Cheeosk

Frank Punnci, the Cheesemonger

Frank is 26 years old. He was born and raised in Italy, where his family owned a small dairy farm that made cheeses. He moved to New York to live with his aunt as a teenager, and has lived there since. After working some construction jobs in his early 20s, he got a job as a cheesemonger at the Far-way supermarket on the Upper West Side. Frank is very outgoing and personable, and his customers love him. He is very passionate and knowledgable about the cheeses he sells because of his childhood on the farm. He enjoys sharing "the story of the cheese" with his customers, and loves getting people to try new things and explore flavors and varieties that might lay outside their comfort zone. Frank has a much better memory for cheeses than for names, and sometimes has a hard time remembering his customers' names. He dreams of someday opening a cheese shop of his own, and is working hard to build connections with his customers.

Life goals:

• Make a good wage and support himself in New York City
• Open a cheese shop of his own on the Lower East Side
• Promote his family's cheeses and sell them on their behalf, help support their farm

Experience goals:

• Quickly and easily access customer information
• Easy to navigate - not really computer savvy and doesn't have higher education
• Educate himself in the event there is a cheese he is less familiar with

End goals:

• Help people appreciate the art of cheesemaking; share the sense of romance of cheese with his customers
• Enhance his customers' buying experience
• Help customers experiment and explore different cheeses
• Build up a customer base so he has existing customers for when he opens his own shop

Debbie Peterson, the Novice Cheese Buyer

Debbie is a 57 year old retiree who lives on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. She is married and has two children, the youngest of whom has recently left for college. Her husband is a consultant and sometimes travels for work. Debbie frequents many local stores, including the Far-way market where Frank works. Her computer use is limited primarily to web-browsing and email. Now that her children are out of the house, Debbie is interested in building up a stronger social circle amongst her friends in New York. Her building has a rooftop deck that she plans to use to throw parties.

Life goals:

• Cultivating relationships with her friends and building her social circle now that her children have all moved out
• Build relationships with local merchants and feel connected to her neighborhood
• Feel more cultured

Experience goals:

• Access the system easily
• Not be overwhelmed with too much information
• Navigate and interact with the system easily

End goals:

• Educate herself about different styles of cheese
• Show off her new knowledge to her friends
• Feel confident approaching the cheese counter