Redefining Promoting Dance in the Digital Space

The brief

The One Dance UK website project was conceived with a bold ambition: to revolutionise the digital presence of the UK's leading dance organisation. This initiative aimed to go beyond a mere aesthetic upgrade; it sought to profoundly enhance user experience, mirror the organisation’s vibrant community, and establish a sustainable platform for continuous evolution and growth. Recognising the unique potential of digital media to encapsulate the dynamism of dance, the project was designed to bridge the gap between physical artistry and digital expression.

The solution

The journey began with a comprehensive discovery phase, where the project team delved deep into understanding the diverse needs and motivations of One Dance UK’s varied audience, which included dancers, choreographers, educators, and dance enthusiasts. This stage was crucial for laying the groundwork, defining the user profiles and mapping out the user journeys. This user-centric approach was pivotal in ensuring that the final product would not only meet but exceed the expectations of its audience, making the website a true digital reflection of the vibrant community it serves.

With a robust understanding of user needs, the design and build phase was where One Dance UK’s brand aspirations were transformed into a digital reality. Built using Umbraco CMS, this stage was marked by a collaborative effort to fuse aesthetic appeal with functional design, creating a platform that resonates with the spirit and energy of dance. The inclusion of rich archives of dance imagery and videos was instrumental in bringing this vision to life, infusing the site with the rhythm and movement of dance.

Memberships

The newly developed membership area integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics. This ensures a robust, flexible, and user-friendly experience for all members.

The platform's data layer within Umbraco enables smooth data handling. Members can access various add-ons and products tailored to their needs, with dynamic pricing pulled from Dynamics, ensuring accuracy and real-time updates.

Members have multiple payment options, including monthly direct debits via GoCardless and one-off payments through Stripe. The system manages invoicing and handles renewals efficiently, notifying members when their membership is due for renewal.

The member portal allows users to review their membership status and explore available packages. Members can create job adverts, post events, publish articles, and access pricing information based on their membership level.

The impact

Post-launch, the website demonstrated remarkable success with a 398% increase in views in the resources area and an extraordinary 1095% increase in views of the membership dashboard. Coupled with a 30% decrease in bounce rate and a 59% increase in organic search traffic, these metrics not only highlight the site’s magnetic appeal and improved user experience but also its enhanced accessibility and relevance to a broader audience. Such statistics are a clear indicator of the website's significant impact on engaging the community and promoting dance.