Currently I work as the Training Manager at Tobii Technology Ab (www.tobii.com) in Danderyd (Stockholm), Sweden. Tobii Technology is a world leader in hardware and software solutions for eye tracking. My global responsibility is to develop and deliver training solutions for clients within the field of eye tracking in market research, usability research, user experience research and academic research globally within the company.
Work experience from different fields:
Training and education: Degree in education, several years of experience in teaching on university level, thorough insight into e-learning and computer aided training including several own publications (including one book) and expert assignments. Experienced speaker at many conferences.
Sales and marketing: Several years of experience in marketing and sales especially within audience research, user experience and usability research.
Research: Experience of academic and commercial research especially within media research; including audience researcher, print research, web research, usability, and user experience, interactive media research and development of research methods. Master a wide range of different research methods like eye tracking, statistics, qualitative interviews, psycho physiological measures etc.
Administration and finance: Experience of administration, budgeting and book-keeping from previous work as department manager and as CEO for a co-owned company.
Education
Since October 2000 – Part time PhD student at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Topic: Eye movement data in user experience evaluation
2000 – Master’s Degree in Education. Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education, Finland.
Work History 1997-2009
From August 2007 – Training Manager at Tobii Technology Ab in Danderyd (Stockholm), Sweden. My global responsibility is to develop and deliver training solutions for clients within the field of eye-tracking in market research, usability research and academic research.
February 2003 – August 2007 – Manager for MediaCity’s iDTV Lab (Interactive Digital Television Laboratory) at Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa, Finland. Responsibilities included marketing, sales, research and development, administration and other head-of-department duties within usability research, audience research, eye tracking, and user experience research etc.
June 2000 – June 2007 – Managing Director (CEO) and co-owner of the company Oy E-LearnIT Ab Ltd, specialized in e-learning, book publishing and education. Responsibilities included managing the company, marketing, book-keeping and sales.
2000-2006 Lecturer in Quantitative research methods, (course 2) at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education.
2003-2005 – Teacher for the course Media Education (Mediepedagogik) at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education.
2003 – Teacher for the distance course: “Media and ICT pedagogy” at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education.
May 2002 – February 2003 Editor and web designer for the TV programme Strömsö at YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
May 2002-2003 – Teacher and counselor for the ICT-pedagogy part in the course: University pedagogy (Universitetspedagogik) for staff at Åbo Akademi University.
August 2001 – August 2002 – Researcher and teacher (assistent i pedagogik) at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education, Department of Teacher Education.
May 2001-December 2001 – Teacher and counselor for the ICT-pedagogy part in the course: Higher education pedagogy (Högskolepedagogik) for staff at Åbo Akademi University.
February 2000 -May 2001 – Teacher for the course: “Media and ICT pedagogy” at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education in Helsinki.
September 2000-May 2001 – Teacher for the course: “The Newspaper in Schools, Project dax” at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education in association with the newspaper Vasabladet.
May 2000-August 2001 – Part-time employed at the newspaper Vasabladet, cassette edition (for blind people).
Fall 2000 – Teacher for three short computer courses arranged by the The Centre for Continuing Education at Åbo Akademi University.
1997-1999 Editor in Chief and coordinator for “dax”, a children’s section in the newspaper Vasabladet.
Spring 1999-Fall 2000 Part-time employed assistant for the project IT-pedagogy at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education under the supervision of Professor Rainer Nyberg. Tasks: Research and development in association with educational use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Developed and made several web sites: VocWeb, IT-pedagogy, IT-School. Teacher for several courses in educational use of ICT for the faculty staff. Editor for the book “Utbilda via Internet. Handbok i IT-pedagogik” (Instruction through Internet. Handbook of IT-pedagogy).
June-August, 1998 and 1999 Camp Counselor at Camp Shohola in Greeley, Pennsylvania, USA. Responsibilities included teaching electronics, wood working, computers, and making the camp newspaper as well as supervising a cabin of the youngest campers.
