by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 11

With the start of my second Master semester, the focus of my Design & Research topic will shift from a theoretical literature and web research focus to a more hands-on iterative prototyping phase. After coming to the conclusion last semester that the true strength of calm technology lies in converters that materialise the digital and visualise the analog. I decided to start there because as digitalisation progresses, the creation of such converters becomes increasingly important. If we do not use them to force the digital into our reality, the risk of getting drawn into and lost in digitality will increase. With products like the Apple Vision Pro, the pull towards digitality is getting stronger and stronger, so I think it is time for products/converters that create a pull in the opposite direction. To REALITY.

Ideation

To start prototyping, the first step was to come up with an idea. I decided to use mind maps to collect all the directions, associations and inputs that had stuck with me from the research phase. I started with a general mind map on the topic of calm technology and then branched into two more around ideas that emerged from the first mind map.

The first branch of the general mind map was the idea of a universal visualiser that could convert digital information into analogue signals such as light, sound and position. Without the use of a traditional display.

The second branch is based on an open source project from a few years ago called Little Signals from Google, which I found during my research last semester. The concept is to translate digital information into natural patterns like movement, shadows, sound, etc. with a series of objects in an experimental but calming way.

After evaluating the possible approaches that emerged from these mind maps. I decided to use the starting point of Google’s Little Signals project, more specifically the Tap object from the series. Firstly, because it would not have been possible to pursue the universal visualiser in a meaningful and sensible way in the space of one semester and with my current skills & abilities. And secondly, the concept of Little Signals is still in a very experimental state, but promises a lot of unfulfilled potential. Because it does not yet have any concrete applications in the real world. And it is precisely this potential that I want to explore through prototyping and find out if it lives up to its promise. The Tap object was chosen from the series because it combines the most communication possibilities in one object and therefore promises to be the most versatile of them all.

Roadmap

// Exploring the Open Source Project
// Paper Mock-Ups
// Planning and assessing Project scope
// Initial Prototyping
// Testing
// Refined Prototyping
// Testing
// 🔁
// Final Prototyping
// Exploring possible applications
// Experimenting with different applications

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 10

For my final blog post of the first semester of my Master’s degree, I decided to dive into a Google experiment called Little Signals.1 As it is a design study on how to take the principles of Calm Technology and use them in my belief in its core strength. To materialise the digital and visualise the analog. The study consists of a series of six objects that convert or transform digital information using natural patterns or subtle analogue cues. The basis for this project was the belief of experts that all the alarms and high-level cues in our digitalised environment are a constant source of stress that has a negative effect on our psyche.2 Little Signals seeks to reduce this cognitive load by making our interactions with the digital world more harmonious, more human, less intrusive and more integrated into our natural environment. It does this in a variety of ways, as illustrated below.

Little Signals

Google Seed Studio x Map Project Office, Little Signals

Air

Air is an object that can communicate by emitting a pulse of air from its top nozzle and by rotating the nozzle. By placing it next to a plant, wind chime or any object that can be easily made to move, it creates subtle cues for whatever you set it to do.

Button

One of the more powerful signals is the button. It can indicate a status by rising and falling, and pulsate up and down to show an active task. The button can be pressed down or twisted left and right to activate a response to a signal received by the user. In addition to these functions, it can also emit sounds to enhance the importance of a signal.

Movement

Movement is a signal working with the motion of seven individual rods. These rods can rise and descend alone or in combination with the others. Its primary use case is to graphically visualise information, such as a timer or calendar, for example. All of the rods also function as buttons to trigger interactions, such as starting the timer.

Rhythm

For clearer audio signals, there is It is an ambient speaker that creates different melodies. Through this composition, important and urgent information, as well as the notification itself, are conveyed. To acknowledge a notification, a simple hand wave over the object is sufficient. To put the device on mute or in standby mode, simply flip it upside down.

Shadow

Shadow is one of the most subtle signals in the series. It creates cues by casting shadows of varying sizes onto the ground. By changing the orientation or size of its main body, different shadow signals can be transmitted, indicating varying levels of importance. It is important to maintain a clear and logical structure in the presentation of information. Even continuous information can be represented visually by creating a breathing-like changing shadow.

