How a Dynamic User Interface Makes the Difference in DAM

Think back to the first time you drove a car. You sat in the front seat, put the key in the ignition, looked at your parent, friend, or sibling in the passenger seat with nervous excitement, and turned it on. With sweaty hands, you put the car in reverse and began backing out of the driveway. Suddenly, you heard a loud “BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!”

Alarmed, you looked at the console and slammed on your brakes (even though you were going less than five miles per hour). Gracefully, your passenger showed you the blinking red ‘BRAKE’ light, indicating that you forgot to turn off the parking brake before starting your adventure. Feeling relieved, you turned off the brake, thereby avoiding a potentially costly repair, and drove off confidently. 

This scenario highlights the importance of a dynamic user interface (UI) whether it’s in a vehicle or another system. At its best, a user interface enhances a user’s experience by providing important information that they can use to efficiently and effectively operate a system or device. For example, in a vehicle, the UI offers data regarding speed, gas left in the tank, blind spot warning, etc. Conversely, a poorly designed UI can have a significant negative impact on a user’s experience. It can lead to confusion frustration, and even abandonment of the system or device. 

Digital asset management (DAM) programs, like almost every other software-based system, have user interfaces through which end-users interact with the program. This interface guides users through workflows and to the assets they need, saves them time and money, helps them avoid mistakes, and effectively trains them on the platform.  

Frontify is a brand-building platform that combines a user-friendly DAM platform with customized portals, enabling creatives and marketers to design, organize, and collaborate. The company has a unique approach to its UI. Frontify uses brand guidelines to intuitively guide users to the assets they need in the context of brand identity, consistency, and messaging, while also minimizing the risk of their using off-brand content.

In this article, Stacks and Frontify discuss the importance of well-designed, dynamic user interfaces in  DAM programs and how Frontify’s UI helps organizations put their brand at the center of their DAM programs.

Why User Interfaces Matter to Your DAM Program

Ease of Use & Increased Adoption

Why are user interfaces important to DAM? The same reason they’re important to all other systems! The UI directly impacts a user’s experience, which in turn impacts how much value a system generates. When you hear the term UI mentioned, you’ve likely also heard the term UX, which stands for user experience. In simple terms, user experience is the overall architecture of the system. The two terms are directly linked, as user interface (UI) is actually a fundamental part of the overall user experience (UX) of a system or program. 

To clearly define the two terms: User Experience (UX) describes how a user interacts with a system, from its layout to their feelings to how quickly they can achieve their goals. User Interface (UI) refers more directly to the design, architecture, and tools that provide information to the user for decision-making. 

Taking this into account, you can easily see how a good UI can impact the return on investment (ROI) your organization receives from its DAM system. Your users will inevitably stop using the system if they are confused by the data they're given, don’t know how to navigate through it, make the wrong decisions, or can’t easily achieve their goals. 

On the other hand, if your users are intuitively guided by the UI to the assets they want, understand where to look for what they need, and are shielded by the UI from decisions that could hurt their performance or the organization, the value of your DAM program skyrockets. While UI isn't the only factor in user success and adoption, it makes a huge difference and can be the primary reason your DAM program falters or finds success.

Ensure Users Are Assets, Not Liabilities

Every system is prone to human error. Of the three pillars of a DAM program (people, processes, and platforms), people are the biggest wildcard. Processes can be adjusted and platforms can be debugged, but human beings interacting with a system can wreak havoc on even the most finely tuned workflows. 

Along with the proper training and education, a DAM platform’s UI can ensure users are assets that catalyze the program’s success and growth instead of liabilities that negatively impact it. When people are excited about using a DAM program and contributing to it, they are more likely to provide constructive feedback, ask good questions, and take ownership of their learning and development. 

While it may seem superfluous, the design of a DAM platform’s UI has a huge impact on this dynamic, down to the fonts and colors users see when they log in. Frontify understands this, and its brand guidelines-based approach provides a framework for organizations to get their UI right from the beginning.

Frontify’s Approach to User Interfaces for DAM Systems

The First Step to ROI

Going back to the analogy of user interfaces found in automobiles, consider the speedometer. If you bought a car and realized you had to manually press and hold a button to view your speed each time, you probably wouldn't use the speedometer very often. Your first impression of a user interface goes a long way in deciding whether or not you will actually use the interface going forward. 

As a marketing department, you're responsible for creating and maintaining so many different brand assets, marketing materials, and pieces of content. But marketers are often left wondering, is any of this stuff being used by the wider organization? On top of that, Spring Health (a Frontify customer) recently shared this in a webinar:

Frontify believes a user-friendly DAM interface is the first step to increasing DAM usage and adoption. As more people use your DAM, you'll then be able to realize the bigger successes of increased brand consistency and ROI. Frontify's customers agree. According to a recent survey that Frontify conducted with 300 customers, 88% say Frontify is easier to use than their previous solution. In the same survey, 96% of Frontify's customers say Frontify helps them achieve their goals. 

Whether you're looking to implement a new DAM platform or onboard new employees to your existing DAM program, the first impression of your DAM platform's user interface is critical to usage and adoption. Put yourself in your users' shoes: If your DAM's interface is clunky, confusing, and difficult to use, are you going to waste time trying to find a specific brand asset? Or are you going to build your own folder on your local drive? Or worse, search Google for logos and assets? 

A Customized Experience for More Robust Brand Governance

A big part of usability is customization. Frontify's brand guidelines and brand portal capabilities allow you to customize the experience for various users and user groups, making it easier to showcase the content that's most relevant to them. 

For example, consider a global enterprise company with a corporate brand and several different product brands. Most employees and external partners will need access to branded content. With Frontify, you can manage access rights to give internal teams and external partners access to relevant libraries, folders, and even specific assets.