Week #10: Learning from the Experts

Meeting professionals from the field 👥

After preparing our pitch, this week was about stepping outside our own perspective. We met with four experts from the field to get honest, professional feedback on CALMZ and to understand how our ideas hold up when examined by people who work with teens, emotions, and group dynamics every day.

A real problem, a real need 🎯

Across all conversations, one thing was clear: the problem we’re tackling is real and widely recognized. Helping teens deal with conflict and emotional escalation is something that concerns parents, educators, and professionals alike. The idea of emotional labeling was strongly validated, while pushing us to think more deeply about how it actually works in real-life situations.

Stopping escalation in the moment 🛑

A major point of discussion was the difficulty of introducing a technological tool during an active conflict. For CALMZ to be effective, it needs to do more than exist in the background. It has to actively help stop escalation. This shifted our focus toward strengthening the “Pause” moment and exploring how the wearable itself can create a meaningful interruption, not just a subtle signal.

Labeling emotions isn’t simple 🏷️

Another recurring challenge was emotion labeling. While powerful, it’s far from easy for teens. Many struggle to understand why they were triggered, and without guidance, they may disengage. This reinforced the need for clear onboarding, active participation, and a sense of value and reward that turns the process into learning rather than effort.

From the individual to the group 🌐

We were also encouraged to recognize that conflicts don’t look the same for everyone. Differences in gender and social dynamics affect how escalation happens and how it can be stopped. At the same time, conflicts between individuals often impact the wider group, and groups that know how to manage conflict tend to be more cohesive. This opened up new thinking about balancing personal regulation with group awareness.

Sharpening our direction ✨

Overall, these conversations helped us refine our focus. The foundations of CALMZ are strong, and the feedback gave us clearer direction on how to improve the interaction so it truly supports teens in the moments that matter most.

Hello World 👾

It was also a super exciting week for the computer science side of our team, as we officially stepped into the world of IoT! We began exploring how sensors, connected devices, and smart wearables work, and how these technologies shape everyday experiences. We also started experimenting with our own IoT kits, getting hands-on with the “bytes and bits” behind the magic. Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue building our technical understanding and test what’s realistically possible for our solution making sure our idea isn’t just meaningful, but also technically doable.

Looking ahead 🚀

This week reminded us how important it is to open our ideas up to critique. Meeting experts helped us see CALMZ from new angles, challenge our assumptions, and sharpen what really matters. As we move forward, we’re taking these insights with us as we continue refining the interaction and bringing CALMZ one step closer to something teens can truly rely on when emotions run high.