Undesired notifications and messages saturate our attention, diverting our scarcest resource from one’s preferred activities and true interests. A new need for protecting our time and intellectual resources is rising.
BubblyNet, the smart building automation system, is an application of Calm Technology principles. Bluetooth® Mesh Qualified, the most sophisticated wireless standard in the industry, is rendered simple enough to be broadly adopted in architecture.
Self-proclaimed cyborg anthropologist, Amber Case studies the symbiotic interactions between humans and machines and how our values and cultures are shaped by new technologies. In 2016 she published a quick read on the subject of Calm Technology principles giving new insight into the field:
The New Principles of Calm Technology
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Technology should require the smallest possible amount of attention.
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Technology should inform and create calm.
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Technology should make use of the periphery.
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Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity.
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Technology can communicate, but doesn’t need to speak.
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Technology should work even when it fails.
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The right amount of technology is the minimum needed to solve the problem.
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Technology should respect social norms.
Source: Case, Amber. Calm Technology, Sebastopol: O’Reilly, 2016. Print
The "Calm" design philosophy can interestingly be applied to a wide array of architectural topics; i.e. lighting glare control and noise reduction.
