Services employed
Web
Castlefield Gallery | Website
Castlefield Gallery is an art gallery and charity based in Manchester. It is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of visual art and supports artists at various stages of their career, particularly through the associate scheme. We were delighted to showcase what Castlefield Gallery is all about by building them a new website to reflect their position in the arts and cultural sector, as not only an art gallery – but also a charity.
The brief and objectives
Wanting to be more clear on what they are, not just a gallery but also a charity, working to support contemporary artists, they approached us to create a new website that better tells their story.
Their key objectives were:
- Modernise the website
- Ensure it’s accessible and representative of all communities
- Improve the membership area
- Improve environmental impact of the site
- Ensure the new site is mobile-optimised
- Allow admins to better display their content
Our insights and strategy
We started with a workshop where we learned there were limitations with the current site. For example it wasn’t mobile optimised. The workshop was a great opportunity to get real users involved and allow them to share with us their expectations of the website from their experience. From this, we had a strong foundation to build the solution on.
As a gallery, it was important to have a beautiful online presence too. And after identifying that the primary users would have a keen interest in visual arts, a visually appealing site was a key priority.
They also have a very wide range of audiences so it was important users can find what they need on the website quickly, in order to cement the brand as organised, reputable, and trustworthy.
Our creative approach
We updated the design with the key audience in mind by combining stunning visuals and web accessibility without compromising on design, so the client could be sure that every user is getting the optimised experience.
Using a custom theme we took a modular approach, giving admins the most flexibility possible allowing them to take ownership of their website post launch.
We used a Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) donation integration. This configures a custom page that allows for pre-set donation amounts to be shown as well as allow the user to type in the amount they want to give. All this flexibility makes it as easy as possible for users to support.
From looking at results from the workshop, we added a user focused CTA bars section. By naming key audiences, we could ensure they were represented and able to use the site to meet their needs. We wanted to show them that they are part of what makes the gallery great and that they are noticed and valued.
Results and impact
By defining the core audience, strengthening the membership offering, and refining the user experience, we better met user needs and built a more engaged community.
Since launching the new site, we have seen an increase in direct traffic from 30.91% to 61.33% highlighting that users are searching with intent.
Average engagement time per active user has also increased from 1m15s to 1m49s solidifying that Castlefield Gallery are now reaching a more targeted audience.
Services used to deliver this project