Proposal of a method for assessing the quality of stock photography websites

Abstract

The advent of the Internet, the advent of digital photography and the chance of digitalizing large volumes of photographs, negatives, slides or daguerreotypes revolutionized the field of commercial stock photography. This new digital environment forced stock photography to adapt to the changing needs of its users. One of the main measures that these agencies were faced with these new needs of users was to create their own websites through which to offer their products to their customers. Paper catalogs were replaced by online catalogs, facilitating access and cost savings to users. Stock photography business is constantly expanding, thus becoming more competitive. To stay in business and keep loyalty in customers, companies cannot stagnate and they need to improve their services every day to meet the demands of their users. Currently, there are several methods for assessing the quality of websites in general, but there is still no method focused on stock photography websites. This study aims to collect basic tools and features that stock photography websites should include, taking into account the needs and expectations of their users. To this end, the researcher conducted an observation and comparison of ten stock photography websites selected as a sample and she identified the main characteristics and resources of these kinds of websites. In addition, to obtain the views and needs of users, the researcher prepared two questionnaires. The study focused on a single type of users of these companies (buyers of images) and a specific type of companies, so-called traditional stock agencies. The findings of this research and the proposed site-evaluation method are intended to be useful for those professionals responsible for management or maintenance of stock photography websites. Furthermore, these findings may also be useful in the preparation of future methods focused on the needs of different types of users.