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Ville Paananen

LinkedIn / ORCID / ResearchGate
Architect, designer, researcher. Currently based in Oulu, Finland. For pretty pictures, you can also check out my portfolio (in Finnish).

Research & Publications

Painovoiman myytti: Semioottisia huomioita painovoiman uhmaamisesta modernismin arkkitehtuurissa (2025)

Ville Paananen

Master's thesis in architecture, presented on September 17th, 2025

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Cognitive Forcing for Better Decision-Making: Reducing Overreliance on AI Systems Through Partial Explanations (2025)

Sander de Jong, Ville Paananen, Benjamin Tag, Niels van Berkel

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CSCW)

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Spatial Empathy: Digitally Bridging Human Experience (2024)

Ville Paananen

Doctoral thesis defended on May 15th, 2024

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Tekoäly ei synny tyhjästä / AI Is Not Born Out of Thin Air (2024)

Ville Paananen

Finnish Architectural Review, Issue 2/2024

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Using Text-to-Image Generation for Architectural Design Ideation (2023)

Ville Paananen, Jonas Oppenlaender, Aku Visuri

International Journal of Architectural Computing

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From Digital Media to Empathic Spaces: A Systematic Review of Empathy Research in Extended Reality Environments (2023)

Ville Paananen, Sina Kiarostami, Lik-Hang Lee, Tristan Braud, Simo Hosio

ACM Computing Surveys

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Exploring Situated Empathy through a Metaverse Campus (2023)

Ville Paananen, Sina Kiarostami, Lik-Hang Lee, Aku Visuri, Saba Kheirinejad, Simo Hosio

Mindtrek '23: Proceedings of the 26th International Academic Mindtrek Conference

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Perceptions and Realities of Text-to-Image Generation (2023)

Jonas Oppenlaender, Johanna Silvennoinen, Ville Paananen, Aku Visuri

Mindtrek '23: Proceedings of the 26th International Academic Mindtrek Conference

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Eliciting Empathy towards Urban Accessibility Issues (2023)

Ville Paananen, Aku Visuri, Niels van Berkel, Simo Hosio

Proceedings of the 15th Biannual Conference of the Italian SIGCHI Chapter (CHItaly '23)

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"See the Place with Different Eyes": Fostering Empathy by Communicating Spatial Experience (2023)

Ville Paananen, Elina Kuosmanen, Sanna Lehtinen, Simo Hosio

Proceedings of the 6th Media Architecture Biennale Conference (MAB ´23)

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It is an online platform and not the real world, I don’t care much: Investigating Twitter Profile Credibility With an Online Machine Learning-Based Tool (2023)

Junhao Li, Ville Paananen, Sharadhi Alape Suryanarayana, Eetu Huusko, Mika Mäntylä, Miikka Kuutila, Simo Hosio

Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval (CHIIR ´23)

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Dynamic experience sampling method for evaluating workplace experiences (2023)

Piia Markkanen, Ville Paananen, Simo Hosio, Aulikki Herneoja

Proceedings of the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research Conference (TWR ’22)

Best Paper Award

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In search of bridging knowledge between disciplines: About spatial solutions to environmental satisfaction in knowledge work (2023)

Aulikki Herneoja, Virpi Ruohomäki, Annu Haapakangas, Piia Markkanen, Ville Paananen, Simo Hosio, Jussi Virkkala, Ari-Pekka Rauttola

Proceedings of the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research Conference (TWR ’22)

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Investigating Human Scale Spatial Experience (2021)

Ville Paananen, Jonas Oppenlaender, Jorge Goncalves, Danula Hettiachchi, Simo Hosio

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

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2VT: Visions, Technologies, and Visions of Technologies for Understanding Human Scale Spaces (2021)

Ville Paananen, Piia Markkanen, Jonas Oppenlaender, Lik Hang Lee, Haider Akmal, Ava Fatah gen. Schieck, John Dunham, Konstantinos Papangelis, Nicolas Lalone, Niels van Berkel, Jorge Goncalves, Simo Hosio

CHI EA '21: Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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Art & Design

March 2024

Jään, saunaan — Ice Sauna

Ice Sauna for the Frozen People music festival in spring 2024. Built with recycled materials and love, by the Ice Ars Beibi -collective and generous help from various people

November 2022

HERE NOR THERE

Graphic novel on escaping memory

January 2019 — February 2020

Oulun ylioppilaslehti

Freelance Illustrator

Illustrated articles for web and print media

January 2019

Olet mitä soitat – 50 vuotta Teekkaritorvia

Graphic Designer

Visual design and layout for the 50th year history book for Teekkaritorvet

January 2019 — December 2019

Oulun korkeakoulujen taidepiiri Tapiiri ry

Secretary and Graphic Designer

Wrote meeting records, designed visual material for events and marketing, and organized events

January 2018 — December 2018

Oulun korkeakoulujen taidepiiri Tapiiri ry

Chairman Of The Board

Found an art club, organized events, and developed a complete visual branding, among other management tasks

Grants & Awards

June 2024

UBISS 2024 Summer School

Distinquished Project: "Squirrel Mediator: Echoes Between Worlds" by Amirhossein Ghaffari, Elise Poussot, Penelope Corinaldesi and Ville Paananen

March 2023

Tauno Tönning Foundation

Encouragement grant for doctoral research

May 2022

Oulun yliopiston tukisäätiö

Encouragement grant for doctoral research

October 2021

Jenny & Antti Wihuri Foundation

Year-long working grant for doctoral research

December 2020

1st place student competition. Kestävästi Liikkuva Linnanmaa, City of Oulu, Ramboll Finland, SYK Oy, Pohjois-Pohjanmaan ELY-centre, University of Oulu

December 2019

Rakennustietosäätiö sr

Grant For Master's thesis

December 2017

Hartela Oy / Demola Oulu

Project for Hartela Oy to design a smart parking experience for an apartment complex. The project was licensed by Hartela Oy

May 2017

OP Financial Group / Demola Oulu

Project for OP Financial Group to design smart mobility solutions for students’ mobility challenges. The project was licensed by OP Financial Group

Education

March 2024 — September 2025

Architect

University of Oulu

August 2020 — May 2024

Doctor of Science (Technology)

Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

University of Oulu

August 2020 — March 2024

Bachelor's degree

Architecture

University of Oulu

December 2018 — December 2020

Master's degree

Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering

University of Oulu

December 2012 — December 2018

Bachelor's degree

Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering

University of Oulu