Since the advent of the computer and then the smartphone, digital screens have been all around us. They transmit information, wherever you go. On your way to work, on your bike, even when you are in bed. The digital world has become accessible practically always and everywhere. However: the interaction with these screens remains in the digital world. Screens always absorb our full attention, leaving nothing for the physical world. That is why people cycling with their phones often forget the road users around them.
A calm world
In the physical world, people combine tasks quite easily. For example, we can eat ice cream while walking down the street without bumping into anything. That’s because these tasks only require part of our attention. To create a truly seamless user experience, digital information needs to work the same way. People need to be able to interact with the digital world without losing sight of the physical one. As Weiser confirms with his calm technology , technology in the future should mainly remain in our periphery, the edges of our attention. Only when necessary should it move to the center of our focus.
In the future, technology should remain primarily in our hospital email lists periphery, the boundaries of our field of attention.
Designing for calm interactions
Our interactions are now mainly focused on two-dimensional interactions on screens. With learned patterns we try to imitate physical interactions to some extent. Instead, the digital and physical worlds should merge into one interaction cycle. We need to design interactions that do not require our full attention, but can remain in your periphery. So that you can continue to do other things. New technologies provide more and more possibilities to help with this. A number of things are important for this.
1. Design for a glance
Information in your periphery should be easy to interpret. No complicated or detailed data, but digestible information that you can process at a glance. Only when you are interested, you should be able to view the information in more detail.
Augmented reality offers the possibility to show simple cues in the corner of your eye. You do not see the information through a window, but directly in the physical world. This creates a clear link with a physical object or action. The cue itself needs less detail. For example, a red arrow in front of your freezer can remind you to take out your meat for tonight.