arvato | Media Portal Redesign and technical realignment of the Media Asset Management System from arvato

Initial situation New development of a MAM frontend based on HTML5 & JavaScript

The goal of this project was to replace the interface of the VPMS Media Asset Management System of Arvato Systems S4M GmbH, which is based on the Silverlight browser plug-in, with a modern HTML5-based web application and to align the user interface more closely with the users' workflows.

In dialogue with users an alternative user interface concept was developed. In a first step, the user interface was designed to meet the needs of editors who regularly perform complex searches in preparation for their articles and then need to be continuously informed about new hits.

Process of conception Human-centered Design

In the course of the new development the VPMS should not simply be copied. Rather, the client was interested in fundamentally rethinking the historically grown user interface of the VPMS system and adapting it to the needs of very different users.

The first important application scenario chosen was the regular research activities of the editors. On the one hand, a new design could be formulated for the search and presentation results. Then the technical implementation was prepared and accompanied.

dimensional thus supported Arvato Systems S4M GmbH in the conception, the orientation of the product, the design of corresponding interfaces and selectively also in the development of the technical prototype.

Design solution A modern interface for everyday use.

On the basis of the user-centred concept, a modern and appealing user interface was created. Everyday use by editors was the main focus of the design, so that essential operating elements could be found more quickly and were easier to use.
A comprehensive interaction concept ensures clear structures and intuitive learnability.


An essential innovation to simplify the standard workflow of users is the faceted search. The search for media files in the TV sector is subject to many conditions and criteria. In addition, in the old infrastructure, different applications searched different databases, so that the collection of found material could not take place easily and unambiguously.

Technical objective A robust and scalable framework as objective

On the basis of an individual client framework as a single-page application in Silverlight, an application framework was created that allows generic and customer-specific modules to be developed and integrated into an application. Thereby dimensional was able to meet different challenges appropriately.