PicScout, which says it now commands the world’s largest
index of fingerprinted and owner-identified images, released a new user
interface for Google and Yahoo! The company is acting on research findings that
show 70% of creatives using the two search engines to find images.
The new interface adds a right-hand panel that displays
licensable images and license types. According to data from HOW, the design
magazine that surveyed more than 800 subscribers, adoption of the plug-in is
highly likely: In addition to the majority using search engines for
inspiration, creatives also favor helper apps, with 75% having downloaded at
least one browser add-on in the past.
More importantly, PicScout believes that the new interface
will have tangible financial benefits: “Because the new interface makes it
easier for users to identify images at the point of experience, PicScout
expects the number of transactions of licenses to expand substantially,” said
the company in a statement.
PicScout’s own buyer research played a key role in the new
release. The company conducted focus groups to assist in designing the
ImageExchange workspace, with features like a centralized panel to collect
multiple images and ability to view licensing information without having to
click on an image.
When fully active, the panel ImageExchange interface
identifies and counts the total of licensable images on any Web page and displays
the license type for each. Minimized, the running total continues to display at
the bottom of the browser window.