In collaboration with LED Community Leisure (LED), we designed and developed a new website for Exmouth Pavilion, a 541-seat theatre located on the seafront. The objective was to create a modern, user-friendly website that promotes performances, facilitates bookings, and provides information about the café, bar, and venue hire.
Approach and methodology
The new site aimed to engage key audiences, improve user experience, and offer administrative flexibility through a streamlined CMS.
Our approach involved early and continuous engagement with the LED team. The project began with a comprehensive scoping phase, including a workshop to identify user needs and reviews of Analytics data and technical assets. We adopted a user-centred design methodology, involving end-users early through rapid prototyping and interactive wireframes. This approach allowed us to refine the user experience cost-effectively at the prototype stage, reducing risk and enhancing the final product's quality.
Using Webflow, we developed interactive prototypes for each template required by the site. These prototypes helped us agree on content hierarchy, confirm functionality, and assess user experience. Visual design elements were then integrated into these wireframes, ensuring consistency across multiple devices and screen sizes. Feedback was incorporated to refine the designs, resulting in a near-identical mockup of the final site.
Development and integration
The new website was built on WordPress, chosen for its flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. We utilised Gutenberg blocks to create a library of prebuilt elements that could be freely configured and rearranged. For ticketing, we integrated the Spektrix system, pulling event details from the Spektrix API and linking them to pages within WordPress. Visitors can sort events by date or alphabetically, and ticket availability is dynamically updated through the API. The checkout process, styled within iframes, includes upsell opportunities via supplementary events as determined by Spektrix.
The newly launched website significantly improved Exmouth Pavilion’s online presence. It offers a robust, user-friendly platform that enhances operational efficiency and customer engagement. The modern design and intuitive navigation cater to key audiences, encouraging more visits and facilitating easy bookings. The integration with Spektrix ensures a seamless ticketing process, while the flexible CMS allows for easy content updates and administration.
