A digital asset management (DAM) system is only as valuable as the content in it. A consistent flow of new, useful, and usable assets keeps teams coming back for more. Eventually, using the DAM system becomes a key part of their workflow. But enabling content creators to properly upload assets can be a challenge. So our team set out to make the process simpler.

The search system within the Widen Collective^Ⓡ allows our 500,000+ users to find the digital assets they need. Across every Collective site the search system's job is to store all of uploaded asset information in a format that can be searched in a wide variety of ways; so that it can return results that are accurate, complete, and in compliance with the platform's governance structure. All in a matter of milliseconds! This is a highly complex system that has gone through several major overhauls over the past 15+ years to keep pace with the exponential growth of data that Widen handles. This post is the tale of that evolution over time, and the steps we take to ensure its ability to scale into the future.

“I think when implementing something new, or when something comes with a change, fear is completely natural...the audience reaction to the new site was our biggest fear.” – Maria Jose Torres, Steelcase

We had so many amazing entries for the 2019 DAM Good Dashboard Contest. It was a tough call, but we have our winners!

Do you know how much your feedback shapes what the Widen Collective looks like and does? Your experiences and expectations using Collective influence the design and development direction we take. Your input even gives us ideas on what should be included in new apps that we create from scratch.