Adobe's Next-Generation Composability: A New Chapter in Content Management

As one of the most experienced partners in the Adobe ecosystem, we've been closely involved with new developments happening in the world of Adobe Experience Manager. And since we first shared our thoughts on Adobe's Project Franklin, enhancements have happened that will make a world of difference in what we can do with the platform. We've had the opportunity to delve deeper, and here are our updated insights.

Next Generation Composability is an architectural pattern for all of AEM, and Project Franklin is a part of that world. The name 'Next-Generation Composability' reflects the project's ambitions to usher in a new generation of content management that creates ways for users to compose and manage their content more intuitively and efficiently. So, what does this mean?

Reimagining Content Management

Adobe's Next-Generation Composability is changing the content management game. This innovative system lets users populate website content directly from common word processors and spreadsheets like Microsoft Word and Excel or Google Docs and Sheets. Instead of waiting for a dedicated person to transfer approved content into a website, you can publish directly from what would typically be the content brief in other systems. This new concept enables users to create, edit, and publish all from the same document, eliminating the need for the copy/paste step and making the content management workflow more efficient and less error prone.

Next-Generation Composability opens up web content creation to a wider audience, allowing them to work within the tools they are comfortable with and use every day. This ability significantly boosts content velocity, a valuable component of a successful content supply chain, and allows teams to put out content faster without compromising on quality, integrity, or changing employee workflows.

Once the system syncs, the site's content and functionality update immediately, eliminating the time-consuming rebuilding processes. This is a significant advantage over static site generators, headless, or JAMStack architectures, particularly for businesses with team members distributed across various time zones, as it allows for quick content creation and publishing.

Empowering Developers

Developers also stand to gain from this new architecture. Next-Gen Composability leverages the power and advanced capabilities of JavaScript (JS). In the past, JS was a relatively weak language, necessitating the use of other languages like Java, Typescript, or JSX to build powerful applications. Adobe’s Lars Trieloff explains it like this, “These additional languages, which compiled into JS, were used to overcome JS's shortcomings, a bit like a bike racer getting pulled along by a motorcycle because the hills are too steep. However, JS has evolved significantly and is now capable of building powerful experiences on its own, without the need for these additional 'tricks.'” This technical bet on JavaScript's ability to handle complex tasks reduces unnecessary complexity and enhances performance. As a result, the development process becomes more efficient, and the reliance on backend developers with knowledge of advanced programming languages is reduced.

Delivering High-Impact Experiences

Adobe's Next-Gen Composability does more than just simplify workflows. It is designed to enhance user experiences and improve website visibility. Websites created with this new system have achieved impressive Google Lighthouse scores, reflecting their performance, accessibility, SEO, and adherence to best practices. But the benefits extend beyond SEO. The correlation between page load speed and conversion rate is clear, and a higher Lighthouse score, which these new tools from Adobe are designed to help sites achieve, can lead to improved conversion rates. This is because the Lighthouse Score is not just a measure of performance, but the best standardized measure of user experience the industry has. This makes it crucial for targeted web content such as landing pages, blogs, and marketing copy.

Complementing Existing Tools

Despite all these exciting features, Next-Gen Composability isn't intended to replace Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) but to complement it. Content from AEM can be rendered on a page delivered by Next-Gen Composability and vice versa. This integrated approach expands the possibilities for content management and delivery.

Adobe is paving the way for a fresh perspective on content management systems, and we are excited about the potential. We will continue to provide updates as we explore and understand more about Project Franklin and Next Gen Composability.

We love working closely with organizations to harness the potential of the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem using our Total Experience framework that aligns with our deep understanding of customer experience (as well as EX, and PX) to deliver a holistic experience that spans across the front, middle, and back office.