ability to operate fluidly across disciplines that others see as separate domains. Her multidisciplinary background creates a unique lens that combines insights from technology, business, culture, communication, and human behavior. This breadth has become her greatest strategic asset, enabling her to align diverse stakeholders, frame problems with precision, and uncover flexible solutions that might remain hidden to specialists working within single domains.
“In innovation, drawing from multiple fields often leads to more creative and transformative outcomes,” Kaisa observes. “Such a background not only strengthens designers but positions them as connectors and catalysts, qualities essential for global design leadership.”
This perspective has proven increasingly valuable in her current role at Tietoevry, where complex digital transformation initiatives require navigating technical constraints, business objectives, cultural contexts, and human needs simultaneously. Her ability to translate between these worlds, to speak the languages of engineering, business strategy, and human experience with equal fluency, positions her as a rare bridge figure in organizations often fragmented by specialization.
The recognition came formally in 2024 when Kaisa was named one of the Global 200 Women Power Leaders, an honor that surprised someone who prefers her work to speak for itself. “I’m not someone who puts myself strongly forward; I prefer my work and actions to speak for themselves,” she admits. “Still, such moments are valuable reminders to pause and acknowledge the achievements that often slip our memory, even though they shape who we are and move us forward.”
For Kaisa, the recognition carries meaning beyond personal validation. “Being named a Woman Power Leader in design is especially meaningful, and I share this recognition with all designers and design leaders working to create a better world through design.” This statement reflects her understanding that leadership excellence emerges from communities of practice, not isolated individuals.
CUSTOMER-FIRST: THE MINDSETS AND MECHANISMS THAT KEEP USERS CENTRAL
At the heart of Kaisa’s design philosophy lies an unwavering commitment to keeping customer understanding and simple interactions central to every project. But unlike leaders who treat this principle as aspirational rhetoric, Kaisa has developed systematic approaches that embed customer centricity into organizational DNA through what she calls “mindset anchors and practical mechanisms.”
Her three foundational mindsets create the philosophical framework: customer first, where every decision must answer how it helps the customer; simplicity as a principle, embracing the maxim that clarity beats complexity; and empathy-driven, data-informed design, recognizing that effective solutions serve real people based on researched insights rather than assumptions.
“We are designing for people and we base our decisions on researched data,” Kaisa emphasizes, articulating the balance between qualitative empathy and quantitative validation that characterizes mature design practice.
These mindsets become operational through practical mechanisms that Kaisa implements consistently across projects. Early and continuous user research through interviews, shadowing, and persona development, as examples, keeps real user needs visible throughout development cycles. Co-design and testing loops engage customers in ideation, prototyping, and validation, ensuring assumptions face reality checks through real feedback.
“Understanding and reacting to the feedback is crucial for successful business,” Kaisa notes, highlighting how customer engagement transcends design improvement to become a business imperative. Her approach also includes defining clear design principles, tracking ease-of-use indicators, and organizing multidisciplinary reviews that prevent siloed thinking from compromising user experience.
UNLOCKING CREATIVITY: HOW DESIGN SPRINTS TRANSFORM ORGANIZATIONAL THINKING
Kaisa’s work facilitating design sprints and teaching design thinking methods has given her deep insights into how these tools unlock creativity and innovation in organizations often constrained by routine and risk aversion. The power of these approached is in how they restructure the problem-solving process itself.
“These approaches encourage teams to pause and define the real problem before moving to solutions,” Kaisa explains. By bringing together design, technology, business, and customer perspectives from the start, design sprints and design thinking ensure diverse viewpoints inform solution development rather than being retrofitted after technical decisions have already constrained possibilities.
The value of rapid prototyping, user testing, and safe-to-fail environments cannot be overstated. They make experimentation low cost and highly valuable for learning, transforming fear of failure into curiosity about what insights failure might reveal.
But Kaisa’s most intriguing observations concern how simple interventions can break teams free from habitual thinking patterns. “Creativity often emerges when we step outside routines,” she notes. “Digital whiteboards, collaborative sketching tools, or even time-boxed AI-assisted ideation sessions can spark fresh insights by making the invisible visible.”
