What is calm technology?
Calm Technology is focused around using technology to support a user in their daily life, not interrupt them from it.
The term Calm Technology was the subject of a talk by Amber Case which she held at the Digital Design Ethics Conference on the 26th of November 2018. This read is a personal interpretation of the term Calm Technology based on the information Amber Case presented at this conference.
Calm what…?
“Calm Technology” and “Calm Computing” are terms that were first used by Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown in 1995. They introduced it as a phrase in addition to the term “Ubiquitous Computing” in their article “Designing Calm Technology”. According to Mark Weiser the goal of computing systems was to simplify complexities, not to introduce new ones.
Our current form of technology
In this era, we experience a world of information that is constantly competing for our attention, we call this Interruptive Technology. This form of Tech consists of two key elements;
The first element is the current way new technology is developed. It’s created fast and insufficient. Systems only work in perfect scenarios and reality is often forgotten. User-tests are skipped because companies want to be the first to launch new innovations. But when they finally do, errors occur and their design doesn’t turn out to work very well in the real world. Users can’t complete their tasks and experience uncomfortable user interfaces that don’t guide them where necessary.
“Good design allows people to accomplish their goals in the least amount of moves” — Amber Case, 2016
The second element of interruptive tech are the notifications, not from humans, but from computers. Big corporates want their interfaces to generate as much clicks, likes and active users as possible. They want to constantly grasp the attention of their users by sending them push-notifications, reminders and messages. Everything is done to trigger a users dopamine and stop them from doing whatever they are currently doing to open the application. Too many design decisions are made based upon what will make a user actively participate on a system.
Why not flip it?
So, what does Calm Technology have to do with this? Calm Tech is the exact opposite of Interruptive Technology. Designing according to the principles of Calm Technology shows your understanding of the fact that the value of your product doesn’t rely on it being released as the first, but on it working properly in all situations. You take responsibility for the fact that designers are supposed to determine when enough is enough. They should know what amount of notifications are necessary and how these should be displayed to generate a comfortable and proper experience for the user.
Calm Tech goes beyond ‘good design’.
“Calm Technology allows people to accomplish the same goals with the least amount of mental cost.” — Amber Case, 2016
Coming back to Mark Weiser’s opinion on the goal of calm computing; Humans are not made to spend their entire life wrapped up in devices and systems, they are meant to be human. Calm Tech is technology that doesn’t scream for a users attention, it’s created with care and a lot of thought. Calm Technology’s allows people to achieve their goals with a low mental cost. So their primary focus can be on being human, not computing.
“A good tool is an invisible tool. By invisible, we mean that the tool does not intrude on your consciousness; you focus on the task, not the tool.”
— Mark Weiser, 1993
Summary
Calm Tech requires us to design differently. Focus on the quality of your design not how fast you can get it out there. Think of what could go wrong and how to guide users through these processes. Keep in mind that notifications will not grand the way to your users heart, but proper design does. Design less, but with more thought.
