Suunnitellen

Suunnitellen is a Finnish form derived from the verb suunnitella, meaning to design or to plan. It is the adverbial present active participle, used to express manner or means, roughly equivalent to the English phrase by designing or while designing. It is not a standalone noun; rather it modifies the action of the main clause.

In usage, suunnitellen often signals a design-driven approach or a method in which design activities guide decisions. It is common in technical, architectural, UX, and product development writing, where the emphasis is on how outcomes are achieved through design work. The form can occur at the beginning of a clause or within it, linking the designing activity to the resulting action.

Examples illustrate its function: Suunnitellen ratkaisimme ongelman, we solved the problem by designing. Suunnitellen kehitettiin prototyyppi, the prototype was developed by designing. Suunnitellen lähdimme kohti parempaa palvelua, we set out toward a better service by designing. These constructions highlight the relationship between the design process and the resulting outcome.

Grammatically, suunnitellen is a non-finite form and does not stand as a noun; it serves to add information about the method of an action. It can be contrasted with other adverbial participles in Finnish, which express different means or circumstances. Etymologically, it combines suunnitella with the participial suffix -en.

See also: Finnish grammar of participles and adverbial participles, design-informed language.