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Showcasing Wolf Trap's Offerings through Improved User Experience

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is a local organization with a national reach and a reputation for attracting world-class talent. To fulfill their mission --presenting excellent and innovative performing arts programs for the enrichment, education, and enjoyment of diverse audiences-- Wolf Trap turned to NavigationArts to create and implement an internet strategy, and to design and develop a website commensurate with their preeminent cultural offerings.

The cornerstone of the internet strategy was to increase audience engagement through an improved user experience. Wolf Trap determined that the new site structure should provide visibility into all of their venues, exposing their full brand. NavigationArts’ information architects achieved this goal by structuring the site navigation and content around Wolf Trap’s four programming areas (The Filene Center, The Barns, The Opera, and Education), while creating clear pathways that allow site visitors to purchase tickets, find performances, and enroll in classes. The user interface design further emphasizes Wolf Trap’s four pillars of excellence and incorporates photographs of the grounds, facilities, and performances to convey the experience of a Wolf Trap visit.

NavigationArts’ development team built the website in the Sitecore content management system. They customized advanced calendar and search functionality to make it easy for site visitors to learn about upcoming events and classes, and purchase tickets. The use of a content management system allows the web managers to make regular updates to performance details and other site content with ease.

Project results included:

• An internet strategy to help Wolf Trap more effectively engage diverse audiences through improved information architecture, increasing ticket sales, donations, and class registrations.
• New site architecture that accurately reflects Wolf Trap’s varied offerings and provides an intuitive navigation structure for online visitors.
• User interface design that reinforces the distinct programming areas and incorporates images of Wolf Trap’s state of the art facilities and world class performances.
• Selection of the Sitecore content management system.
• Website development including customization of advanced calendar and site search functionality.
• Front-end code components including XHTML pages, CSS files, and JavaScript libraries.
• Customized CMS training for content authors and administrators.
• Ongoing technical support during site rollout.