Thomas Markussen
Papers
1
Total Citations
12
H-Index
1
About
Thomas Markussen is a leading design researcher whose work bridges cognitive science, emotional design, and human-technology interaction. His primary research areas include conceptual blending theory, emotional design in healthcare technology, and the cognitive foundations of user experience. Markussen’s most significant contribution lies in applying Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner’s theory of conceptual blending to technology design—a novel approach that reveals how emotional qualities in design can fundamentally reshape users’ cognitive expectations. His influential paper “Bloody robots as emotional design” (2019, 12 citations) demonstrates this framework through a compelling case study in hospital settings, showing how experiencing emotional structures in technology can lead users to reconstruct standard use expectations. This work expands the dominant cognitive paradigm in design research by integrating emotional and conceptual processes. Markussen’s research has important implications for designing more intuitive, emotionally resonant technologies in healthcare and beyond. His interdisciplinary approach—merging cognitive linguistics, design theory, and empirical case studies—positions him as a distinctive voice in contemporary design research, offering new tools for understanding how people make sense of and emotionally engage with emerging technologies.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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