Calm Technology

A design philosophy originated at Xerox PARC in which technology communicates information through the periphery of a user's attention rather than demanding direct focus. Calm technology moves between the centre and periphery of attention, providing awareness without constant interruption. In accessibility, calm technology principles are valuable for designing assistive systems that deliver information through background auditory cues, ambient displays, or subtle haptic feedback — for example, non-speech sounds indicating environmental status for blind users, or gentle vibrations alerting deaf users to events without requiring them to constantly monitor a screen.