Digital product & design advisory
Better shipped than sorry
I give advice and take responsibility – and anything in between.
I partner with companies that are serious about their digital customer experience. With over 18 years of experience in digital product development, I help combine business, design, and technology to ensure the big picture makes sense, while the details feel great.
It’s not about getting everything perfect the first time – it’s about shipping it and improving as you go. After all, there’s always Next Time.
My services
I’m a former Chief Product Officer and Head of Design, currently focusing on doing what it takes.
Some of my favourite projects
More cases available on request.
Industries: travel, media, finance, insurance, proptech and telco.
My unholy trinity of product leadership
Design
My original passion and formal academic acumen. I’ve been designing on several levels from high-level service design to detailed micro-interactions, helping create winning services with measurable results, writing and lecturing about the topic, and mentoring others since 2007.
Business
C-level experience and an EMBA degree, with P&L responsibility for a €2M business and a team of 20+. Board seats, sales and growth-company years on top – and a track record of picking up a new industry fast enough to be useful in it.
Tech
M.Sc. degree, 15+ years of experience in running agile best practices and getting projects shipped with software developers. Specialised in mobile and payment technologies. Hands-on experience on setting up tech strategies, CRM transformation, digital marketing, and data pipelines. These days I also build and ship products myself as an indie developer, with AI in the loop.
AI-driven prototyping and design
AI-driven prototyping and design is how the work gets done now – not a topic to have opinions about, but the method. It has moved the line between a slide and something you can actually use and even ship, and most of the value is in crossing that line early.
A commercial app, shipped by me
Designed, built and published my own commercial app on the app store: phone, watch and a courtside scoreboard. Indie development from the first sketch to the store listing.
ballerscore.appAI features in client products
Built AI-based features into client product concepts, taking them from an idea to something people can actually try.
Technology validation
A client concept hinged on whether React Native could really do what it needed. I built a working proof of concept with AI in days – so the answer came from a running app instead of an opinion.
Research and training
Researched and taught the best practices for combining AI, design and development, university courses included.
Writing
I write about product, design and business on my personal blog – mostly in Finnish, occasionally in English.
Results, or it didn’t happen
I work in transformation projects and I keep the numbers. All four below come from one programme, the Tallink mobile renewal – so they can be read as a single case rather than a best-of.
Some of the companies I have worked with
Why clients tend to choose me
Experience
The person in the room is the person doing the work, with 18+ years behind it. No handover to someone else once the contract is signed.
Objectivity
I don’t represent any technical solution. I don’t have a bench full of tech consultants I should try to sell to you. I’m free to recommend what’s best for you.
Versatility
My expertise is broad and covers design, business, and technology. There will be fewer handovers needed when I can directly interact with all the relevant stakeholders.
Flexibility
I’m in the business of doing what it takes. I don’t force you to order full-time service if you only need 50%. I only invoice the time I have actually worked on your case.
My work history
- 2024–current
I make, I do, I make do. I help my clients build successful digital services and work on different levels of abstraction as needed – from forming strategies to solving nasty UX challenges.
- 2015–2025
Helping a leading mobile development agency with transforming into a full-service digital consultancy having strong design and payment advisory functions and operations in both Finland and Sweden.
qvik.com · IT consulting, 120+ people, 12+ M revenue
- 2022–2024
Part of the executive team, renewing a sleeping industry by creating the first true consumer product, consisting of a design home and a digital service platform. Responsibility for the technology platform, the physical product and customer insight.
newilbau.fi · Proptech growth company
- 2021–2022
Helping the insurance company Fennia reach their vision of best customer experience in the industry. Managed product owners and designers of the marketing web site, web shops and self-service portals. Acted as a PO in a Salesforce transformation, hired 3 people and got a mobile optimisation done that had been in the plans for 10 years.
fennia.fi · Major insurance company in Finland
- 2011–2021
P&L responsibility of a 20+ person team of digital designers. Sales, recruitment, strategic development. Consulting for about 50 companies, creating digital services that have millions of end users and measurable results. Main industries: travel, media, finance.
qvik.com · 120+ people (10 when I joined), 12+ M revenue
- 2007–2011
UX design in the “new services and markets” internal startup hub. Worked as a lead designer in some services that were still running 10+ years later, like the national Mobile ID and Elisa Kirja, the first ebook service in Finland.
elisa.fi · The leading telco in Finland
Teaching & lecturing
Metropolia2025
Teaching at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The class is called “Topical themes on the design field” and I cover topics like designer–developer collaboration, design systems, data-driven design, accessibility and calm design, AI and design, AR/VR and wearables.
LAB University2020–2025
Teaching at LAB University of Applied Sciences. From individual lectures to whole classes. Focusing on topics like UX design, mobile design and design/developer collaboration.
Aalto University2019–2020
Organising and lecturing courses on UX design in Aalto ITP summer school, Strategy & experience design track. A three-week intensive course, two summers in a row.
Awards
Award-winning projects I’ve contributed to
- 2020Blue Arrow Awards, best digital service
- Winner: VR Ticket vending machine
- Honorary mention: Tallink Bonus Trip Finder
- 2020Grand One
- Winner × 2: VR Ticket vending machine
- Honorary mention: Tallink Bonus Trip Finder
- 2018Grand One
- Winner: Aurinkomatkat app
- Honorary mention: Bolt.works app
- Honorary mention: Aurinkomatkat online store
- 2017Blue Arrow Awards
- Top-5: Tallink mobile booking
- Top-5: Yle Uutisvahti
- 2016Grand One
- Honorary mention: Kindiedays
- 2015Grand One
- Winner × 2: Yle Uutisvahti
- Honorary mention: Slush app
- 2014Best Mobile Service
- Winner: Yle Uutisvahti
- 2013Grand One
- Winner: Cabforce
- 2012Grand One
- Honorary mention: ABB
Speaking
Do you need an insightful talk about design or product management for your event? Hit me up – and you can also see a list of my past appearances.
Humorous, capable, philosophical, and profound speaker
Alma Talent, Next level service design
Funny and clear. Elite level business case, took data utilisation to the next level.
Alma Talent, Next level service design
My favourite talk. Concrete examples, no jargon.
Alma Talent, Authentication
Clear structure, good thinking about future payment options and the related experience.
Alma Talent, Future payments
Enjoyed very much once again a down to earth real case of Matias Pietilä.
Data-driven design day
Top 5 of my talks so far. Very solid, good examples, nice variety of content. Nice flow.
UXDX Dublin
Enjoyed it. A passionate, inspiring speech.
Data-driven design day
Great tips and structure for the talk.
UXDX Dublin
What people say
Matias’ range in digital development easily stretches from forming realistic, profitable product strategies to perfecting design details.
Most importantly he taught me this: always start by defining what you want to achieve, how you’ll get there and how to measure it. Working with him is professional and the end result is always something that you can be proud of.
I hate working with designers. You are the first one I have ever liked. You get it.
Did you know that you’re an exceptional sales person? You never sell me anything. You just listen to what I need and always deliver.
In my opinion, Matias is one of Finland’s top experts in the UX/UI field. I’ve worked with him for a long time, first at Aalto University and now at the Design Institute, and I can say that Matias excels in the training aspect as well. The feedback has been positive. His materials are clear and always up to date, or even slightly ahead of their time.
