Magnus Hedemark
3f7c46e368
Adds the visual deltas verified against the mock: a route journey line on the cover for multi-stop trips, a color-coded trip-at-a-glance day strip after the brief, pace and budget meters, ghost section numbers, a unified warm photo grade on anchor images, and a lede drop cap. Day cards gain an optional kind field (arrive, city, excursion, coast) that drives the strip colors; anchor cards and the validator accept optional image fields. Photo-sourcing guidance for free-license images added to the research reference, QA gate updated, and the test suite extended to cover the new renderer and validator behavior. AI assistance: implementation and tests drafted by Jasper (Hermes Agent), design reviewed and approved by Magnus Hedemark.
4.4 KiB
Research and Evidence
Use this reference when the guide contains current hours, prices, events, transit, booking requirements, safety conditions, or recommendations that need source support.
Research boundary
Research the smallest set of facts needed to make the guide useful. Start from the trip thesis and anchor candidates; do not create an encyclopedia of the destination. Research should answer questions such as:
- Is the place open on the proposed day and at the proposed time?
- Does it require advance booking, a timed entry, a minimum spend, or a local account?
- How long does the transfer actually take for this route and pace?
- What does the stated price include, in which currency, and under what date or seating assumptions?
- Is the recommendation compatible with the travelers' stated constraints?
Source hierarchy
Prefer sources in this order:
- official venue, operator, museum, park, or restaurant page;
- government, transit authority, or official tourism source;
- official booking channel named by the operator;
- a reputable local publication or specialist source for discovery and context;
- community reports only as leads, never as sole support for a consequential current claim.
Use search results and aggregators to discover candidates, then open the primary source before presenting a current fact. A source that only repeats another listing is not independent confirmation.
Evidence ledger
Store a source entry for every current or consequential claim:
{
"id": "S1",
"title": "Official venue page",
"url": "https://example.org/venue",
"retrieved": "2026-08-07",
"supports": ["opening hours", "reservation method"],
"notes": "Hours vary by weekday; verify the holiday exception before booking."
}
Use the source IDs in the content model. The rendered guide should show a compact source note near practical claims and a readable source list at the end. Record retrieval dates in ISO format. If a source has no publication or update date, say so rather than inventing freshness.
Facts, inference, and uncertainty
Keep these categories distinct in both the model and prose:
- Fact: directly supported by a cited source.
- Inference: an editorial judgment about fit, sequence, or atmosphere.
- Estimate: a range derived from stated assumptions.
- Unknown: information the research could not verify.
Use language that reflects the category. “The operator lists…” is different from “this should suit a slow morning.” “Budget approximately…” is different from a promised total. Do not turn an inference into a fact by putting it in a table.
Costs and reservations
Show currency, date assumptions, and what is included. Prefer ranges where price changes by time, seating, season, or exchange rate. Distinguish:
- admission or cover charge;
- food and drink estimate;
- transportation;
- booking fee or minimum spend;
- refundable versus non-refundable commitment.
Do not book or purchase anything. A booking link is a pointer, not evidence that availability exists. Mark availability as unverified unless the user or a booking tool has explicitly confirmed it.
Photo sourcing
Photos are part of the visual contract: the cover and anchor cards take local images from the trip model, and the renderer embeds them into the artifact. The traveler's own photos are the best source. For anything else:
- prefer free-license sources (for example Wikimedia Commons with a CC0, CC BY, or CC BY-SA license) over scraped web images;
- record the author and license in the image credit field so the rendered dossier can show it;
- download the file into the working folder and reference it by relative path so the renderer embeds it; never hotlink an arbitrary web image into a private artifact;
- give every image a descriptive alt attribute that says what the photo shows, not what it proves;
- do not use a photo to imply that a recommendation is verified. A picture of a famous site is not a source for its opening hours.
Research stop conditions
Stop and report a limitation when:
- the only available evidence is stale or contradictory;
- a page is inaccessible and no authoritative alternative exists;
- an exact price, opening hour, or event schedule cannot be confirmed;
- the request would require visa, medical, legal, or safety advice beyond the source and agent's authority.
A useful guide can contain a clearly labeled unknown. It must not hide the gap behind confident prose.