1998-2000 Substitute teacher (grades 3-6) for several short periods.
December 1998 Trainee at the Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education. Tasks: designed and made two brochures and several web sites.
Publications
Nyberg, R., Strandvall, T., Wiklund-Engblom, A. (eds.)(in press). Understanding Adult e-learning.
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (2008) Viewers’ experiences of TV quiz show with integrated interactivity. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. Volume 24, Issue 2 February 2008, p 214-235.
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (2006). The experience of entertainment in an interactive television show. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Communication and Mass Media, May 22-24, 2006, Athens, Greece. To be published by ATINER. [PDF]
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (2006). Tv-program och filmer i strålkastarljuset i publikundersökningar. Nordicom Information, 28 (1), 85-93.
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (2006). exEnteractivity – Experiencing Entertainment in Interactive Television. Paper presented at the NordForsk doctoral course “Publics, audiences and users”, November 10, 2006, Køge, Denmark.
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (in press). Viewers’ experiences of a TV quiz show with integrated interactivity. Paper presented at EuroITV, the 4th European Interactive TV Conference, May 25-26, 2006, Athens, Greece.
Sperring, S. & Strandvall, T. (2007). Decoding experiencing entertainment in iTV. Paper to be presented at the EuroITV 2007 conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 2007.
Strandvall, T. (2003). Online education in the future – trends and technologies for e-learning. Paper presented at the Boldic online conference November 2003.
Strandvall, T. (2002). University teachers’ knowledge in, and attitudes towards educational use of ICT. Paper presented at the NERA congress in Tallinn, Estonia, March 2002.
Strandvall, T. & Sperring, S. (2007). Set-Top Box Interactivity vs. Mobile Phone Interactivity in an Interactive Play-along TV Game Show. Paper presented at CMID ´07 – the first International Conference on Cross-media Interaction Design in Hemavan, Sweden 22-25 March 2007.
Strandvall, T. & Sperring, S. (2007). “Different” and “exciting”. The impact of set-top box and mobile phone interactivity on TV viewing experiences. Paper to be presented at the EuroITV 2007 conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 2007.
Nyberg, R. & Strandvall, T. (2001). Lära ut och lära in med e-learning. Stat & kommun information, 3/2001, ss. 24, 27.
Nyberg, R. & Strandvall, T. (red.) (2000). Utbilda via Internet. Handbok i IT-pedagogik. Del 1. Vasa: E-LearnIT. (Instruction through Internet. Handbook of IT-pedagogy)
Strandvall, T. (2000). Internet som stöd för inlärning och distansutbildning. (Internet for learning and distance education). Thesis for the Master of Education degree. Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education. [WWW]
Honors and Activities
2005 – Rotary International GSE (Group Study Exchange) team member in New Zealand, 1 month in November 2005.
2005 – Awarded the Rose-Maj and Levi Ulfvens Prize, Svenska kulturfonden (Swedish Culture Fund). A 5 000 eur stipend to young persons who through their research, ideas or leadership has stimulated innovativity and development within in the Swedish cultural life in Finland.
January 2005 – August 2007 – Board member and secretary for the Finnish Red Cross, Vasa Swedish Chapter (Vasa svenska avdelning).
October 2000- August 2007 – Board member for the Finnish Red Cross, district of Swedish-speaking Österbotten (Österbottens svenska distrikt).
1998 – 2001 Student representative in the department council at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education, Department of Teachers Education.
1998 – Awarded the “Pro Actis” medallion for active work for the Student Union at Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa
1997-1999 – President for “FSLF, Finlands Svenska Lärarstuderandes Förening” (The Swedish Student Teacher Organization in Finland)
1997-August 2007 – Member of the Youth Board for the Finnish Red Cross, district of Swedish-speaking Österbotten (Österbottens svenska distrikt). Chairman since 2001.