Whether online or in-person, these collaborative techniques invite play, reflection, and co-creation. “It’s less about the medium pen and paper or pixels and more about creating space for different modes of thinking,” Kaisa observes. “When teams experiment with new ways of seeing and making, they often uncover transformative outcomes.”
By combining human intuition with digital tools and structured experimentation, today’s design methods help teams move beyond habitual patterns and reimagine how they create value together.
GOOD VERSUS TRANSFORMATIVE: UNDERSTANDING DESIGN’S TRUE POTENTIAL
Through decades of practice, Kaisa has developed a nuanced framework for distinguishing good design solutions from transformative ones, a distinction crucial for organizations deciding where to invest resources and ambition.
A good design solution, in Kaisa’s framework, does its job well. It solves the defined problem effectively, provides usability and intuitiveness, demonstrates reliability and feasibility, and creates visual appeal. “A simple example of a good design solution could be a redesigned website that makes navigation clearer, and the UI look and feel is visually updated,” she offers, illustrating how good design makes incremental improvements to existing paradigms.
Transformative design operates at an entirely different level. “Transformative design solution goes beyond solving the problem; it changes the way people think, behave or operate,” Kaisa explains. These solutions challenge assumptions and reframe what really needs solving. They create new possibilities and ways of working rather than simply improving existing approaches.
Transformative design shifts behaviors and expectations, altering how users, organizations, and entire industries operate. It carries emotional and cultural resonance, inspiring and delighting in ways that can make solutions iconic. Most importantly, transformative design delivers systemic value with future orientation.
The iPhone serves as Kaisa’s archetypal example. “It was not only a better mobile phone; it transformed communication, entertainment and even whole industries like apps, mobile payments, and media.” This example, from her Nokia years, carries particular poignancy, illustrating how transformative design can reshape competitive landscapes entirely.
BRIDGING THEORY AND PRACTICE: PHD RESEARCH SHAPING REAL-WORLD DESIGN
Kaisa’s pursuit of a PhD focusing on Design Science Research (DSR) and Benefits Realization Management (BRM) represents more than academic credential building. It reflects her conviction that design practice must evolve beyond intuition and craft toward rigorous, evidence-informed methodologies capable of demonstrating measurable strategic value.
Design Science Research (DSR) provides a structured approach for developing and evaluating artifacts such as models, frameworks, or systems that address complex, real-world problems while contributing to academic knowledge.
As Hevner et al. (2004) describe, DSR combines rigor (through grounding in existing theory and methods) and relevance (through application to practical challenges). Its iterative cycle of problem identification, artifact design, evaluation, and reflection ensures that solutions are both useful and theoretically justified. Later work by Gregor and Hevner (2013) emphasizes how DSR produces actionable knowledge that guides both scholars and practitioners in shaping innovation.
Benefits Realization Management (BRM), as outlined by Ward and Daniel (2012), offers a complementary focus on ensuring that initiatives deliver their intended value and strategic outcomes not just outputs or deliverables. BRM establishes structures and practices that link projects to business strategy through measurable benefits, ownership, and continuous feedback. It reframes success not as project completion but as benefit realization over time.
The intersection of these disciplines is highly relevant to contemporary design practice. As Kaisa notes, “Research consistently shows that many digital transformation projects fail to realize their planned benefits. I became interested in how human-centered design could help bridge that gap—ensuring that what we create not only works well for users but also delivers sustainable organizational value.”
Together, DSR and BRM bring rigor and accountability to design. DSR strengthens the methodological foundation of creative problem-solving, while BRM connects design outcomes to tangible impact.
“These perspectives make design practice more evidence-based and strategically aligned,” Kaisa concludes. “By linking research-driven artifact creation with benefit-focused management, we can evolve design into a discipline that not only imagines better futures—but proves its value in achieving them.”
HEALTHCARE INNOVATION: UNIVERSAL CHALLENGES, COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
Kaisa’s contribution to the EU-funded CHAMELEONS program on connected health provided valuable insights into working at the intersection of design and healthcare innovation. The program aimed to design, deliver, and evaluate interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and international modules that would broaden PhD graduate skills and equip them to solve societal challenges in connected health.
