Samuli Niva joined us as a Senior Designer in January. He has previously worked in software companies and event organizations.
Samuli Niva is originally a graphic designer with a diverse background that includes experience in publishing, vocational education, event organization, and marketing, in addition to his work in software companies. Various job roles and his own interests have guided him throughout his career spanning about twenty years.
While visual aesthetics are a natural part of his design work, Samuli’s interest often lies in the hypotheses of solutions and the realism of implementation.
“My identity as a designer has grown and evolved throughout my career, but the foundation of it all is Design Thinking. This human-centered design process has recently made me think deeper about what fascinates me in design,” he explains.
Design, without forgetting technology
Transitioning to the software industry was a natural step for Samuli, allowing him to develop his strengths and work on client projects. At the same time, he found himself among like-minded geeks, as he puts it. In the past five years, he has led several large-scale website projects for public administration as a design lead, worked on agile software projects in smaller teams, and acted as a team lead.
Samuli lists conceptualizing new software, designing user experiences, and defining requirements among his strengths. Collaboration with both developers and clients is important to him. As a designer, he has a technical orientation and keeps the scope and cost of a sensible implementation in mind. This helps him to phase and prioritize the overall project, which clients also appreciate.
“Helping people drives me forward. I believe I have the ability to empathize with others. I want to contribute to building digital solutions that help people work better or enrich their lives,” he describes.
Family time and treasure hunting during leisure
In his free time, Samuli enjoys spending time with his children, and in the evenings, he enjoys playing computer games. Fly fishing and snorkeling are meaningful hobbies for him, and he also considers himself always ready for a treasure hunt.
“I spend my autumns mushroom picking. In winter, I look forward to spring. I enjoy chocolate and black humor,” he reveals in conclusion.
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