3 Ways to Increase the Chances of Calm Tech Certification
While the complete certification process includes 81 different criteria, these three issues are among the most common reasons products fail to achieve certification. Addressing these problems early in your design process can dramatically improve your chances of success.
Use Orange Indicator Lights
Blue light emission is one of the most common reasons products fail to receive calm tech certification. High-energy blue light (wavelengths between 380-500nm) is known to disrupt circadian rhythms and cause digital eye strain, especially during evening use.
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Blue LED Indicators are often brighter than the surrounding environment, leading to an uncalm environment, especially at night. This is extremely important when building in-car dashboards and charging systems.
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Indicator lights can still be too bright even when using an orange LEDs. Diffusing it in some way will help make it feel like a part of the environment.
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Read more: The Problem with Bright Blue Indicator Lights ​
Add Raised Buttons and Dots
Your hands have eyes, too.
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Touch interfaces without tactile feedback increase cognitive load and require visual attention. Calm tech certification prioritizes interfaces that can be operated through peripheral awareness and touch alone.
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Implementation tips:
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Add raised tactile elements to key buttons or interaction points
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Incorporate textured dots on primary controls for easy identification by touch
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Include a minimum height differential of 0.8mm for tactile elements
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Read more: https://www.calmtech.institute/post/your-hands-have-eyes-too-engaging-peripheral-attention
Use CCR Dimming
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is commonly used to adjust screen brightness and LED intensity, but it creates imperceptible flicker that can cause headaches, eye strain, and cognitive fatigue in sensitive individuals.
Implementation tips:​
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Replace PWM dimming with DC current regulation or hybrid dimming methods
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Ensure flicker rates are above 3000Hz if PWM cannot be eliminated completely
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Include flicker measurement results in technical documentation
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Test for flicker across all brightness levels, not just at maximum or minimum settings
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Implement circuitry that maintains consistent power delivery during brightness changes
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By addressing these three critical failure points in product design, you'll remove significant barriers to achieving calm tech certification.
While these changes represent just a fraction of the full certification requirements, they target the most common reasons evaluators reject products during review.
Correcting these issues early gives your product the best chance to pass certification on the first submission.