Tap

Tap is more of a reminder signal than an active notification. It works best with an additional surface on which it can tap, However, it can also function independently by waving or rotating its pole around itself or its base. One of the best use cases for this technology is as a reminder. By tapping on the object that needs to be remembered, the user can easily recall it. Exampolary like shown in the video above to remember the user to take its medication in their morning routine.

Outlook

Similar to this Google project, the outlook of my design & research theme of Calm Technology is to bring its principles and potentials into the real world through objects and applications. So from now on I want to transform my collected knowledge into a series of small artefacts or ways of materialising the digital and visualising the analog. Then to test and explore these methods or objects in real-world scenarios through self-experimentation and controlled user-testing with other students in my year. In this way I hope to gain a more practical and deeper understanding of the topic and its applications in projects and my work. Maybe Little Signals will even be the starting point for this upcoming journey, as it is an open source project with the invitation to try, collaborate and improve it.

Resources

  1. Little Signals ↩︎
  2. Google Little Signals: Open Source im Smart Home (tenmedia.de) ↩︎
by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 09

After looking around and finding examples in a very industrial design heavy direction, which stems from my background as such. I took a step back and looked at the examples of Calm Technology given by Amber Case on her website on the subject. Amber Case, as mentioned in previous posts, is one of the world’s leading researchers and students of Calm Technology.1 So it will be interesting to examine her view of examples on the subject. In the following I will list the examples and their explanations given by Amber Case and try to find a common theme or binding connection between all of them as a conclusion.

ExAmples

By Amber Case2

01. Tea Kettle
„If a technology works well, we can ignore it most of the time. A teapot tells us when it is ready, and is off or quiet the rest of the time. A tea kettle can be set and forgotten, until it sings. It does not draw constant attention to itself until necessary.“

02. Inner Office Window
„An inner office window provides an understanding of whether someone is busy or not without the need to interrupt them.“

03. Lavatory Sign
„This simple display easily allows one to see whether the restroom on a plane is occupied or not. The message is universal and requires no translation.“

04. Roomba Vacuum Cleaner
„Roomba doesn’t have a spoken language, just simple tones. This tone-based language makes it easy for anyone to understand what Roomba is saying, and elimates the need to translate the tone into many different languages.
Roomba chirps happily when a task is finished. When Roomba gets stuck or needs cleaning, the device emits a somber tone. Orange and green status lights are secondary display that help communicate status in an unambiguous way.“

05. Sleep Cycle
„Sleep Cycle is a mobile application that monitors your sleep and allows you to track times of deep sleep and REM. Set an alarm and Sleep Cycle will wake you up before the time at the best place in your sleep cycle with a soft noise or buzz.
Because the haptic alert occurs under your pillow, you can configure it so that you can wake up without anyone else being affected by the alarm. SleepCycle rewards users with a sleep score, detailing how well they slept that night.“

06. Smart Badge
„A smart badge is simple. Smart badges are small, wearable technologies that don’t require a charger, user interface or operating system. Simply touch a provisioned smart badge to a door or elevator panel and you’ll easily gain access.“

07. Floor Navigation System with Icons
„Floor navigation, when done well , can quietly show people where to go in unfamiliar spaces when traveling.
Using Bauhaus iconography alongside text can help with quick mental parsing of directions while providing detailed infomation.“

Conclusion

These examples of Calm Technology demonstrate a thoughtful approach to design that prioritises user experience and well-being. They achieve this by minimising intrusion, communicating intuitively, and blending seamlessly into daily life, thereby enhancing our interactions with the world around us. From the simple design of a tea kettle to the efficient functionality of a smart badge, each example demonstrates the power of technology to enhance our lives without adding unnecessary complexity. This is achieved by using the periphery of attention, appropriate modality, and minimal technology. By implementing these factors, these examples are more human, more respectful and more enjoyable than most other products or solutions.

