Esplanade.com, as the digital window to Singapore’s National Performing Arts Centre, plays a crucial role in shaping first impressions. Beyond driving event marketing, the website also serves as a comprehensive hub for information and education.
For this project, the task is to reimagined the design to create a seamless, inclusive, and welcoming experience that sets the tone for every visitor’s journey.
Role UX Designer, Project Lead (UI/UX & Workflow)
Employment The Esplanade Co Ltd
Agency Partner GrowthOps Asia
Scope Cross-functional Collaboration, Competitor Analysis, Design Sprint, Usability Testing, Rapid Prototyping
Webby 2023 Honoree Award for Best Practice
Esplanade.com, launched in 2016, had become increasingly sluggish over time. An aging technical stack and the accumulation of data contributed to slow performance, while evolving audience behaviors, especially during the pandemic, accelerated the shift to digital.
The website felt dated and disconnected, no longer providing the warm, engaging experience we hoped to offer. It lacked the vibrancy and creativity that are central to Esplanade’s identity.
We knew we had to go beyond technical fixes – we needed to reimagine the experience to resonate with our community. To do this, we embarked on a comprehensive research phase to understand what our audiences truly wanted from their digital Esplanade experience.
To ensure our redesign met real needs, we conducted extensive research across multiple audience groups and internal teams:
- A survey with 640 respondents between ages 18–65
- Focus Group with 8 participants between ages 19–29
- Stakeholder interviews with 2 to 3 representatives across 7 departments
This multi-pronged approach gave us a holistic view of audience behaviors, perceptions, and needs – forming the foundation for the next phase of the project.
Key Research Insights
- 80% of respondents were unaware that Esplanade is a not-for-profit organization.
- 80% of survey respondents were unaware that most of our performances are free
- 7% of respondents said the first word that comes to mind when thinking about Esplanade was “atas,” expensive, or boring – reflecting a perception gap between our mission and how audiences currently see us.
- Over 90% of respondents associated Esplanade with the arts and the iconic “durian” design.
- 60% stated that an event being “free” would be the biggest motivator for them to explore new arts events.
With focus group participants echoing the similar thoughts:
“I’m unlikely to pay for anything at all. Events[like these] are something new… to us.”
“I won’t spend money on plays and music. I spend it on clothes, and designer toys”
Additionally, the focus group provided insight into how participants chose events and the key information they considered when deciding whether to attend:
Top Reasons for Choosing Events:
– Images and banners (4 mentions)
– Interest in specific themes like Dance, Arts & Crafts (3 mentions)
– Recognizing the artist (3 mentions)
– Seeing the event on the homepage (3 mentions)Key Information to Decide:
– Price (6 mentions)
– Time (5 mentions)
– Synopsis / Visual appeal (2 mentions)
Negative Website Experiences from Audience Perception Test
Users described the site as cluttered and uninviting, failing to reflect Esplanade’s warmth and creative spirit:
“Information feels squeezy.”
“Didn’t notice a brand for Esplanade itself. Boring fonts. No sense of occasion. “
“The hamburger menu sucks.”
These insights gave us a clear picture of user pain points and perception gaps, laying the foundation for our design goals and strategies.
Esplanade is a sprawling platform that hosts an impressive lineup of over 100 events each month, featuring various festivals and series that run simultaneously. While this extensive array of events instills confidence and offers abundant options to potential audiences, it also necessitates a more curated and personalized approach to encourage seamless event discovery.
Research consistently showed that timing were one of the biggest deciding factors. We restructured event discovery to surface the date & time more upfront, so visitors could make a decision without having to dig.
With 80% of audiences unaware it was a not-for-profit and 7% describing Esplanade as “atas”, expensive or boring, we knew the redesign had to do more than look fresh. It had to actively correct a perception gap and signal that Esplanade was for everyone.
Strategic use of colours and typography helps foster a welcoming brand perception. The redesign prioritises showcasing Esplanade’s diverse and impressive event offerings while also dedicating prominent space to highlight the organisation’s social initiatives, thereby illustrating the positive community impact.
Furthermore, a key objective of the redesign is to improve the website’s accessibility, ensuring it is inclusive and user-friendly for all, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
With 60% of respondents saying “free” was the single biggest motivator to try something new, we built personalisation logic that learns what each visitor responds to.
We introduced streamlined user journeys to boost relevant event discoverability, purchases, sign-ups, and viewership of free content, both digitally and onsite. Key efforts included:
With 80% of audiences unaware it was a not-for-profit and 7% describing Esplanade as “atas”, expensive or boring, we knew the redesign had to do more than look fresh. It had to actively correct a perception gap and signal that Esplanade was for everyone.
Strategic use of colours and typography helps foster a welcoming brand perception. The redesign prioritises showcasing Esplanade’s diverse and impressive event offerings while also dedicating prominent space to highlight the organisation’s social initiatives, thereby illustrating the positive community impact.
Furthermore, a key objective of the redesign is to improve the website’s accessibility, ensuring it is inclusive and user-friendly for all, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
The redesigned Esplanade website has been thoroughly modernised, featuring streamlined content management to ensure optimal performance and quicker updates. The introduction of new features has improved browsing behaviour, enhancing event discoverability.
This redesign aims to educate users more effectively about free and accessible events. Pricing information made prominent on the first fold to highlight affordability. Furthermore, the redesign accommodates new digital consumption behaviours, reflecting the shift in user engagement preferences.
Additionally, placing social initiatives at the forefront of the site allows patrons to understand the positive community impact made by Esplanade, reinforcing its not-for-profit status. These strategic updates have significantly enhanced user interaction and accessibility, setting new benchmarks in line with contemporary web standards.
Comparing the statistics to the period prior to COVID-19, when the center was operating in optimal circumstances, the new website achieved impressive results a year after launch: