a Chef was developed as part of the graduation for Utrecht School of the Arts in The Netherlands. The other part of the MA (Master of Arts) curriculum was to write a thesis which would support the science behind this project. This document is called 'a Chef - The Proof Behind the Concept' and is mainly written to support the pshychological design decisions of the prototype.
a Chef - The Proof Behind the Concept has 5 aims:
- To explore the different possibilities that could provide the information that the system needs, and then to describe the best system.
- To find out how the system should function to attract users or how to convince users to buy the proposed alternative.
- To explore the different platforms on which the system could function while still conforming to the project's main objective.
- To explore how the proposed research outcomes should be implemented in a functioning proof of concept.
The questions of how this proof of concept could be realised and how it should be functioning in the future are also being explored.
Abstract
| As the consequences of (over) consumption are entering the spotlight in first world countries, the concept of food quality does not only refer to health and safety anymore, but now also considers issues such as culture and lifestyle, animal welfare, local produce, and the influence of food production on the environment. Society’s current response is to apply labels and certificates to products that are produced according to certain guidelines. However, a problem occurs with this response: there is a lot of confusion about the many different labels and certificates that appeared over the last few decades and consumers do not know what they mean or stand for. More problems occur. Consumers could be interested in a product that has a specific label or certificate, but have no idea if it is available in the retailer they are currently at. The proposed solution is to divide all labels and certificates into five categories: Animal Welfare, Climate Change, Health, Environment & Ecosystem and Fair Trade (the ACHEF categories) and allows better alternatives to be found for these categories. However, there are theoretical and practical challenges ahead that must be overcome before this proposed solution can work effectively. |
For example, there is a major practical limitation concerning the provision of information. Whilst there are different systems that could provide the missing information, the best solution seems to be a web 2.0 information system. There are more theoretical challenges ahead that, once solved, would contribute to a more successful solution. For example, if the system is designed so that it becomes more attractive to consumers, or if the proposed better alternatives could appear more desirable, then it would benefit the underlying purpose of the solution. The practical challenges of the proposed solution appeared during the development of a proof of concept. Before the proof of concept could be created, it was important to know which platform would be most suitable. After the best platform for the proof of concept was determined, the findings from the research were implemented. Finally, time constraints did not allow all researched functions to be implemented into the proof of concept but should be implemented in the future. The end result is that a proof of concept was sufficiently developed so that it could perform as a tool to conduct further field research. |
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