Interview with Kari Kivelä, Co-Founder of Oura Health, FIN

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Kari Kivelä

Being the Co-Founder of Oura Health, Kari juggles several roles in the company (CTO, HW & Head of Design) as he follows his passion of pioneering work for design and technology miniaturization of the Oura ring.


Kari Kivela | Hannu | Petteri | Oura Health | Muse Awards

Interview with the 2019 MUSE Creative & Design Awards Winner -Kari Kivelä

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself, your company, job profile, etc.
I’m one of the co-founders of Oura Health, responsible for leading hardware technology development as well as the design team. Working with Oura, I have had the possibility to follow my passion driving the pioneering work for design and technology miniaturization of the Oura ring.
2Tell us a bit about your business and what you do.
The idea behind Oura is simple: To help people reach their full potential, be their best selves and achieve something that's a struggle for millions around the world — a good night's sleep. Getting enough rest is the key to staying healthy and balanced; it helps avoid symptoms of prolonged stress, and prevent chronic diseases caused by poor sleep and sleep deprivation.

Oura is the first wearable available for consumers that shows how your body responds to your lifestyle by analyzing your sleep, activity levels, daily rhythms and the physiological responses in your body. The second generation ring and app offer advanced sleep tracking features and daily guidance that help you align your lifestyle, activities and sleep habits to your natural circadian rhythm – the 24-hour genetic clock that regulates the functions of the human body. Improving sleep and better aligning to our natural circadian rhythm helps us wake up refreshed, which in turn can help us perform better at work, improve athletic performance, and live life to the fullest.

Oura’s guidance is based on the user’s personal sleep and activity metrics, and physiological responses tracked over weeks and months. The app guides users to find their optimal bedtime and identify habits that can help improve sleep. It also provides personalized activity guidance. Oura’s nighttime body temperature tracking correlates with oral thermometer measurements, so it can also help predict changes in your health and recovery. It can also be used for example for monitoring menstrual cycles.
3Congratulations! As the winner of the 2019 MUSE Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
Our whole team is really honored and humbled to have won six MUSE Awards this year. Winning MUSE Awards is especially great because these awards represent our team’s creative talents, tireless dedication and innovative visions in design, technology and science.
4What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?
In Finland, creativity and design are part of our heritage. Design is ever-present in our surroundings. The high quality of Finnish design and technology as well as top-tier science are all sources of cultural pride and represent an important competitive factor for Finnish products and companies that want to stand out internationally.
5What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Working with good intentions and a pure heart are key to creating meaningful products for people.
6Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
I feel that design is a process of getting to know a form and exploring its dimensions and shapes. In the end, there’s the feeling of knowing how the changes we make will affect to the end result and the certainty that the best possible design has revealed itself.


Winning Entries

Oura App (OURA) | Health & Wellness

Oura App (OURA) | Oura Health | Muse Awards
The Oura app helps you to live life to the fullest, so that you feel well-rested after the night and energetic during the day. It helps you to reach your goals u2013 whether itu2019s being more productive at work... (read more)

Oura App (OURA) | Consumer | 2019

Oura App (OURA) | Oura Health | Muse Awards
The Oura app helps you to live life to the fullest, so that you feel well-rested after the night and energetic during the day. It helps you to reach your goals u2013 whether itu2019s being more productive at work... (read more)

OURA (OURA) | Brand Identity

OURA (OURA) | Oura Health | Muse Awards
The Oura ring is a piece of smart jewelry that analyzes sleep, recovery, activity levels and the physiological responses of the body. The key design elements of the Oura ring are usability and elegance... (read more)

OURA | Logos | 2019

OURA (OURA) | Oura Health | Muse Awards
The Oura ring is a piece of smart jewelry that analyzes sleep, recovery, activity levels and the physiological responses of the body. The key design elements of the Oura ring are usability and elegance... (read more)

Oura ring | Product Design | 2019

Oura ring | Oura Health | Muse Awards
The Oura ring is a piece of smart jewellery that analyses sleep, recovery, activity levels and the physiological responses of the body. Together with the companion Oura app... (read more)

ŌURA (Oura) | Packaging Design | 2019

OURA (OURA) | Oura Health | Muse Awards
Oura required a differentiated brand, name and identity to set it apart from cheaper wearable products in a crowded market. Proxy and the Oura team developed a premium brand... (read more)

Oura Health


Oura Health is a Finnish health technology company that created the world’s first wellness ring and app that shows how your body responds to your lifestyle by analysing your sleep, activity levels, daily rhythms and the physiological responses in your sleep.


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