Resources

  1. Calm Technology ↩︎
  2. Calm Technology ↩︎
by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 08

As the next example of a Calm Technology product, we will take a look at the Mui Board from Mui Labs. Mui Labs is a development and design agency based in Kyoto that was founded with the idea of promoting Calm Technology as a way to make digitalisation more human-centred.1 One of their first products was the Mui Board. An intelligent touch display made from natural wood. The board acts as a smart home remote control for all your devices, a display for useful information in your everyday life and a communication device by allowing you to write or record messages for yourself or other people in your household. It is easily controlled by the touch of your hand and integrates unique and innovative methods of data input, using the full capabilities of touch-sensitive surfaces.2

MUI board

mui Board, mui Lab Inc.

Calm Interaction Evaluation // mui Board

Calm Highlight

The MUI Board excels at being an unobtrusive and almost natural user interface for all the needs of the smart home and everyday life. This is facilitated by the playful and natural way in which intentions can be entered into the device and output by the device. The gestures. For example, a timer represented by candles instead of just a timer: you select the desired time and then animated candles start to burn (each representing one minute). Another example is the sleep timer for connected light sources. Here, after selecting the functions, you simply draw a line on the board. The length of the line represents how long the light will stay on. As time passes, the line continues to diminish, showing the remaining time. In addition, in the last few minutes or sections of the line, the light automatically starts to dim to create a seamless switch-off.

mui Board, mui Lab Inc.

Resources

  1. mui Lab ↩︎
  2. mui Board (muilab.com) ↩︎
by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 07

The second example of Calm Technology products to be examined is the toaster from the Wake Up Happy concept by YouMeUs Design for Kenwood. YouMeUs Design is a London-based design agency with a holistic design approach focused on creating unique customer experiences.1 In their case study Wake Up Happy for Kenwood, they created a range of household appliances that focus on positive interactions while preparing your breakfast to create an optimistic outlook for the day. One of these appliances is the bright yellow rocking toaster.2

Wake up happy – Toaster

YouMeUs Design Ltd, Wake Up Happy, Kenwood3

Calm interaction evaluation // Toaster

Calm Highlight

It may not be the most practical feature, if you take a very conservative view. But it is the one thing that really stands out about this toaster is The tilt. Firstly, it creates a lively interaction with a product that gestures towards the user, rather than just a conventional pull-down trigger. This can create an uplifting interaction that leads to a better relationship between the user and the object, which in turn can prolong the life or replacement cycle of the appliance. Finally, the communication pattern it uses is a change in posture. This is a very calm interaction that can be seen in the peripheral view and is therefore perfect for the task of preparing food, which often involves performing several tasks at once.

YouMeUs Design Ltd, Wake Up Happy, Kenwood

Resources

  1. About Youmeus (youmeusdesign.com) ↩︎
  2. Wake Up Happy | Youmeus Design ↩︎
  3. Wake Up Happy :: Behance ↩︎
by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 06

In this first review of Calm Technology products, we turn our attention to the Teenage Engineering1 OB-4 Bluetooth speaker. Teenage Engineering is a Swedish consumer electronics company at the forefront of audio innovation. They are known for their clean & detailed design and cutting-edge audio solutions. Their OB-4 Bluetooth Speaker2 is a portable high fidelity speaker with various input methods ranging from line input, Bluetooth, FM radio and disc. It also features clear and innovative interaction methods.

OB-4 The magic radio

OB-4, Teenage Engineering

Calm Interaction Evaluation // OB-4

Calm Highlight

What stands out with the OB-4 is a new type of Bluetooth speaker interaction combined with a new type of function. The tape. On the one hand, the rotating movement of a metal disc indicates whether the device is currently playing music, regardless of the volume, but also allows the music being played to be turned back, scratched or remixed with an intuitive hand movement to rotate precisely this disc. The other is the tape itself, which endlessly stores exactly the last two hours of played content and can play it back if there is no device or reception available.

