The Role Of Interoperability In DAM UX

Ralph Windsor, contributing editor at DAM News has written a special feature article exclusively for us: Resolving The DAM UX Paradox.  The piece is mainly concerned with the differences between the interface needs of heavy DAM users vs more occasional usage.

Ralph describes how there is a paradox unfolding where the needs of production staff who supply most of the assets that are downloaded from DAM systems are increasingly being ignored.  He contends that by making DAM systems easier for the majority to use, there is a corresponding impact on the number of assets that might get supplied due to limited features being made available for heavier users and this might increase the number of silos of inaccessible content.

“Production staff usually either have access to or originate far more of the digital media that goes on to DAM systems to begin with. Even with large DAM systems in big corporations, I often find that the majority of the material will have been uploaded by a small group of heavy users – sometimes as few as one or two individuals.  One of the other terms that seems to be banded around in DAM circles a lot currently is to refer to ‘silos’ of assets and how these need to be unified and integrated together. It seems to me that this paradoxical situation with DAM interfaces is leading towards more silos rather than less of them.” [Read More]

His proposal to resolve this dilemma is for greater interoperability between DAM systems and also functional specialisation by vendors so it is easier to address the full range of user needs.  He asserts that not only is this desirable, it is essential for the long-term survival of the DAM sector.

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