Founder bio

Jussi Pasanen - Photo © 2009 Suzie ChanVolkside founder Jussi Pasanen in his own words:

Double quotation markI got my first computer at the age of seven and was instantly mesmerised by all the possibilities it offered. Later I turned my hobby into a profession and started information technology contracting in 1995, and I have been working in the field since. I started my career doing software development and realised pretty quickly that software really is only as good as its user interface.

I started focusing more and more on the human aspects of software making and began to form an appreciation for what is now called “interaction design”. This coincided with the emergence of the web and I did my studies around this new medium, focused on building my skills as an interaction designer. I’ve got Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in the field, from two of the most highly regarded tertiary schools in Finland.

I believe that people, rather than technology, must drive the design and development of any software based product. You can spend months building an application that meets “business requirements” and “stakeholder needs” but unless the users actually benefit from using it – and like it! – it will never take off and give you the returns you’re looking for.

I think that the traditional one-way process of software making – essentially waterfall – is heavy and outdated, and cannot meet the expectations and needs of the users of today. My ideal project is short (less than two months), to the point, and delivered using highly iterative, tight teamwork with a small team of online professionals. I believe users, the project team and the client must all have a clear voice.

I count myself lucky in having been able to work in a variety of roles for and with a number of different companies in Finland, Vietnam and Australia. I am very proud of my dual Citizenship and whilst I am permanently based in Melbourne I try my best to visit Finland every year. I like hanging out with my friends and living close to the city, walking everywhere and riding my bicycle to work… but I’ve also been known to be a bit of a car nut.Double quotation mark

More information on Jussi online:

Did you know? Jussi is pronounced similar to “yous see” and it is a fairly common boys name in Finland. There are about 24 000 Finnish people with that name.