To envisage and design the transition from a digital archive system developed for domain experts to one for non-domain users

Diverse digital resources are commonly used by different types of users. It is common practice to develop those application having in mind a set of requirements for a specific target category of users. We envisaged and designed the IPSA archive and system using a similar approach: the identification of a set of requirements for researchers in illuminated manuscripts as a target group of domain professional users. The IPSA system has been in use as a research tool by domain professionals. The consideration that the content of the archive managed by the IPSA system could be of interest for other types of users suggested reconsidering its approach to envisage a new system designed around the same archive of illuminated manuscripts for their access by diverse categories of users. The paper reports on the work that was conducted to re-design and re-engineer the system to match requirements and expectations of non-domain users.