“I believe that co-design is ‘democracy 2.0’. Collectively, we can build a sustainable and human-centric society.”
IRMA SAVOLAINEN
Who is Irma Savolainen?
Irma Savolainen is the first service designer at the City of Kuopio. There, she is building the foundations for city-wide design thinking, and aims to empower the innovative Savonian design attitude to lift up the voices of all 120 000 citizens.
Savolainen is passionate about expanding the boundaries of democracy through strategic utilization of co-design in the public sector.
Irma’s core knowledge
Designing for public collaboration
Public collaboration has been long defined by top-down processes and short term citizen participation. Planning new participation opportunities around neighborhood design for the city of Kuopio, Savolainen has gotten familiar with the complexities of participatory processes and encourages all types of constructive and critical civic activism. Read a report of her public participation project here. This work is available in Finnish.
Designing for public services
Design for public services requires a systemic, yet human centric approach where qualitative and quantitative data are synthesized to form well guided visions, goals, problem definitions and finally functional design solutions, which are iteratively developed and produced with the respective stakeholders. Working at the city of Kuopio, this is the daily playing field for Savolainen.
Role of futures studies within design
Designers have an inherent need to understand the possible, desired and likely futures. Futures studies provides designers the lens for more strategic approaches. In her bachelors’s thesis, Savolainen discusses why and futures studies should be considered a key approach within the field of design. Thesis is available in Finnish.
Designing for and with technology
Understanding the foundations of machine learning and other technologies is the cornerstone of sustainable public services. Having worked as a lead designer in the data science company Emblica, Savolainen has done her due diligence, designing with and for emerging technologies.
Selected Affiliations & Clients
Irma’s skills
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Savolainen has worked as a team leader in multiple positions and enjoys the collaborative aspect of team work.
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Savolainen has worked with professionals from multiple different fields and is especially familiar with technology solutions. Savolainen believes multidiscipline collaboration to provide the best solutions.
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Savolainen has worked as a project owner as both consultant and client. Organizing projects happens with ease.
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Having worked with emerging technologies and the complexities of the public sector, Savolainen is no stranger to the unknown. Working to make sense of multiple views is important to her.
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Designers are always in the position where they get to sell their ideas or the ideas of others, iterating them with each sales cycle. Communicating different qualities, needs and benefits is an integral skill of design.
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In her work at the city of Kuopio and at Aalto University, Savolainen has gotten to mentor and help many young designers with their projects. Guiding individuals and teams is rewarding work for Savolainen.
Industry background
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2022 onwards, Service Designer
2021-2022 Design for collaboration and citizen participation.
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Lead designer, partner & chairperson of the board. 2018-2022
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Chairperson of TOYKO - the student association for Aalto University’s School of arts, design and architecture. The association represents the 2000 art, design and architecture students in bachelor and masters degree programmes, runs with 50 000 euros annual budget and the help of a voluntary board, elected by the student body.
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Teaching assistant and responsible for the Design Minor Programme during the school year 2020.
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Design Intern responsible for service design, summer 2017.
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Manager of communications, 2015
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Project worker, 2014
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Project worker, 2023-2014
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Graphic and web assistant for sales and marketing. 2011- 2012
Said about Irma
“Irma is truly multitalented CAN-DO -person. -- She does not look hours when it matters to get things done. It is rare to see this kind of professional commitment. Thank you Irma.”
— Lari Aho, Helsinki city library, 2014
Hackathon Victories
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Tax administration as a service for small enterprises, 2020
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A database and service for Caruna’s visual assests required for project management and construction, 2020
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Desiging and building a smart, automated system that predicts the calmness of spaces and adjusts the building lighting, air conditioning and other factors accordingly. 2020
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Designing and creating a solution that measures excavator trenches based on only regular camera footage. 2019
Education
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Aalto University, Collaborative and Industrial Design
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Aalto University, Muotoilu (Design)
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Stadin ammattiopisto
Acknowledgements
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2019
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Nuoret Designerit, 2018