The Theatre Development Fund (TDF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the performing arts accessible to everyone. TDF provides discounted tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, organizes autism-friendly performances, and spearheads educational initiatives to bring the magic of theater and dance to underserved communities and schools.
The key objective of this project was to create a modular website that prioritizes mobile design and ensures that users can easily search for information, log in, become members, or purchase tickets across various devices.
Migrating data from TDF’s colossal database of Stages Magazine was a significant undertaking. This included historical articles, tags, videos, and podcasts related to each show, actor, actress, director, or producer. Our team worked diligently to ensure that all data is accurately transferred while maintaining its integrity and SEO ranking.
Adopting a UX design thinking approach and implementing clear navigation were critical in building the various persona journeys for TDF's website visitors and diverse audiences, including those seeking tickets, educational resources for school programs, accessible shows, and costume rentals.
eDesign began working on TDF's new website in late 2019. A few months into the project, the onset of the pandemic resulted in the closure of Broadway and all performance venues. This led to the elimination of TDF's primary revenue source, posing a threat to their ongoing programs and long-term operations.
In response, our focus shifted towards supporting the organization through targeted fundraising campaigns. Over a 6-month period, our team utilized their creativity to crafting numerous emails to solicit donations, working collaboratively with TDF. The campaign proved highly successful, contributing to the $1M raised to sustain the non-profit.
A lot of attention to detail went into creating a modern and clean design, including big, bold, and beautiful photography capturing human emotions. TDF’s new website is visually appealing and easy to navigate. It offers a wealth of information about TDF’s programs, events, and initiatives, along with valuable resources for artists, educators, and theatergoers. The website also celebrates TDF’s rich history, dating back to 1968.
Throughout numerous challenges, our commitment to completing the project remained steadfast. eDesign established a strong bond with TDF’s mission, viewing the organization not merely as a client but as a valued partner. Guided by empathy, we navigated together through both triumphs and trials, particularly during moments when plans took unexpected turns. eDesign ensured the seamless progression of this extensive website redesign, ultimately delivering it successfully in early 2023.
The implementation of Umbraco, the open-source .NET CMS requested by TDF, was developed in partnership with Melon, a local agency, and TDF's internal IT team. To guarantee a smooth transition to the new site, our SEO team dedicated countless hours redirecting each link, making sure the website retains its Google rankings, built over many years of past content success.
This website redesign involved the development of hundreds of web pages. Despite the site’s considerable complexity, eDesign’s development team succeeded in making it load fast and resolved numerous technological challenges in meeting specific user accessibility requirements within a designated system.
The community’s response to TDF’s new website has been overwhelmingly positive. eDesign takes pride in playing a role in organization’s ongoing success. Working with Christina Trivigno and TDF’s team has been an inspiring experience, and we look forward to supporting our client for the years to come.
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