DfA Profiles
Liisa Hakapää
Finland
Lecturer in Industrial Design, University of
Lapland
What is your professional background and how did you end up
working in a DfA related field?
I have my Masters Degree in Industrial Design from the
University of Art and Design UIAH in Helsinki. I have also BSc
degree from mathematics and physics but never actually used it in a
professional context.
After moving to North due to the family reasons I very quickly
started with a design teacher career which has lasted up to this
day.
The lecturers in Finnish universities are involved in various
duties: it is both teaching but also developing the curriculum. In
the design departments in can include tutoring company
collaboration projects, organizing students shows, participating in
department research projects etc.etc. My own interests have for a
long time been, not necessary doing the research myself but
implementing the available research knowledge to my teaching
duties. This was behind a longtime collaboration Aiding the Lives
of the Aged - Elämisen Välineitä Ikääntyneille (ELVI) project (in
collaboration with the Social Work Department).
Meeting the elderly people of Lapland either living in the rural
villages or already moved to the retirement housing quarters in the
cities have given both to me and my students an inspiring
environment for various concept design projects. As a result, since
1999 every industrial design student has created a product concept
whose main user is either an elderly person, a disabled child or a
person not representing the average consumers. Collaboration with
other disciplines has been a special delight and sparkle in my
work.
What is your DfA expertise?
My DfA expertise lies in design teaching. I have applied the
Design for All approach to User Centered Design education. We, here
in the University of Lapland, are discussing the need and
possibilites of creating the products for the mainstream consumers
but very often our mainstream consumer lives here in Lapland and is
an elderly retired person in our second year user centered concept
design student projects .
If you were given one DfA related wish, what would it be?
My DfA wish is to continue in my work: to develop Design for All
understanding and approval to public design and environmental
design projects. Design for All means good design and it is good
for everyone.
What are your personal interests? What do you enjoy?
Personally I enjoy travelling. Even a trip to the family
summerhouse close to Helsinki is always a pleasure. I have had
possibilities both to live and work outside Finland and it has
given a chance to observe and monitor people's lifestyles in
different environments. I am a constant collector of new design
challences. Like one of my students once wrote: for a designer even
cooking a family meal works as an example of a design project.
Your message to the reader
Let's keep our eyes open to notice the need and
possibilites.
Email:
liisa.hakapaa@ulapland.fi |