OB-4, Teenage Engineering

Resources

  1. teenage engineering ↩︎
  2. OB–4 magic radio – teenage engineering ↩︎
by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 05

HOW TO EVALUTE CALM TECHNOLOGY

Having completed and summarised my research into the fundamentals of calm technology in a condensed infographic in last week’s blog post. Now it is time to identify and evaluate existing examples of Calm Technology. To find best practices & what they are doing right or where there is still potential to be calmer.

In order to have a starting point and to do the evaluation in a comparable way, a tool needs to be used.
In this case the Calm Interaction Evaluation Tool created by Amber Case and shown in her book. The tool and how it works is shown below. So starting next week, examples of calm technology will be evaluated using this tool and then analysed in more detail depending on what is appropriate for each example.

Calm interaction Evaluation Tool

Explaination modified from Calm Technology (Amber Case, O´Reilly, Dec 2015)

Example Philips Hue Lights System modified from Calm Technology (Amber Case, O´Reilly, Dec 2015)

Empty Template modified from Calm Technology (Amber Case, O´Reilly, Dec 2015)

RESOURCES

Amber Case, Calm Technology, O´Reilly, December 2015

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 04

The potential

After researching the basics of Calm Technologies, I went back to the beginning and compared my initial introduction potential with my findings during the research. After completing the comparison of the research with my initial assumptions that Calm technologies can be used to materialise the digital and visualise tangible information. I came to the conclusion that the main potential of Calm technologies lies in these two categories, but needs to be extended by a side category of translating analogue data.

The translation of analogue data into digital is a side category because in many cases in this category sensors do the job automatically and no human interaction is required. This doesn’t mean it’s any less important or should be ignored, it just means that Calm Technology can’t be applied to the entire category in a useful way here.

To make it easier to understand and remember these key potentials, I have created a small information graphic below that breaks the subject down into its smallest elements. And visualises where Calm Technology should be applied and can unfold its full potential.

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 03

Calm Communication Pattern

Usually calm communication patterns describe a way of expressing oneself without blaming others, shutting down dialogue and avoiding escalation of conflict. In Calm Technology it describes a way of calming the communication of an otherwise overwhelming or disruptive interface. So in a way they both describe the same thing, just one in human to human interaction and the other in human to computer interaction. But ultimately they both want the same thing, which is to avoid conflict or disruption and to keep communication open and as positive as possible for the people involved.

So what are these patterns of calm communication?

In her book on Calm Technology, Amber Case explains, differentiates and lists them in the following four categories:

01. Status Indicators
Most of the time it is not necessary for technology to tell us that something has happened in the form of pop-ups, written or spoken text. These forms take up too much of the user’s attention bandwidth and require active engagement. Instead, other forms of indicators can be used to convey the same information in a calmer and less intrusive way.

A. Visual Status Indicators
Red light in induction or ceramic hotplates that indicates on/off status and the temperature of the plates.

B. Status Tones
Samsung’s washing machines play a melody at the end of a cycle instead of an annoying alarm. This can even lead to a more positive attitude towards necessary chores such as laundry.

C. Haptic Alerts
The LUMOBack Sensor is a small wearable device that beeps every time you slouch. It fights back problems and helps you maintain good posture without you having to think about it or someone else telling you all day.

D. Status Shouts
These signals are designed to disrupt, grab your attention and, at best, communicate in multiple channels, because their information is immediate and time-sensitive, like the sirens of an emergency vehicle in action.

02. Ambient Awareness
The communication pattern of Ambient Awareness largely refers to and repeats Principle III of quiet technology using the periphery. This can happen through something as simple and low-tech as an inner office window. By extending the peripheral vision of the person inside out into the corridor, it can communicate that it is lunchtime via the visible movements of many passing colleagues, without having to emit an active signal itself. Or something a little more technological, like the toilet signs on aeroplanes. By simply glowing red in our peripheral vision, we know that it is occupied, without having to investigate or ask for the information ourselves.

