Case Study
Harbourfront Theatre
About the project
Located in Prince Edward Island’s second-largest city, Summerside’s Harbourfront Theatre is the province’s second-largest performance venue. Boasting a capacity of just over 500 seats, it serves as a critical cultural anchor for the community and is one of the leading arts organizations on the Island.
Challenge
The theatre’s previous digital platform had been in service since 2014 and no longer met modern standards. Built on a generic, unbranded template, the site was unresponsive, visually unengaging, and failed to comply with standard Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Its greatest deficiency, however, was a lack of strategic alignment with the theatre’s core business goals, failing to mirror the organization’s unique visual identity or prestigious community standing.
The ticket purchasing path was lengthy and counterintuitive for the theatre’s target demographics. The entire checkout experience required a complete overhaul; however, the solution had to work seamlessly within the rigorous operational constraints of the client’s existing third-party box office and ticketing software, Spektrix.
Solution
We spearheaded the end-to-end transformation of Harbourfront Theatre’s digital presence, managing the entire lifecycle from initial design execution to full developer implementation and project oversight.
To bridge the gap between business objectives and user experience, we completely re-architected the site structure and information hierarchy. The primary objective was friction reduction—optimizing the ticketing pipeline to make purchasing as seamless and intuitive as possible with fewer required click-throughs.
This distinct waterfront identity was brought to life through a tailored color palette and supporting visual elements. By aligning the custom web design with their established offline assets, we created a cohesive, harmonious brand experience for the audience, whether they are buying a ticket online or sitting in the auditorium.
