Title

Elbert Girón- Rhode Island School of Design

The brief that have been assigned to you

Crea un servizio di consegna sostenibile delle raviole bolognesi, piatto tradizionale preparato in occasione del giorno di San Giuseppe. Le consegne si svolgeranno ispirandosi a un antico rito propiziatorio, per far sì che le coppie di innamorati possano gustare le tipiche raviole ripiene di mostarda ovunque si trovino e sentirsi parte della festa contadina che celebra l'arrivo della primavera e dei buoni raccolti. Il servizio dovrà essere sostenibile: produrre zero CO2 e portare innovazione sociale nelle comunità rurali della Pianura Emiliana.

Persona profile V1

Feedbacks V1

Wow! You did a great job building this Persona profile. Congrats :) 

That’s pretty accurate compared to a real farmer of northern Italy! Plus, the profile seems to be complete with all the main information. 

I mark you some mistakes AI did:

• The name sounds stereotypical and not so obvious, because the surname “Bianchi” in the Emilia Romagna region is non that common, especially for peasant families (e.g. Vaccari, Mezzadri, Emiliani, Malagoli, etc..). (it won’t be a mistake for sure but a forced convention of ChatGPT about italian names);

• I do know the vast majority of farmer are men over 40, but also there are women that do farming as well as many young people do (especially peasant family members, so ChatGPT did well assuming Marco belongs to a long line of farmers);

• Raviole Bolognesi are not a first course but a typical dessert. It is like sweet ravioli filled with jam made of mixed fruit. I suggest you to look better for it and the ingredients they are made of, maybe by using synonyms such as "raviole di San Giuseppe";

• Here in the countryside of Emilia Romagna farmers are almost absorbed 24/7 by work in the fields, so it’s unlikely he also makes deliveries. Farmers usually prefer to sell their products directly at a retail location nearby;

• I can imagine that you think about Marco as a producer of ravioli (or any of its ingredients). I suggest you to define what he grows first, according to the main product to deliver (ChatGPT can provide you more specific information);

• Also, please take into account that Marco spends a lot of time taking care of his crops, so he shouldn’t be able to produce ravioli (or at least not alone) because that should be an extra business;

• Knowing that Marco has a family (I don’t know about his marital status and if he has children, maybe this should be specified), maybe he wishes to spend more quality time, or something not closely linked to his work. Interests, wishes and fears can be also more general about persona’s life;

• The two men depicted by Midjourney look a little bit different;

• I assume that Marco grows cabbage crops or some kind of vegetable (the green content in the second pic isn't defined), according to the background and the things in the basket: it doesn’t seem so much coherent, in line with the raviole he’s producing and selling;

• The church depicted by Midjourney doesn’t resemble the gothic-styled churches of Northern Italy;

• The second pic shows a hilly landscape, instead of a huge plain (I know is quite difficult obtaining detailed images from Midjourney following every single request, so don't worry about that! I just wanted you to notice).

I hope these feedbacks will help you in your research! Good luck ;)

Persona profile V2

Feedbacks V2

I didn't expect a such total makeover of the persona! Well done, these profiles reflect exactly the target assigned by the brief.

I spotted some mistakes/misconceptions/biases: 

In Italy, once people get married, the wife surname doesn’t change unlike in America. So they should have two different surnames.

Employment: Even if it’s an inconvenient truth, it sounds like a stereotype, because often the teaching role is related to the female gender in Italy (especially in the case of low-grade school, like kindergarten and primary school). Look if ChatGPT is capable of generating also non gender-related professionals. However, that’s not a big deal but it’s supposed to be an observation, also to highlight an actual problem we have in Italy about still limiting professional roles according to specific genders. 

Interests: This is very typical about our country and culture! A lot of guys play soccer or other sports and videogames, while girls are considered more sensitive, introvert and interested in nature, arts and culture. Also this could be pushed farer away from this conventional situation that's not an absolute truth. 

Habits: I found it very accurate and also different from the "normality" in several areas in Italy (in some cases only girls/women are supposed to take care of the home environment and cooking). As I previously mentioned about the kit thing, the take away kit is very precise, meeting today’s needs.

Wishes: I don’t get exactly why are they willing to maintain “alive” those traditions, or rather, which ones they want to preserve. It’s like pieces of information are missing here. Are they born in another area different to the city maybe? Try to discover more about the origins of many of the Emilian traditions and where the personas come from, specifying a possible hometown or providing more about their roots.

Concerns: I appreciate the reason why they want to preserve their traditions. Personally, I remember many family practices in my childhood that suddenly I’m losing as time passes by and my grandparents get holder (e.g. making tomato sauce or tortellini by hand). Also, the cultural heritage loss (especially the immaterial heritage) is a real issue for northern Italy areas.

Pictures: Luca and Sofia resemble real italians as I look to their facial features. Also they look very similar in every picture (maybe Sofia changes a little bit, but that's a Midjourney issue as always). In all the pictures they're wearing fine clothes, I see that as a bias because often people (especially that young) aren't all dressed up like that (I'm referring to Luca that wears suit and tie, like a career-milanese-man style, but also to Sofia that should wear high heels and a skirt according to the first prompt). I found curious the way ChatGPT describes Basilica di San Petronio in the first prompt, because it doesn’t resemble the real architecture. It kinda looks like a generalization about Gothic style instead. 

