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.
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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%.
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