Understanding calm in the context of smart toys

Lochrie, Mark and Thompson, Sheral and Read, Janet and Fitton, Daniel (2026) Understanding calm in the context of smart toys. Interacting with Computers. ISSN 0953-5438

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Abstract

Smart toys, which integrate sensing, processing, physical movement, sounds, and even internet connectivity, offer a range of new play opportunities. However, compared to traditional toys, current smart toy products can be limiting in the play they support, and they have received criticism for a range of reasons with calm being a potentially valuable design feature for smart toys. This work explores the application of a revised set of calm design principles applied in the context of currently available smart toy products in an expert evaluation inspection study. The specific focus of this paper is on understanding the challenges encountered by the evaluators in the study. This paper contributes four key recommendations valuable to researchers and practitioners conducting similar studies. These relate to the challenge of simulating play experience, the diversity of play context, the interpretation and understanding of principles, and the consideration of design intent vs. play experience. We propose “calm smart toys” as a strong concept that can potentially assist others interested in designing calm smart toys.