Case Study: Leeds 2023 improves digital inclusivity and audience reach with dxw

Leeds 2023 builds 6 personas and 5 experience principles with dxw

The city of Leeds planned a major 2023 cultural festival, Leeds 2023, with a goal to involve over 75% of its residents. The challenge was that the word "culture" itself was a barrier, and the team knew some people felt excluded from participating. They engaged dxw to conduct research to identify these barriers and understand how to design inclusive digital and physical services to overcome them.

dxw conducted research through interviews and co-design sessions, then packaged their insights into practical tools. They created six rich personas and five experience principles, which formed a "Path to Participation" to guide the festival's design. These tools were used to inform volunteer recruitment, marketing, and website features, such as a tool to show venue busyness. The client praised the "really, really rich" insights, and the research directly helped make the festival more accessible and engaging for the city.

Leeds 2023