Keynote: Calm Technology: Design for the Next 50 Billion Things – Amber Case
For my next blog post, I decided to dive back into the topic of Calm Technology. To do this I watched Amber Case’s keynote at the Embedded Linux Conference: “ Calm Technology: Design for the Next 50 Billion Things“. Amber Case herself is one of the leading researchers in the field of Calm Technology and has not only written a book on the subject but also recently founded the Calm Tech Institute. Her talk refreshed much of what I have been researching over the last two semesters about calm technology, but also gave me a new perspective or two and challenged me to keep exploring this, in my opinion, most important and fascinating design philosophy.
The Talk
Case began by introducing the concept of modern humans as ‚cyborgs‘ – not in the science fiction sense, but as beings who use external tools to adapt to new environments. This concept immediately resonated with my interaction design studies, as it highlights how deeply technology has become integrated into our daily lives. However, as Case pointed out, the current state of this integration is far from ideal.
The core problem she identified is what she calls ‚interruptive technology‘ – devices and systems that constantly demand our attention, often unnecessarily. From duplicated smartwatch notifications to ’smart‘ fridges that create more problems than they solve, our current technological landscape seems designed to interrupt rather than support. As someone with an interest in calm technology, this observation hit close to home, as I’ve often wondered about the real value these ’smart‘ additions bring to users‘ lives, and whether they need to be as dictating as they are, or if there are other ways. The solution, according to Case, lies in “ Calm Technology“ – a concept developed at Xerox PARC by Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown. The principle is simple: technology should require the minimum amount of attention and remain in the background until needed. This approach feels quite logical and makes perfect sense from a human-centred design perspective, but in our current context of attention-hungry devices it is revolutionary.
One of the most valuable insights for my future work was Case’s emphasis on peripheral attention and ambient awareness. She explained how technology should be designed to operate in our peripheral awareness, similar to how we notice changes in our environment without actively focusing on them. The example of a tea kettle illustrates this perfectly – it doesn’t require constant attention, but communicates effectively when needed.
The presentation also highlighted the importance of using the minimum amount of technology necessary to solve a problem. This principle particularly challenges current trends in interaction design, where we often add features because we can, not because we should. Case’s example of over-complicated smart home systems versus simple, reliable mechanical solutions made me even more certain that the topic I had chosen to research was the right way to go. Perhaps most importantly, Case emphasised the need to consider social norms and the ‚metabolism rate‘ at which people can adapt to new technologies. This insight is crucial to my Masters, as it suggests that successful interaction design isn’t just about creating innovative solutions, but also understanding how those solutions fit into existing social contexts and behaviours. The concept of ‚kairos time‘ versus ‚chronos time‘ provided a powerful framework for thinking about the impact of technology on our experience of time. As interaction designers, we should strive to create solutions that respect and enable moments of flow and meaningful engagement, rather than constantly fragmenting users‘ attention.
Reflection
This keynote reminded me of how important Calm Technology can be and is for interaction design. It has shown me that perhaps the most sophisticated design solutions are those that know when to step back, remain invisible, and only emerge when truly needed. This is in line with one of my beliefs that products should not scream for attention, but rather receive it because it is useful, practical or wanted. As I continue my studies and begin my Master’s thesis, I will take these principles of Calm Technology with me and explore them to create designs that enhance human capabilities without demanding unnecessary attention.
The challenge for me as an interaction designer is clear: how do we create technology that supports without overwhelming, assists without interrupting, and enhances without dominating? Case’s presentation provided valuable guidance on how to address these questions in my future work and master’s thesis.