Calm Technology

Capability tags describe this specimen only; verify the implementation again in a real product.

{
  "values": [
    "Respect attention",
    "Appropriate awareness"
  ],
  "tension": "Quietness versus discoverability",
  "questions": [
    "Does the person need to respond now?",
    "Can the status still be perceived with different senses or in different environments?"
  ]
}

{
  "id": "calm-technology",
  "type": "philosophy",
  "name": {
    "zh": "平静技术",
    "en": "Calm Technology"
  },
  "aliases": [
    "Calm Tech",
    "平静设计"
  ],
  "granularity": "experience",
  "intents": [
    "reduce-interruption",
    "inform"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "attention",
    "non-interruptive",
    "notifications",
    "peripheral awareness"
  ],
  "definition": "Let technology move into the center of attention when needed, while usually supporting the main activity through appropriate peripheral information.",
  "boundary": "Calm does not mean silence or hiding problems. Events requiring timely action may still need prominent alerts.",
  "signature": [
    "Signal intensity matches urgency",
    "Peripheral status can be inspected at any time",
    "Respect for the task currently in progress"
  ],
  "when": [
    "Background updates and routine status need no immediate response",
    "The product frequently competes for attention"
  ],
  "when_not": [
    "Hiding failures requiring timely action in the name of non-interruption",
    "Muting every notification indiscriminately"
  ],
  "tradeoff": "Reducing interruption and keeping information discoverable require a deliberate tradeoff.",
  "comparison": {
    "focus": "How human attention is used",
    "mechanism": "Appropriate movement between center and periphery",
    "cost": "Requires an assessment of event urgency"
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "calm-paper",
      "title": "Weiser & Brown · The Coming Age of Calm Technology",
      "url": "https://calmtech.com/papers/coming-age-calm-technology",
      "claim": "Discusses technology connecting the center and periphery of attention. The notification rules here are editorial applications.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-09-15",
      "archive": {
        "lookupUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260915*/https://calmtech.com/papers/coming-age-calm-technology",
        "status": "available",
        "checkedAt": "2026-09-15T16:52:09.091Z",
        "jobId": "spn2-3a63208a06b97fa52cf531f5b6a495d0cac29df2",
        "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260915165232/https://calmtech.com/papers/coming-age-calm-technology",
        "timestamp": "20260915165232"
      }
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "target": "inclusive-design",
      "kind": "composes_with",
      "condition": "Choosing notification channels and intensity",
      "reason": "Quiet signals still need to be perceptible to people with different abilities.",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "target": "determinate-progress",
      "kind": "realized_by",
      "condition": "Task progress requires no immediate action",
      "reason": "Inspectable progress can provide information without interrupting.",
      "basis": "editorial"
    }
  ],
  "rules": [
    {
      "when": "A routine background update occurs",
      "instruction": "Prefer an inspectable, non-modal status.",
      "strength": "recommend",
      "basis": "editorial"
    },
    {
      "when": "Timely action is necessary",
      "instruction": "Make the alert perceptible, understandable, and actionable.",
      "strength": "must",
      "basis": "editorial"
    }
  ],
  "philosophy": {
    "values": [
      "Respect attention",
      "Appropriate awareness"
    ],
    "tension": "Quietness versus discoverability",
    "questions": [
      "Does the person need to respond now?",
      "Can the status still be perceived with different senses or in different environments?"
    ]
  },
  "demo": "calm-technology",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "editorialStatus": "sample-reviewed",
  "requirements": [],
  "demoCapabilities": [
    "keyboard",
    "reduced_motion"
  ],
  "implementationNote": "Capability tags describe this specimen only; verify the implementation again in a real product.",
  "searchTerms": [
    "注意力",
    "不打断",
    "通知",
    "周边感知"
  ]
}