Human-centered DAM design. Trend or common sense?
This weekend I read an interesting article in Journal of Digital Media Management. The article was about a user-centered design approach to digital asset management, using user experience as the basis for designing system configurations. The author identifies this as one of the key Digital Asset Management trends for 2021. An article after my own heart. As an organization, you shouldn't have to conform to your DAM system, you should find a system that can conform to your organization.
Furnish to your own taste
User-centered DAM design. To be honest, that is what we have believed in for more than 20 years. Yes, our DAM system is a generic system, and yes, that has its advantages. Many features are important to every organization, and when we make an enhancement, all users benefit. But we also believe that configuring and implementing a DAM should not be based on the system's generic limitations or requirements, but rather on the organization's existing workflows and use cases.
Unique brain twists
A DAM system requires quite an investment from an organization, and of course you want something in return. In our experience, cheap is often expensive. Moving your assets to the cloud will not get you there. It doesn't address the real problem, which is that there is not one unique folder structure that everyone can follow. Everyone has his or her own area of expertise, his or her own way of looking at the world, and there is no one directory structure that fits each employee's brain twists exactly. Before you know it, your DAM system will be a zombie. Rather, get a system set up to work for everyone.
Getting started immediately - appropriately
If you're considering getting started with our DAM system, the first step is to get a customized demo. This allows us to include your team's specific needs and challenges in the demo and show how our applications and modules fit the use cases of your unique organization. If you actually engage with us, at least two workshops will follow, so we can map out exactly how the different users in your organization think. We translate that into an appropriate metadata convention and rights structure. We deliver this in an acceptance environment, so you can test the system extensively. If you are completely happy, a full rollout follows, and you can start working with the system immediately. This is very different from receiving an empty system that you have to set up yourself. In practice, that usually means that you just start uploading, only to find out after a few months that you have done little more than move the existing folder structure to the cloud. That doesn't really get you anywhere.
Thorough preparation will help you move forward
If you make the switch to a DAM system, do it right. Thorough preparation is very important, agrees Manon Veldman, responsible for Marketing Resources at Grolsch, in this blog.
Curious?
Want to talk further about how our DAM system or any of our marketing modules can support your organization with content management, consistency and automation? Feel free to contact us or request a free demo right away. We'd love to think with you. Now and in the future.