“The program was an important part of my PhD journey, giving me the opportunity to collaborate with fellow doctoral students from across European universities,” Kaisa reflects. Since both design and healthcare innovation are central to her work, engaging with them from an academic perspective proved refreshing.
Beyond international academic networking, the greatest value came through self-reflection and self-study, gaining insights, skills, and tools to grow as a researcher in these domains. One of the highlights was also a week at University College Dublin, where Kaisa joined a Creative Thinking & Innovation course that was both multidisciplinary and energizing.
The program reinforced an important realization that shapes her global perspective: “Healthcare challenges are universal and shared, regardless of geography.” This insight informs how Kaisa approaches design solutions, recognizing that while cultural contexts vary, fundamental human needs around health and wellbeing transcend borders.
EVALUATING INNOVATION: THE DESIGN LENS ON EU BUSINESS PROPOSALS
As part of the EUREKA Experts Community, Kaisa evaluates business proposals for EU funding, applying a design-informed evaluation lens to identify projects that demonstrate both innovation potential and strategic design maturity. Her framework focuses on three complementary dimensions that reveal whether applicants genuinely understand design’s role as a driver of value creation.
First, she examines how design is integrated across the proposal rather than treated as an isolated activity. Are design professional part of the core team? Are user groups clearly defined, and are their needs evidenced through research or co-creation? Such indicators reveal whether design has informed the project’s direction from the outset or merely been added for presentation purposes.
Second, Kaisa assesses problem framing and contextual analysis. “A strong proposal articulates the problem in measurable, evidence-based terms identifying who experiences it, under what circumstances, and why it matters strategically,” she explains. The clarity and precision of this framing often predict the project’s ability to generate relevant and scalable solutions.
Third, she evaluates the design methods and validation processes proposed: how ideas are explored, tested, and iterated with stakeholders. Effective use of design methods such as prototyping, user testing, or scenario modelling demonstrates a disciplined approach to learning and risk mitigation. While technical feasibility and business viability remain essential, the design perspective ensures that proposed solutions are desirable, usable, and anchored in verified human and organizational needs.
THE ART OF BALANCE: STRATEGIC VISION MEETS EXPERIENTIAL DETAIL
One of the most challenging aspects of design leadership involves balancing large-scale strategic thinking with attention to fine details that can make or break user experience. Kaisa has developed a framework she describes as holding two lenses: the strategic telescope for long-range vision and the experience microscope for details that matter to users and customers.
“It is important to start with the strategy lens, painting the big picture. And then use the experience lens to ground the critical details,” Kaisa explains. “If you focus on designing the edge, or corner cases only, you may easily lose the big picture and hence the whole experience suffers.”
Her approach prioritizes designing smooth interactions for the most common use cases, ensuring these are flawless. “And accept that rare corner cases can be a little less smooth, as long as the interaction is logical,” she adds, recognizing that perfectionism across all scenarios can prevent shipping solutions that deliver tremendous value for typical usage.
The key lies in anchoring teams in a clear strategic why, then sweating the details that directly shape user trust and ease. “The art of leadership is knowing when to telescope out, and when to microscope in,” Kaisa concludes, capturing the dynamic judgment that experienced design leaders develop over years of practice.
OVERCOMING BARRIERS: THE PATH TO DESIGN-LED TRANSFORMATION
Through more than 25 years in the field, Kaisa has observed recurring barriers that prevent organizations from embracing design-led transformation. Some of the biggest include limited understanding of design’s strategic value, siloed organizational structures, and natural resistance to change. These are compounded when leadership lacks design literacy or when there are no meaningful metrics to demonstrate impact.
“But perhaps the deepest barrier is mindset, when design is still viewed as superficial rather than as a driver of transformation,” Kaisa observes, identifying the fundamental challenge that underlies structural obstacles.
Overcoming these challenges requires persistence and systematic effort. Leaders need to continually elevate design by placing designers in strategic forums, not only delivery roles; fostering co-creation so people experience design hands-on; and building literacy across the organization.
“It’s also vital to model design-led thinking at the top and link design to strategy through measurable outcomes, for example by using BRM principles,” Kaisa adds. This approach moves design from being perceived as accessory to being recognized as a catalyst for real change.
