Johanna Mähönen joins Columbia Road

Hi Johanna, How did you get good at what you do?

I have a close relationship with UX, which has formed during the past 10 years. I have 3 university degrees in UX-related fields incuding a Bachelor's Degree in Interaction Design at Stockholm University and two Master’s Degrees in Human-Computer Interaction from Royal Institute of Technology and University College London. On top of that, I’ve been able to work as a UX designer in very versatile set-ups, such as in a small agency, big consultancy, academia and in-house innovation lab prior to Columbia Road.

Where have you earned your spurs?

I’ve always been up for a challenge, and have had the chance to be part of several very interesting projects. I’ve been leading the UX redesign for a mobile service used by 7.5 million Swedes. I also got a chance to work in China to design Smart TV features for a global technology manufacturer. And perhaps a personal favourite, I’ve designed interactive food waste bins for the City of London to persuade citizens to recycle their food waste. Furthermore, my project made it to the top five of a student design competition in the respected CHI conference in Colorado, US.

Why Columbia Road?

After living and working abroad for 8 years I wanted to return to Finland and experience Finnish working culture at its finest. Columbia Road lured me in with their focus on employees and “fail fast” culture. During my time at Columbia Road I’ve been truly amazed by how proactively everyone is reflecting on their learnings and sharing them with others.

Sampo, what will make our clients love Johanna?

“Johanna is a designer who possesses a great attitude and a bunch of valuable assets. She focuses on user-centric thinking and design, has a vast set of facilitation techniques, and isn’t afraid to take the bull by the horns. She is talented in quickly understanding the core of complicated setups, is great at fast prototyping, and overall produces excellent UX. Johanna is always positive and doesn't let minor setbacks bring her down. Her work experience in different environments and cultures has enriched her innovativeness and strengthened her readiness to collaborate with all kinds of people,” says Sampo Hämäläinen, Managing Partner at Columbia Road.

What makes your heart beat a little faster?

"I love to get into new projects and dive deep with research. I was really into improvisation theatre a couple years back and was performing on stage in Stockholm with my group. A more recent project of mine for the past couple of years has been to understand the stock market and different investment options. On top of that I love exploring different ways to exercise and perfecting my cooking skills. The common denominator with all my hobbies and profession is the enthusiasm to understand the subject matter and make it my own," says Johanna.