The "attention economy"—a business model that monetizes user attention itself as a resource—has long been the standard in Silicon Valley. But now, the backlash is approaching a critical point. Criticism of the "dark patterns" that encourage addiction has led to discussions about regulation, and calls for a new relationship with technology are beginning to rise from within the industry itself.

This year, Calm Tech Institute showed up with a question: which trade show booths actually made people feel good? Our favorite booths had key characteristics that aligned the science behind Calm Tech Certified™ for Spaces, our newest offering for hospitality and trade show builders.

The Japanese translation of the book Calm Technology. Everyday we suffer a physical toll from the stress of poorly designed technology,...