Kaisa’s current position at Tietoevry exemplifies this evolution. “I am lucky to work in a company today that is following this path,” she notes, acknowledging how organizational commitment to design’s strategic value creates conditions where design leadership can flourish.
FROM HUMAN-CENTERED TO SOCIETY-CENTERED: THE FUTURE OF DESIGN
Looking ahead to the next five years, Kaisa anticipates a fundamental shift in how design creates value. “I think we’ll be moving from user-centered or human-centered to society-centered,” she predicts. Solutions will be judged not just on usability, but on their contribution to equity, inclusivity, and long-term impact.
Circular design principles will become baseline expectations rather than differentiators. Designers will need to handle more complexity, mapping multi-stakeholder interactions and balancing trade-offs across society. With AI, data, and automation becoming ubiquitous, design will increasingly be the discipline ensuring human values, transparency, and trustworthiness in technology.
“Design will evolve from making things usable to making systems sustainable,” Kaisa explains. “We will be solving problems for societies rather than individuals. Design will be at the heart of how organizations and societies balance innovation, sustainability, and responsibility.”
This vision reflects Kaisa’s conviction that design’s greatest contributions lie ahead as the discipline matures from improving individual experiences to shaping sustainable societal systems.
ADVICE FOR EMERGING LEADERS: YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS YOUR POWER
For young women aspiring to enter design leadership and innovation, Kaisa offers guidance grounded in her own journey and the recognition that diverse perspectives drive innovation forward.
“Believe in the unique perspective you bring; diversity of thought and lived experience is a powerful driver of innovation,” she emphasizes. The tendency to doubt one’s value or wait for permission to lead can prevent talented designers from claiming the influence they deserve.
“Build both your craft skills and your voice at the table, because leadership in design requires clarity of vision as much as creative talent,” Kaisa continues, highlighting how technical excellence alone proves insufficient without the communication skills to influence strategic decisions.
Her final advice carries particular weight: “Seek out mentors, allies, and opportunities that stretch you, and never underestimate your ability to shape not just products, but cultures and systems for the better.” This expansive vision of design leadership’s potential captures what has characterized Kaisa’s own career: the understanding that design’s ultimate purpose is shaping how humans interact with technology, organizations, and each other.
A LEGACY OF RIGOR AND HUMANITY
As both a design leader and a researcher advancing the science of human-centered design, Kaisa envisions a legacy that proves design’s value extends far beyond aesthetics or usability improvements.
“I would hope to leave a legacy of proving that human-centered design is not just a creative practice, but a science that drives measurable value for people, organizations, and society,” Kaisa reflects. As a design leader, she aims to be remembered for building cultures where empathy, inclusivity, and meaningfulness shaped decisions at every level.
As a researcher, her goal is leaving behind frameworks, methods, and evidence that help the next generation of designers create solutions that are effective and innovative, but also deeply responsible and humane, delivering real value and benefits.
This dual legacy, combining practical organizational impact with theoretical advancement, reflects the unique position Kaisa occupies. She stands at the intersection of academia and industry, strategic leadership and hands-on practice, creative intuition and scientific rigor.
From her early days applying ethnography to understand human contexts through her transformative years at Nokia to her current role shaping digital transformation at Tietoevry while pursuing doctoral research, Kaisa Kauppinen exemplifies what design leadership means in 2025 and beyond. Her journey demonstrates that the most powerful design emerges when creativity meets accountability, when empathy combines with measurement, and when individual user needs expand to encompass societal wellbeing.
As organizations worldwide grapple with digital transformation, sustainability imperatives, and the ethical challenges of emerging technologies, leaders like Kaisa provide essential guidance. They prove that design leadership is not about choosing between beauty and function, creativity and rigor, users and society. Instead, it’s about understanding these as complementary dimensions of a discipline evolving to meet humanity’s most pressing challenges.
The future Kaisa envisions, where design moves from human-centered to society-centered, where circular principles become baseline, and where design ensures human values guide technological advancement, is already taking shape through the work she and fellow design leaders advance daily. Her legacy will not be measured in projects completed or awards received, but in the systems, cultures, and capabilities she helps create for designers who follow.
