A user centered approach to designing, building,
  and implementing a

Digital Asset Management System

for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
      

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Interview Questions
Last updated 2/5/01
[Ask for copies of any relevant information!]

Turn on the tape recorder!

Target users for interviews:
Thom, Sheamus, Susan from Collections; Susie, Tim, or Deena in Multimedia Education; Leo in Information Systems and Services.

I. Explain project and interview objectives

Summary of project (introduction):
We are creating a digital asset management system that will consist of three components:

1) the content (images and information about the images), 2) a system for creating and managing this content (database, user interface, technical specifications) and 3) storage (where the content lives, both for local access and long-term preservation).

The goal of this system is to organize and simplify the creation and use of digital images of permanent collection objects for users at SFMOMA, in a way that complements the use of EmbARK, the collection management system.

Interview Objectives:
These interviews are being conducted before designing the new digital asset management system in order to help us gain a better understanding of how museum staff currently use and create digital images of permanent collection objects.

II. Conduct Interview

Introductory Questions
(Questions in parentheses are reminders for us and are not necessarily meant to be asked explicitly.)

Q1: Tell us about your job? What is your exact job title? How long have you been at SFMOMA? (Education? Training?)

Q2: What are your main goals in your position? (How do you know you’re doing a good job? Who do you really need to please?)

Q3: In general, users of the digital asset management system with either be creators of digital images of permanent collection objects, users of these digital images, or both. Which category best describes you?

(For IT staff, who do use or create digital images, jump to Q20. For creators of digital images jump to Q11. For both, continue with Q4.)

(Questions for Users)

Q4: What do you use digital images of objects in the permanent collection for? Give 3 or 4 examples, if possible, that typify your use.

Q5: Do you usually work with these images alone or with others. If with others, give a few examples describing who you have worked with and how you shared the images?

Q6: How do you find out whether or not a particular image exists? Describe the steps involved for each method used. (Do you ask somebody? Are there paper records that you can check? Do you use a computer system to find out?)

Q7: What are the strengths and weaknesses of each system used.

Q8: Have you ever found that the museum does have a digital image that you are looking for, but that it isn’t adequate for your intended use? If so, please explain?

Q9: Do you ever modify these digital image files? If yes, what are the most common modifications? (Cropping? Resizing? Adjusting color values?)

Q10: Is there anything else about how or why you use digital images of permanent collection objects that you think it is important for us to know?

If this is the end of the interview, jump to Q23.

(Questions for Creators)

 Q11: What percentage of your job is spent creating digital images of art objects?

Q12: Give three or four examples of why you create digital images of objects in the permanent collection? (Print material? Websites? Interactive multimedia? Documenting changes in the status of the object?)

Q13: What are your most important goals when you are creating digital images? (Process is quick? Images are of a very high quality? To only have to create once?)

Q14: How do you create images of permanent collection objects? What technology do you use? (Digital camera and/or scanner?)

Q15: What processes do you follow when creating digital images of permanent collection objects? (Set number of steps, color correction, filters, etc.?, Make multiple versions? Save to CD or DVD?)

Q16: How do you name your image files? Is there an explicit filename convention that you follow? 

Q17: Are there explicit guidelines you follow for creating image files? Can we get a copy? (Who created guidelines?)

Q18: In what ways do you document the image creation process? What information do you record about how the images are created ? How do you record this information? (Word processing files? Database? Spreadsheets?)

Q19: In what ways, if any, do you think the documentation process that you use could be improved?

If this is the end of the interview, jump to Q23.

(Questions for IT staff)

Q20: What are the major end-user support issues you now face that are related to how the museum uses and creates digital images? (File space? Finding files? Restoring deleted or lost files? Learning EmbARK interface?)

Q21: Are there other technical issues with the way images are currently created and used?

Q22: Do you have any tips for us on making the user interface to the digital asset management system easier to use and/or easier for you to support?

(Wrap-up)