Calm Technology and the Case for Quieter Devices

The idea of technology that stays in the background has a longer history than most trends. In 1995, Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown, researchers at Xerox PARC, wrote a short paper called "Designing Calm Technology." They argued that the best devices would sit at the edge of our attention and come to the center only when needed, the way a window shows the weather without demanding to be looked at. Three decades later, after years of apps competing for attention, more products are being designed around that idea.

What "quiet" looks like in practice

• Information without interruption. A lamp that changes color when rain is forecast, or a thermostat display that only lights up when you walk past, gives you the information without a notification.
• One app instead of ten. Matter, a smart home standard launched in 2022 and backed by Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung, lets devices from different brands work in the same app. Buying Matter-compatible plugs, bulbs and sensors avoids a separate app for every device.
• Screens that don't glow. E-ink readers, tablets and even some phones use displays that reflect light like paper, which many people find easier on the eyes and less compelling to keep scrolling.
• Physically quiet appliances. Noise is measured in decibels, and the numbers are worth checking. A dishwasher rated around 44 dBA is barely audible from the next room, while older models can run above 55 dBA, which sounds roughly twice as loud.
• Physical controls. A switch or dial that works without opening an app is often the calmer choice.

Reading a decibel rating

The decibel scale is logarithmic. As a rule of thumb, an increase of about 10 decibels is heard as roughly twice as loud. For reference, a quiet library is around 40 decibels and normal conversation around 60. When comparing appliances such as dishwashers, range hoods, air purifiers and fans, a difference of 5 or 6 decibels between two models is easy to hear. For air purifiers and fans, check the rating at the speed you'll actually use, since manufacturers often quote the quietest setting.

Quiet also means private

Part of the appeal of calm technology is not wondering what a device is doing. Look for smart speakers with a physical microphone switch, cameras with a built-in shutter, and smart home systems that keep working locally when the internet is down. Matter devices, for example, can communicate directly over your home network rather than relying on a company's servers for every command, which also tends to make them respond faster.

Making the tech you already own quieter

Most of the effect can be had without buying anything. Phones and computers have focus or do-not-disturb modes that let through only chosen people. Notification summaries bundle non-urgent alerts into one or two deliveries a day. Turning off badges, the little red counters on app icons, removes one of the most persistent nudges to check in. Smart speakers and TVs have settings to turn off status lights and voice responses at night.

A quieter smart home

Smart home devices can become a new source of interruption: speakers announcing deliveries, doorbells pushing alerts for every passing car, robot vacuums reporting each finished room. Most of these alerts can be scheduled or limited. Set doorbell cameras to notify you only for people, not motion, and only during certain hours. Turn off spoken confirmations on smart speakers. Group automations so that one routine handles several devices instead of each sending its own updates.

Simpler phones

A small but growing number of people are going further and using deliberately limited phones, either basic models that handle calls and texts only, or minimalist smartphones built around a few tools such as maps, music and messages. Others get a similar effect by removing social media and email from their main phone and checking them only on a computer. Even a weekend experiment with a simpler setup can show which apps you actually miss.

Quiet technology still does everything you need it to. The difference is that it waits until you need it instead of asking for your attention all day.