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Instance-Level Display Settings Management in AEM: Replacing Browser Cookies

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11/22/24

Request for Feature Enhancement (RFE) Summary: This idea proposes enhancing Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) by shifting the storage of display settings within Sites and DAM sections from browser cookies to an instance-level configuration. By managing display preferences (such as UI layouts or viewing modes) directly within the AEM instance, users can enjoy a consistent experience across devices and browsers without relying on client-side storage. This approach improves usability, eliminates cookie dependency, enhances security, and ensures compliance with stricter data privacy regulations.
Use-case:

Use Case: Unified Display Settings for Multi-Device Content Editors

Scenario:
A content author frequently switches between a desktop computer at work and a laptop at home to edit content in AEM. Currently, their preferred display settings—such as column view—are stored in browser cookies. This leads to an inconsistent user experience, as their preferences need to be manually reconfigured on each browser and device.

Solution with Instance-Level Settings:
By saving display preferences at the AEM instance level, the author’s settings are automatically applied regardless of the browser or device they use. The system retrieves their settings directly from the instance during login, ensuring a seamless and personalized experience.

Benefits:

  1. Consistency: The same display settings persist across all devices and browsers.
  2. Efficiency: Eliminates the need for users to reset or reconfigure preferences.
  3. Privacy & Compliance: Reduces reliance on cookies, aligning with stricter privacy laws like GDPR.
  4. Usability: Provides a more polished and user-friendly experience for content authors and administrators.
Current/Experienced Behavior: In AEM, display settings for users are typically managed on a per-browser basis using cookies or local storage. This cookie-based approach is functional but lacks flexibility and scalability for modern multi-device workflows and collaborative environments, making a server-side, instance-level storage mechanism a desirable enhancement.
Improved/Expected Behavior: The expected behavior involves transitioning from a browser-dependent model to an instance-level storage model for display settings. This approach ensures a consistent, user-friendly experience across devices, browsers, and shared environments.
Environment Details (AEM version/service pack, any other specifics if applicable): AEM as a Cloud service (All environments), Release: 2024.11.18598.20241113T125352Z
Customer-name/Organization name: BORUSSIA DORTMUND GMBH AND CO
Screenshot (if applicable):  
Code package (if applicable):