Helsinki Design Week

Time: Tue 9 Sept, 16:00–17:00

Host: Henna Kalliokoski

What’s the connection between happiness and accessibility?

By law, every public and commercial digital service must be accessible. But beyond legal requirements, we should be motivated by the fact that accessible services feel good and are easy to use. It’s possible to make digital services both beautiful and accessible at the same time. Poor design patterns create unnecessary strain and, at worst, prevent people from using the service altogether – for example, those who are blind, have ADHD or autism traits, or are stressed or tired.

In this one-hour session, we'll share practical lessons from designing the guardianship e-service for the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency, along with examples of how understanding accessibility can make life easier for every user of your service. Together, we’ll also explore which common design patterns cause mental strain and experiment with how accessibility affects our own emotions.

This session is held in Finnish.

Time: Wed 10 Sept, 16:00–17:00

Hosts: Akseli Kouvo & Jimi Hyvärinen, Reaktor Creative

Beyond visuals – creative storytelling with AI

Image and video generation tools have quickly become standard in the brand toolbox. AI-generated visuals are no longer a differentiator – they’re an expectation.

But what lies beyond flashy imagery? How can AI foster more personal, interactive, and meaningful connections between people and the brands they love?

This keynote explores those questions through “what ifs,” speculative prototypes, and thought starters – offering a glimpse of how AI can transform brand storytelling into more profound, more resonant experiences.

Time: Thu 11 Sept, 14:00–15:00

Hosts: Reaktor Defence and Security Wellbeing Circle, Tiina Härkönen, and Eero Pitkänen

Happy and satisfied people are committed to their work and want to succeed in it. That’s why at Reaktor, we focus on holistic wellbeing. A great example is the Wellbeing Circle in Reaktor’s Defence and Security business unit. This employee-led group meets regularly to plan and implement activities and support measures that promote overall wellbeing for every team member.

In our interactive one-hour talk, we’ll share our experiences and learnings on the importance of holistic wellbeing. We’ll also give concrete examples of actions that have helped us improve the happiness of experts working on demanding projects.

This session is held in Finnish.

Time: Thu 11 Sept, 16:00–17:00

Host: Kati Vilkki What if organisations and work were designed for people?

What if people’s needs were better met? What if people were at the centre – not just cogs in the machine? What would such an organisation look like and how would it operate? And what impact would that have on motivation, results, business, customers, and the economy as a whole?

Kati Vilkki has a passion to create work environments where people can thrive. She’s worked in various roles (leader, developer, coach, trainer) since the 1980s, earning the nickname “organization whisperer.” This session explores how happy organizations are designed.

Jarkko Kailanto believes that since people spend a significant part of their lives at work, that time should be more fun and meaningful for everyone. He works as a trainer in leadership and teamwork and is the author of “My User Manual,” a book about fostering better interactions.

The session is in Finnish.

Time: Fri 12 Sept, 13:00–14:00

Hosts: Katri Blomster, Mari Elomäki

Language choices shape the way we feel about a product or a service, even if we’re not always aware of it. In this session, we’ll explore how content designers craft digital experiences that soothe rather than overwhelm, empower rather than frustrate, and simply help people get things done.