Centaur Theatre
Enhanced User Experience for an Evolving Theatre
Client
Centaur Theatre
Year
2022 - Present
Expertise
Plank has been a long-term web partner of Montreal’s renowned Centaur Theatre, completing a website redesign and helping them increase their online presence in the process. Following a successful relaunch in 2018, the website needed further improvements that matched its recent rebrand – including enhanced user navigation, greater flexibility for administrators, and seamless ticketing integration. The result is a site that continues to express the magic of theatre online and bring culturally significant stories to a wider audience.
Why this project was a success
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1
Implemented modular design giving admins flexible content blocks with endless configurations.
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2
Integrated Spektrix API for a seamless ticketing process.
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3
Modernized the site navigation and simplified the content structure to improve user experience and conversion rates.
Flexible Content With Modular Design
The first iteration of Centaur Theatre’s website included a number of templates used to build web pages. Templates are naturally very rigid, with little ability for admins to move sections of a page around to fit their needs. To give them more flexibility with their content, we implemented a modular design, which contains blocks that can be moved, added, or removed easily.
With modular web design, administrators have the ability to create pages using independent content sections that can be combined in an infinite amount of ways. This also allows Centaur Theatre’s website to evolve and scale as its organization does without relying on agency support for monthly updates.
Spektrix Integration
We integrated the Spektrix API for a seamless experience from show viewings to ticket purchases. Using a calendar view, users can view upcoming shows and easily purchase tickets without having to navigate between pages.
Utilizing Spektrix API, the buy tickets page can pull desired data in real-time, making ticket purchases and showtime information a mainly hands-off process for admins once they complete their initial set-up. There is no need to duplicate or update content as showtime approaches.
Improved Navigation
The mantra less is more can be just as significant to web design as anything else. By carefully selecting the content that is displayed, and where and when it’s shared, you can better guide users across a site. We applied this concept to Centaur Theatre’s website by carefully designing the navigation to focus on key actions like buying tickets and viewing shows.
Their navigation now features a main menu that contains content users are most likely searching for and an expanded menu containing additional information. Another way we improved navigation is by using a sticky call-to-action button that invites users to buy tickets while scrolling. By making these simple yet effective changes, users can easily engage in desired actions, which can result in an increase in conversion rates long-term.
About the client
Centaur Theatre, located in the heart of Old Montreal, is devoted to bringing the cultural landscape of today’s world to the stage by telling the most relevant stories of our times. It has been the centre of the city’s arts community since 1969 and for over 50 years has fostered the spirit of new artists and audiences alike.
