Research groups

Fashion/Textile FUTURES

The Fashion/Textile Futures research group explores new perspectives on human-centered design research. The group approaches research in the field of fashion, clothing and textiles in multi-faceted ways. A strong research focus is on sustainable fashion and textiles, but group members’ research activities and strengths also encompass material-based research, aesthetics and creativity studies, practice-based research, and strategic fashion and textile management

Contact: Associate Professor, Kirsi Niinimäki

Embodied Design Group

Conducts prototyping-driven research to investigate design thinking, design opportunities, and user experience. The group works with information, communication and networking technologies and with novel materials, such as e-textiles.

Contact: Associate Professor Andrés Lucero
 

Empirica – Research on art, design and culture

Group approaches research with an attitude, where making, acting and engaging play important roles. The group’s goal is to develop exploratory research methods, where art and design related practices are utilized in experimental ways.

Contact: Professor Maarit Mäkelä

ENCORE– Engaging Co-design Research 

The point of departure for the research on what we call co-design, is in between user-centred design, design for experiences and empathic design, and their experimentation in varying contexts. Team members share the passion for creative collaborative design.

Contact: Professor of Practice Virpi Roto

INUSE - The users and innovation research group

Researches the roles users play in design and innovation. Strategic choice and development of collaborative arrangements, user innovation communities and pathways of user contributions are the areas, on which we focus our multidisciplinary research.

Contact: Professor Sampsa Hyysalo

NODUS – Sustainable design research group

Sustainable Design Research Group - focuses on future-oriented strategic design that drives socio-ethical, environmental and economic sustainability in the long term.

Contact: Assistant Professor Idil Gaziulusoy
 

SDIM - Strategic Design Integration and Management Group

The Strategic Design Integration and Management (SDIM) research group organises researchers with an interest in design management and the organisational adoption, implementation and leadership of designers and design-based practices at the Department of Design.

Contact: Assistant Professor Oscar Person

e-mail: firstname.familyname [at] aalto [dot] fi (firstname.secondname(at)aalto.fi)