Tanel Kärp

Tanel Kärp is a designer, consultant, educator, and Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), where he serves as Head of the Interaction Design curriculum and Design Lead at EKA Design Center. With 20+ years of experience, his work bridges social innovation, sustainability, and human-centered design, focusing on systemic change in complex environments through projects like Kuhuviia.ee and Effectify.

• University: Estonian Academy of Arts
• School: Faculty of Design
• Academic Rank: Associate Professor

Research Interests

• Design for Social Innovation
• Emotional Design
• Circular Design
• User Experience in Public Services

Academic Contributions

His work spans teaching at institutions like Kyushu University, University of Tartu, and Tallinn University of Technology, with courses covering service design basics, design thinking, and UX processes.

Scientific Awards

• Mentor of the Year (EKA, 2022)
• Environmental Act of the Year (Estonian Ministry of Environment, 2015)
• Estonian Design Awards (2014 Silver, 2012 Bronze)

Projects & Leadership

He co-founded Hooandja (crowdfunding platform), led design initiatives for the Estonian EU Presidency digital platform, and worked on healthcare service redesign with the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.