Bryant Park’s Digital Renaissance: Sharp Creative and Creative Arc Earn Top Honors

The prestigious Netty Awards have once again spotlighted a landmark project in the digital sphere, this time awarding the crown of Best Interactive UX Design to Sharp Creative and Creative Arc for their work on Bryant Park’s website. In a city that never sleeps, Bryant Park stands out as an oasis of culture and vibrancy, serving as a hub for over 12 million annual visitors and hundreds of events. This accolade underscores the transformative power of design in enhancing public interaction with one of the world’s busiest public spaces.

Innovation and Differentiation

In the heart of New York City, Bryant Park’s new website, crafted by Sharp Creative with the technical acumen of Creative Arc, has reshaped the visitor experience. Addressing the complexities of the park’s event schedules and the diverse needs of its visitors, the website now boasts an intuitive navigation bar, an easy-to-use events calendar, and a robust internal search function. This thoughtful redesign has successfully transformed the challenge of communicating varied event information into a seamless user experience, ensuring that every visitor—whether looking to enjoy a quiet session of knitting or the bustling Winter Village—is just a few clicks away from the information they need.

Measurable Impact and Success

The impact of the website’s redesign is evident in the numbers:

• Bounce rate decreased by 7.5%, indicating higher content relevance and improved user engagement.
• Returning visitor traffic almost doubled, jumping from 11.4% to 20.9%, signaling a robust user retention rate.
• Average session duration increased significantly from 1 minute 7 seconds to 1 minute 14 seconds.
• An 8% increase in pageviews coupled with a substantial increase in mobile usage from 51% to 84% highlights an enhanced cross-device experience.

The user-centric redesign not only improved web metrics but also played a pivotal role in increasing physical attendance at flagship events such as Yoga and Movie Nights, restoring—and even exceeding—pre-pandemic visitor numbers.

Creative Elements and Execution

Bryant Park’s digital façade now mirrors its physical counterpart—a dynamic blend of historical significance and contemporary allure. The website design by Sharp Creative respects the park’s storied past, founded in 1847, while catering to its present-day vibrancy. The design subtly yet functionally showcases the park’s landmarks and events without overshadowing the park’s inherent energy, allowing the spirit of Bryant Park to shine through.

Overall Excellence and Industry Advancement

The collaboration between Sharp Creative and Creative Arc has set a new standard in user experience design. Their innovative solution addresses Bryant Park’s unique requirements: an array of visitor demographics, variable event schedules, and the unpredictability of external factors such as weather. This intricate web of challenges was met with a beautifully simple and elegant interface, showcasing that the most sophisticated solutions are those that appear effortlessly straightforward to the end-user.

About Sharp Creative

Based in Minneapolis, MN, Sharp Creative is a hub of creativity, strategy, and storytelling. With their proprietary Whetstone Brand Workshop and a full suite of strategic design solutions, they help brands forge lasting relationships with their clientele. They are the strategists and designers behind cohesive and customized branded marketing materials that not only meet but exceed client expectations.

About Creative Arc

Also hailing from Minneapolis, Creative Arc is a seasoned team of interactive design veterans and ExpressionEngine experts dedicated to crafting purposeful web experiences. From ongoing maintenance to complete digital overhauls, Creative Arc stands as a beacon for businesses looking to make their mark online with robust web-development tools and strategies.

About The Netty Awards

The Netty Awards represent the pinnacle of digital innovation and creativity, awarding those who push the boundaries of web design, e-commerce, and digital marketing. Recognized as the industry’s gold standard, the Netty Awards honor the luminaries and visionaries who significantly influence and reshape the digital landscape.

Congratulations to Sharp Creative and Creative Arc on their well-deserved Netty Award, a testament to their ingenuity and dedication to enhancing one of New York City’s treasured public spaces. Here’s to many more visitors effortlessly navigating Bryant Park’s offerings, both online and in the real world, thanks to their exceptional work.