One Site Fits All: Balancing Priorities At Tate Online
Jemima Rellie, Tate, United Kingdom
http://www.tate.org.uk

Session: Managing Web Development

Tate Online is Tate's 5th gallery. The aim of Tate Online, as with the organisation as a whole, is to increase public awareness, understanding and appreciation of art. Tate Online currently attracts in excess of 2 million visitors a year, and independent analysis confirms it is the most popular UK art Web site. Visitors to the site are diverse (comprising artists, students, academics, members, patrons, tourists, job applicants, journalists and government officials) and have distinct information needs. Almost every department across Tate now contributes content to Tate Online, targeting different audiences in different ways. Planning is fundamental to the successful development of the site, and is taken forward by the centrally located Digital Programmes department. As part of this planning, we have identified and communicated the key areas for focus over the next 3-5 years, and are beginning to profile and target better the different audience groups the organisation is endeavouring to attract. This paper will suggest some of the methods we are employing to balance the demands, in an effort to ensure that both visitor numbers and visitor satisfaction increase in line with Tate's overall objectives.