Uncovering the Depths of
an Organization

A Connection to the Natural World

The Vancouver Aquarium is a self-supporting, nonprofit society and popular local attraction that has been visited by more than 35 million people since opening in 1956. As home to over 50,000 animals, they are the largest aquarium in Canada, and one of the five largest in North America.

The Aquarium staff and directors are dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display, communication, education, research, and direct action. This can be seen in the local and national programs they manage, including: Ocean Wise, a program that educates consumers about sustainable seafood; the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, which has tended to injured marine mammals for over fifty years; and the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. They also actively participate in international research efforts, given their unique position to study aquatic life.

The Challenge in Doing So Much

The organization’s broad mandate was problematic from a communications standpoint. Few outsiders understood the range of work being done there, often perceiving the Aquarium solely as an attraction. This belied the Aquarium's commitment to advancing marine conservation, education, and research. As a result, people were missing out on the many stories, programs, and initiatives underway. This was further compounded by the varying needs of their many audiences and stakeholders. (It also stood to reason that some didn’t understand the importance of contributing to the Aquarium.)

Given the diverse needs of the organization, they also needed to employ many independent technologies. These ranged from member administration, to ticketing and content management systems (CMS). Most importantly, these technologies had to “speak” to one another, which was difficult given how proprietary/restrictive some were. Consequently, the user experience suffered as visitors were bounced between poorly integrated systems, often resulting in confusion or errors.

An Analytical Approach

We first engaged the Aquarium staff members in a discussion aimed at understanding their organization and goals. At the same time, we looked closely at historical data and usage patterns. This involved producing an exhaustive inventory and assessment of nearly 1,500 pages of existing content. User scenarios were then developed to consider potential visitor requirements and habits. These helped us establish the site hierarchy, shape content, and solidify functional requirements. This collectively informed a website that would be tailored around user needs, instead of devolving into a purely aesthetic exercise.

From an architectural standpoint, we built upwards of 60 distinct wireframes to accommodate varying content. We also crafted an adaptable and visually diverse design system that concentrated on highlighting the stunning natural beauty of marine life. Meanwhile, a detailed content strategy helped establish an editorial mandate and ensured unified language, syntax, and tone. While integrating with the Aquarium’s systems, a series of tools and platforms were built and configured to add flexibility to their online presentation. During the project’s final stages, we ran the site through user testing and managed the launch, handover process, and training.

Discover a Whole New World

Visitors have an immediate visceral reaction to the new site, largely due to the rich and expansive imagery that works to convey the same sense of wonder to be found at the Aquarium. Meanwhile, the reorganized and condensed content allows users to more readily find what they need, while being seduced by the many stories presented. The site also integrates seamlessly with facility’s legacy systems, creating a clean, unified experience for users. The core site is complemented by a mobile version that offers essential information for users on the go. Most importantly, however, the Aquarium society’s vision and commitment to protecting aquatic life are now effectively communicated.

From an organizational stance, the Aquarium’s tools have been made easier to use, allowing for more frequent content updates and enhanced departmental ownership. Combined with improved content publishing workflows, they will be better able to maintain the site as they move forward. The most obvious impact can be seen in the numbers. Since launching, online ticket sale volume has approximately quadrupled, and early metrics show that users are dramatically more engaged in the site. Bounce rates are notably reduced, while pageviews and average length of visit have more than doubled.