03. Contextual Notifications
This is a type of information that is communicated to you only when the context of your surroundings makes it useful to you, rather than all the time or whenever it occurs. This method can reduce the amount of information communicated to you by an interface at any given time and improve the calmness of your mental state. For example, the context of a notification could be location-based, such as a reminder to buy milk a few streets away from the supermarket on your way home. This frees your mind for other tasks by not having to think about that particular task all the time.

04. Persuasive Technology
This method describes how technology can be used to change our behaviour and thoughts through the communication of technology. There is a dark and a bright side to this persuasive technology, but when used correctly it can greatly enhance not only human-computer interactions, but also our lives. Used in the wrong or dark way, it can be used to trick people into buying things they do not want or need (for more information and examples, see Dark Patterns). How it works in the bright way is best described by this quote.

A good persuasive technology largely depends on taking what was formerly invisible (behaviors, decisions, unseen consequences) and making it visible.
____________
Amber Case

A good example of this is the product GlowCap. This is a pill bottle cap with a light built into it. The cap then glows when it is time to take your medication, and can even indicate which medication to take by using different colours of light. The light only goes out when the bottle is unscrewed and comes back on when it is time to take the medication again. This simple device has been shown to increase the likelihood of taking medication on time by 86%.

Resources

Amber Case, Calm Technology, O´Reilly, December 2015

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 02

Principles of Calm Technology

To understand and apply Calm Technology to modify existing products or develop new ones, Amber Case, the leading researcher and founder of Calm Technology™, has identified some basic principles to guide or follow during these processes. In total, there are eight Principles for Calm Technology. These are not meant to be followed blindly like rules set in stone, but rather as guidelines to steer you through your design process. In her book, Amber Case advises that „not every tech project needs all eight“, but keeping those that apply to your project in mind when making design decisions can help the project, the product and its success later on.
Below are the eight principles and an example of what they can mean or how they can influence a finished product.



I. Technology should require the smallest possible amount of attention
The chargers for Microsoft Surface Tablets & Books have a small white LED light built into the connector so you can see at a glance whether the device is charging or not, without having to turn it on or look at the display.

II. Technology should inform and create calm
Status indicators used in online communication tools such as Teams, Discord or Google Chat. They use small colour-coded circles to indicate the availability of the person you are messaging, without interrupting you from messaging them. But they do set the right expectation for how long it might take them to respond.

III. Technology should make use of the periphery
Lane assistants in cars send a brief vibration signal through your steering wheel to remind you to stay in your lane when you are approaching its edge, without taking your primary attention away from the windscreen and the act of driving, using the peripheral space of attention.

IV. Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity
Ultraleap’s hand tracking products allow us to interact with technology using natural hand gestures such as pinching. For this pinch gesture, it not only allows one specific, perfectly executed hand pose. Rather, it allows a variety of different variations of the pose and does not require us to keep the pose in the same shape all the time, because that would be natural for a machine but not for a human.

V. Technology can communicate, but doesn´t need to speak
The Roomba vacuum cleaner makes a happy noise when it has finished cleaning and a sad noise when it is stuck or in trouble. It also shows a green light when it is clean and an orange light when it is dirty. This way, it is able to inform you of its status and problems without the need for lengthy voice messages, by simply communicating the minimal amount of signals necessary.

VI. Technology should work even when it fails
The perfect example of this, although it is not realistic to implement it as well as in this example in every product, is escalators. Even if they brake down or stop completely, they can still be used as stairs to fulfil their primary function of enabling people to reach the next floor of a structure.

VII. The right amount of technology is the minimum needed to solve the problem
An electronic kettle that uses only a heating coil to boil water, and then uses the pressure created by the boiling water to emit a sound to signal its completion. Rather than using an additional electronic actuator to produce the sound.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
____________
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

VIII. Technology should respect social norms
The Google Glass smart glasses, unlike any other video recording device, didn’t have a publicly visible light to signal when it was recording and when it wasn’t. Because of this uncertainty, anyone interacting with people wearing the device felt like they were being recorded all the time. This, combined with other factors, led to the failure of the whole product.

Resources

  1. Amber Case, Calm Technology, O´Reilly, December 2015
  2. Calm Technology