I love the second image with the red walls, it reminds me "Rosso Bologna" a red hue typical of Bologna. However, the two dishes have nothing to do with raviole and typical emilian dishes, either. Instead, they resemble more tempura and other fried things (more asian to me). It’s funny that ChatGPT gets always confused about raviole as It comes up with new recipes every time (tomato sauce seems good on everything in Italian dishes).

I found the third image very detailed and also specific about the place (I never have been in this town before though). Even if it doesn't depict exactly Castelveltro di Modena, there are some traditional elements in the buildings such as the porches, while the architectural style seems to date back to Renaissance, instead of Gothic period (colors are different, as well materials).

Concept

Emiliana Eats: Farm-to-Table Meal Kits

Feedbacks V1

The brief was very tricky and quite difficult but you managed the work very well! The term "raviole" is misleading to the AI.

I find the idea innovative comparing to the existent services, in fact none of them values the traditional emilian kitchen. The AI made some errors, such as saying that tortellini are made with mustard green. Also, the image doesn't show any raviole, which was the main product according to the brief. 

It's impressive the engagement of local farmers that the concept provides and also the virtuous cycle that has been created about spreading sustainable practices in agriculture. 

I liked so much the thing about vehicles being provided by businesses, even if I don't know how many resources they could provide (maybe there could be a kind of return in terms of money or benefits: a sort of win-win strategy that ChatGPT could generate). 

The kit is also a great solution because of its practical use, especially in case people want a healthy lunch and have not so much time to cook by themselves during working days. 

I'd like to know better how does the whole service work, adding touchpoints, such as apps/websites/social pages or a storyboard. 

In summary, even if you encountered some challenges in respecting every point of the brief, the service can be doable and work very well in my opinion. 

As Andrea previously said, try asking ChatGPT for more details by clarifying parameters and type of information you need to refine the concept, maybe by requesting also references about cultural habits.

You did a very good job! Bravo :)

Feedbacks V2

Concept 1

I like so much the idea!!! I see that as a potential delivery service that could really work not only in Emilia but also in the whole country. It’s involving more products than just delivering the raviole, but I really appreciate that because of its usefulness to spread local traditions, even on a wider scale and outside the Emilia-Romagna region. I think that providing a digital touchpoint helps a lot in order to engage younger people and diversify the channels the target is reached through. 

I’ve got just a few notes to make:

It’s correct adapting the offer to the actual demand, making variations accessible to everyone, to vegans and vegetarians also. However, It has to be in line with the traditional recipes without revolutionizing them or contaminating them. ChatGPT should considerate that as a loss risk, ensuring a way in which both tradition and accessibility are taken into account. 

The service name is also very nice! I’d be curious to know if ChatGPT can generate “nonna” translated in bolognese dialect (it's not exactly nonna the word I meant but more linked to a woman in the peasant context), in order to make it even more rooted in tradition.

Also, I’d like to know more about how the service could work. I mean: why would users use that service and why would grandmothers work in this net as well and how they get in touch with each other for ordering. ChatGPT should generate some references about benefits for both sides and (if you want) who provides the raw material. Take into account that grandmothers aren’t used to technology (even if the live video chat is the part that I like the most).

Picture: I can see a lot of ragù here (that’s a great thing). Some boxes contain unknown food to me (the box with tomatoes and parmigiano at the top and the one with red beans beside). Also, I noticed some green leaves used as topping ingredients which is unusual for these typical plates. In the centre of the image there’s something that resembles almost completely a lasagna (a good thing also). I suggest you to cut some words in the prompt and work through keywords so Midjourney would generate more consistent images. It'd be nice see also a picture with one or two grandmothers focused on making pasta or cooking the dishes :)

Concept 2

Also this idea is great! I found useful this learning and practical approach to the tradition, rather than just “consume it”. As the first concept, I appreciate the digital side as a complementary touchpoint to the more tangible part of the service, as well as the virtual cooking classes idea to engage users as an additional service function and to keep them in touch with the service. 

Also here I’d like visualizing better the mechanism behind the service (how partnerships work, advantages for local farmers to become part of the system, how users can check and pick the kits). Maybe it would be better also including the way orders are delivered, according to the brief. 

I was thinking even if would be better making distinctions between the various dishes and traditions over Emilia-Romagna (there are many cuisines, each strictly attached to its origin territory, It would be complicated put all of them together without categorization). In alternative, you could, through ChatGPT, narrow the context to a specific territory focusing on a specific cuisine (that’s an optional advice, so don’t feel compelled to fix this).

Picture: I love the picture, it turned out very well. As usual Midjourney struggles generating people/things or following every point of the prompt. I feel correct including fruit trees in the prompt because fruit-growing areas are widespread in Emilia-Romagna. I’d like to see what Midjourney is capable to generate if you ask for the meal kit and the recipe card to be included.

Concept 3

You did very well in this concept too. I would say that this idea bring together communities’ and customers’ needs. I appreciate ChatGPT considered additional dressing products and drinks that are very typical about Emilia. Also here the digital integration of events and workshops is very effective to spread traditional practices and to keep them alive (basket weaving was an activity farmers typically did in the past, including my grandpa). 

Also here I’d like visualizing better the mechanism behind the service (how partnerships work, advantages for local farmers to become part of the system, how users can check and pick the kits). Maybe it would be better also including the way orders are delivered, according to the brief. 

I like the box! Seems vintage :) Maybe the picture could misleading because isn’t depicting the final product of the service but ingredients instead. Try to generate lunch meals and maybe one more image showing an activity/workshop mentioned in the concept. 

Notes and reflections

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