PLACE DES ARTS
Promoting the various forms of performing arts and cultural life of Québec in style
Place des Arts’ mission is to promote artistic and cultural life in Québec, and to provide increased accessibility to the various forms of performing arts. Since its inauguration, it has welcomed artists from around the world into its halls and onto its stages and presents over 1,000 performances each year.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Place des Arts wanted to overhaul its website to be more in line with the new reality of the web, as well as the ever evolving needs and expectations of users. Place des Arts wanted a new and more current image, most importantly, one more oriented towards the promotion of events. One of the main goal of this redesign was to better position their event offerings, and by doing so, convert more visitors into ticket buyers .
To achieve this, it was important to create a sense of commitment, to put the emotional aspect of the user experience at the forefront while focusing on the events. There was a need to build a relationship with the visitors, to help them plan their visit, to give them quick access to the desired information, and optimize the purchase cycle, while showcasing the leadership position of Place des Arts in the Montreal cultural scene.
ECOSYSTEM & MARKET
0
m
visitors since its opening
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+
events every year
0
m
unique website visitors per year
0
resident companies (theatre, opera, ballets)
0
seats within its 6 venues
MY ROLE
I organized several workshops with the client that have enabled us to identify their users’ needs, and helped in developing a strategy that could better satisfy them. As an information architect I have subsequently taken an inventory of existing content, identified new requirements, then combined and restructured them in a new site map.
Once all of this information was gathered, I proceeded to create functional wireframe models illustrating the principles of navigation and user flow scenarios we wished to put in place. I designed the user experience models incorporating best practices in terms of ergonomy, while applying the methodologies and techniques of the user-centered design approach.
THE APPROACH
Place des Arts’ website receives over 1.7 million unique visitors per year, and a very high percentage of ticket sales is made online. Knowing that users of this platform have a very specific purpose during their visit, it was essential to ensure a quick and easy access to content relevant to them.
Given its importance to visitors, the emphasis was put on the events content, so most of the interface elements of the home page are in line with this. The page includes a carrousel with several ” featured events “, a search engine that allows you to find events by date or type of event, and a schedule of upcoming shows. The site consists primarily of three major sections, ” Shows “, ” Venues ” and ” Plan your visit “, which allow users to quickly obtain the information they seek, whether at home or on the road using the mobile version of the site.
RESULTS
The new site is more dynamic, user-friendly and interactive, it is offering a wealth of information on performances held at Place des Arts with photos and videos, it supports sharing via social media, and demonstrates the distinctive elements of Place des Arts, while creating a light and elegant framework which allows to highlight the shows that are presented there.
0
%
more total visits
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%
more new website visitors
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%
more returning visitors
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%
more sales through website