Jasper, you are a senior lecturer in Information Systems at Karlstad Business School and the Service Research Center, CTF. What did you do before you came to Karlstad University?
- I was a senior lecturer in user-centred design at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. My focus has always been on how organisations can develop services, systems and products that suit people - that work for them.
- In addition to my academic career, I have also been a stand-up comedian and a columnist. I won the biggest comedy festival in the Netherlands shortly before my PhD defence and split my time between the stage and academia for many years. When we decided to move to Sweden, I focused completely on the academic track but managed to end up winning a big TV quiz show, similar to “På spåret”, right before the move. That sort of thing tends to give a person’s comedy career a big boost, but I was already in Värmland by then. So, for me, it was just a nice way to say goodbye to that part of my career.
What inspired you to apply to Karlstad Business School?
- My mother is Swedish, and her parents had a cottage near Karlstad. So, I spent pretty much all of my childhood summers here. My family and I were spending a sabbatical in Värmland so I could write a book. Then I thought to myself: Is there a university around here? I ended up at the Karlstad University website and scheduled a video call. A short while later, I came on board as a visiting researcher. When we had sailed back to the Netherlands after the sabbatical, we couldn’t stop missing Värmland. So, we moved back two years later, and then I applied for a job at Karlstad Business School. I was hired at Information Systems, a subject that was a good match for my interest in digital systems and services and my attention to the human scale and societal impact.
What are your expectations, joining Karlstad University?
- Having held a visiting position before, I am now very excited to get involved in both teaching and research for real. It is different when you are officially a part of the organisation. I get so much energy from my new colleagues and the students I get to supervise. And I can’t wait to build new local and national networks and find a new sweet spot in the organisation where my knowledge can make a difference.
Tell us about your current projects!
- My CTF colleague Klas Hedvall and I are part of the Re:Value project, aiming to extend the lifespan of trucks through, for instance, more flexible and circular solutions. That requires new business models, and Klas and I are studying the perspectives of different stakeholders in the system of transportation. We are going to conduct a lot of interviews and interactive workshops, which I really look forward to. The other project partners include RISE and Volvo.
- Additionally, I am supervising two doctoral students still based in Delft. One is researching the development of seamless multimodal travel services that combine planes and trains, and the other is researching public services that work for individual citizens but still reflect our collective needs as a society. And I am in the process of developing an English translation of a popular science book about user-centred design. I wrote it in Dutch originally, and now we are pitching it to international publishers.
How did you end up in information systems?
- Digital systems are obviously everywhere in today’s society. From leisure to health care, from private enterprise to public agencies - they are ingrained in every part. That makes information systems a highly relevant area. I also think it’s interesting that there is currently a focus in systems sciences on ways in which organisations can work together to create valuable systems and services.
Another important part of information systems is how people interact with systems. That makes it especially relevant to me, since my research is on user-centred design. Some of my colleagues here already research and teach on this topic, so I can join forces with them and contribute to their work.
Tell us a little about yourself!
- I am married, and we have three boys, aged 9, 11 and 13. I play floorball and enjoy going for runs in the forests near our house. We live in the countryside outside Karlstad, and I love going sailing in our little dinghy. When summer turns to autumn, I love going out to pick mushrooms - so much so that my kids sometimes cannot stand the sight of yet another chanterelle sandwich.
What are you researching right now?
- I am focusing my research and teaching on how to design digital information systems to serve both individuals and society as a whole, while still meeting the technological and functional requirements that organisations have. I am particularly interested in user-centred design, sustainability, inclusivity and how different stakeholders collaborate in development processes. My research is mostly qualitative and looks at how the design of organisations and development processes affects aspects like usability, social inclusivity and environmental sustainability.
