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The HP 12C is an excellent example of "Calm Technology"[0]: 1. "Communicate information without taking the user out of their environment or task". The display

The HP 12C is an excellent example of "Calm Technology"[0]: 1. "Communicate information without taking the user out of their environment or task". The display shows a single number: either the answer to your question or your current input. I don't need to worry about running out of battery or charging it, as I only need to once every few years. I don't need to think about my 12C except when I need to answer a finance question. I don't need to turn it off "correctly", I just turn it off. 2. "Gives people what they need to solve their problem, and nothing more". Basic math plus special purpose finance functions. No notifications, input history, cloud saves, Share button, upsells, political statements or otherwise claim they're making the world better, achievements or pretty but functionless UI. 3. "Moves easily from the periphery of our attention, to the center, and back". When I'm discussing a scenario, I don't need to sit down at a computer and design a spreadsheet. The functions in 12C are concise and operate quickly, showing the answer to one question at a time. 4. "Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity". 12C doesn't use ML to guess poorly what the user is trying to do, suggesting autocompletes and "are you sure" or "you mean...". It respects that the user knows what they're doing. 5. "Technology can communicate, but doesn’t need to speak". The display on 12C is minimal but shows everything you _need_ to know: the single number in front of you. 6. "Technology should work even when it fails". It either works or doesn't, no incorrect numbers reported, no missing functionality. Even when the battery dies, it will give me ample opportunity to do something about it before it actually happens, as the display dims gradually over weeks. 7. "The right amount of technology is the minimum needed to solve the problem". 8. "Technology should respect social norms". The 12C can be at the center of a conversation, and even help move a conversation forward by answering questions; I don't need to bury my face in a laptop while talking with someone, so it doesn't look like I'm ignoring them or that I've shifted my attention elsewhere; while I'm typing in numbers, it's obvious they're the numbers we're talking about. It respects the norms/customs of the field their customers work in: no need to type enter formulas for PV, FV, IRR. [0]: https://calmtech.com/ https://calmtech.com/

smarks 4y ago
Good list. I’d add the following: * Requires virtually no system administration. It seems like every other piece of technology needs some setup, backups, periodic updates, or fiddling when something inevitably goes wrong. If I’m not mistaken the 12C doesn’t have a clock. Thus, it doesn’t need to be updated 2x a year for Daylight (Summer) time, nor to have its time zone tables updated. It doesn’t need a clock; there are plenty of other ways for me to find the time, thank you. Not having a clock is a feature! Too many devices have a clock that cannot be disabled. A clock that is set wrong is worse than no clock at all. Thus, a device with an unnecessary clock demands my periodic attention to ensure the clock is set correctly. About the only system administration necessary for the 12C is to replace the batteries. The batteries last for a very long time. As noted above, the 12C operates for a long time in a low battery condition, so you can choose to change the batteries when it’s convenient to do so.
jamesliudotcc 4y ago
Being able to see the input and the output on a screen is nice though. Then I can check if the answer is wrong because of a typo in the input. I'll take a graphing calculator for the money any day, and not for the graphs.

smarks 4y ago

Good list. I’d add the following: * Requires virtually no system administration. It seems like every other piece of technology needs some setup, backups, periodic updates, or fiddling when something inevitably goes wrong. If I’m not mistaken the 12C doesn’t have a clock. Thus, it doesn’t need to be updated 2x a year for Daylight (Summer) time, nor to have its time zone tables updated. It doesn’t need a clock; there are plenty of other ways for me to find the time, thank you. Not having a clock is a feature! Too many devices have a clock that cannot be disabled. A clock that is set wrong is worse than no clock at all. Thus, a device with an unnecessary clock demands my periodic attention to ensure the clock is set correctly. About the only system administration necessary for the 12C is to replace the batteries. The batteries last for a very long time. As noted above, the 12C operates for a long time in a low battery condition, so you can choose to change the batteries when it’s convenient to do so.

jamesliudotcc 4y ago

Being able to see the input and the output on a screen is nice though. Then I can check if the answer is wrong because of a typo in the input. I'll take a graphing calculator for the money any day, and not for the graphs.