You can’t sneeze right now for another AI chatbot or natural language interface where you type or talk at the click of an ask. Seeing as it’s hay fever season, there is a lot of sneezing going on. However, the interfaces we are experiencing today and creating won’t be relevant even in the next few months, given the pace at which things are evolving. Click and go, ask and get isn’t the way forward; neither is a forward slash command. The reality probably is we don’t know the answer yet, and that’s exciting.
The let down
It’s only natural that with the rapid pace of exploration, old patterns of interfaces are being adopted. However, it also feels a shame, as for many, the experience they are getting with anything ‘AI’ is almost retro in its interface. It’s an annoying bot that may help them more than the ones of the past but certainly doesn’t do much more.
They are being forced to click to engage, to be tied to interactions, and then to frame their expectations as they go. To have a little bubble pulsing in their field of vision, waiting to jump into action and half meet their expectations. We can do better than this, and what is needed is to start exploring interfaces as much as we do the foundations.
The start was not an interface
The reality is things started with text. Then, pictures were formed with letters. Overtime fidelity grew. AI was the same, and that’s okay, but we are reaching a point where we need to start considering whether our models of interfaces even fit these new forms. Don’t get me wrong, there are foundational principles of usability that should not be thrown out. However, clicking a button or initiating a chat isn’t the solution for these processes.
Options explored
The reality is I don’t have the answer. Whilst many have in their most sci-fi dreams thought about this, patterns and explorations are still happening. The vibes are so strong that the lure of tried and trusted interfaces feels too tempting, but we need to break away from those ties and into a new perhaps more daunting but certainly more exciting space.
Start with calm
One phrase I come back to and I am not the only one, is ‘Calm technology’. It is important even more today with the information overload and overwhelm of choices. Calm technology offers a design strategy where AI filters, summarizes, and augments without demanding attention.
“The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.”
— Mark Weiser, “The Computer for the 21st Century” (1991)
Calm Technology isn’t new, it however feels like we all might have forgotten it a bit in our excitment. Let’s look at how some of the principles of this could help us in creating what the interface of today could be:
- Technology should require the smallest possible amount of attention.
- Technology should inform and create calm
- Technology should make use of the periphery
- Technology can communicate, but doesn’t need to speak
- Technology should work even when it fails
www.calmtech.institute/calm-tech-principles
No framework, though, is perfect; I am not suggesting that Calm Technology is a flawless system to be applied without consideration of use. I am, however, suggesting that AI is everywhere and we need quiet, intentional design more than ever. We need calm interfaces that build trust through action, not conversation. We need systems that surface the right thing at the right time.
“Calm technology… ‘gets out of your way and lets you live your life.’”
— Amber Case, cyborg anthropologist and UX designer
Bring your own calm
Knowing those principles, how can exploration start? This is where I find myself right now and hence why I am writing this. As with anything I began exploring who is maybe starting to explore around this. There are growing daily examples, I am just sharing a few here.
| Calm Tech Principle | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Requires minimal attention | Automatically generates highlights and summaries after a video ends—no interaction needed. | loom.com |
| Informs and creates calm | Context-aware journaling tool that surfaces AI prompts based on emotional state and activity. | MindScape (CHI Paper) |
| Uses the periphery | Listens during medical visits and quietly produces summaries in EHR interfaces. | abridge.com |
| Amplifies human ability | Records screen/audio and enables semantic search over your digital memory using LLMs. | rewind.ai |
| Communicates without speaking | Offers passive, context-aware suggestions within documents as you work—no clicks or prompts. | tana.inc |
I want to share the areas of exploration that excite me today. As interest wanes in current fixations, we will see more fascinating patterns emerge. However, I am cautious around adding sidebars, as they can still overwhelm. Rapidly they become junk drawers and out of sight clutter. It’s also important to clarify what a true ‘drawer’ means today.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Scroll-aware AI | Trigger insight or support based on viewport position |
| Ambient sidebars | Passive suggestions update as the user works |
| Data-based thresholds | AI acts when user behavior or data hits key patterns |
| Visual feedback only | Use color, animation, or spatial cues to communicate |
| Content sensitivity | Activate AI when user slows down, dwells, or pauses |
Beyond the input
Explorations are great. However, explore more beyond just a click, slash and input. Don’t add; bring calm. Does the interface element you added contribute to cognitive load when it could take it away? Is the result that the experience is better for AI being there or worse, and you just checked a feature box? How do we get to focus on the task through the interface, not the interface? This isn’t just about getting everything out of the way, it’s the right things being there when you need them, calmly.
We have the potential to truly amplify what can be done and improve so much for everyone. It is a balancing act that we need to explore, though, and do so in a considered manner, not one that falls back on old interface habits.