With their expertise and recognition as a trusted source of information in the theater, dance, and music industry, Playbill aimed to guide aspiring artists in their pursuit of higher education. The increasing number of queries from college-bound students and parents seeking recommendations on the best colleges for arts disciplines prompted the need for a comprehensive solution. They needed to create a streamlined, dynamic, and user-friendly experience through that could translate Playbill's expertise and connections into a platform to help students navigate their educational options and find the perfect college aligned with their artistic ambitions, personal preferences, and financial abilities.
Based on the early engagement of developing a social network for theater enthusiasts, they turned to Icreon to revolutionize the conventional approach to college searches and develop a unique solution that caters specifically to the needs of performing arts students.
The Solution: Built PlaybillEDU- A Comprehensive Database and Interactive Web Application
Playbill, as the trusted source of information on theater, dance, and music, recognized the necessity to guide aspiring artists in their pursuit of higher education. The need emerged while managing frequent queries coming from college-bound students and their parents, seeking recommendations on the best colleges for various disciplines in the arts. Playbill needed to find a way to comprehensively address these queries, help students navigate their educational options, and ultimately find the perfect college that aligned with their artistic ambitions, personal preferences, and financial abilities. The outcome of this endeavor was the development of a sophisticated, interactive web application called PlaybillEDU. The objective was to translate Playbill's expertise and connections in the arts into a user-friendly platform that could effectively serve as a "GPS to future in the arts" for every student with a dream of pursuing a career in this field.
In order to ensure the seamless functioning of PlaybillEDU, Icreon collaborated with Playbill to transfer their enormous database of university data into a more manageable SQL format. This allowed for a more streamlined organization of the data, which was essential for the proper functioning of the web application. The application itself was written in PHP, utilizing the Code Igniter framework to enhance its performance and reliability.
To provide an engaging and interactive user experience, the frontend of PlaybillEDU employs cutting-edge HTML5 technologies. It incorporates features such as Canvas, SVG, and web workers to deliver a standards-based, visually appealing, and responsive application. This ensures that users can easily navigate and access the wealth of information available on the platform. To further enhance the performance and reliability of the site, especially during periods of high traffic, the Memcached caching system was implemented. This addition bolstered the site's stability and ensured that users would consistently enjoy a smooth, uninterrupted experience while exploring and comparing colleges through the PlaybillEDU platform.
Through the successful combination of an extensive database, advanced data visualization techniques, and the latest web technologies, PlaybillEDU has become an invaluable resource for students, parents, and college counselors alike, providing them with the tools necessary to make informed decisions about higher education opportunities.
The Result: Data-Driven Matches, Unparalleled Success: Over 500+ Data Points Enable Ideal Student-University Pairings
Icreon's collaboration with Playbill led to the creation of PlaybillEDU, a cutting-edge platform that revolutionized the way students, parents, and college counselors search for higher education institutions specializing in Music, Dance, and Theater. Here are some strong business impacts:
Improved College Search Experience: PlaybillEDU's interactive platform allowed users to access comprehensive and up-to-date information on thousands of colleges, making the college search process more efficient and tailored to the needs of students interested in the arts.
Increased Engagement: By offering a visually appealing and user-friendly interface, PlaybillEDU attracted more users and increased engagement, positioning Playbill as a key player in the education space.
Enhanced Brand Image: Playbill's expansion into the education sector reinforced its commitment to the arts and showcased its ability to innovate, further strengthening its brand image.
Expanded User Base: By tapping into the education market, Playbill broadened its user base beyond its traditional theater audience and attracted millions of new users, including students, parents, and college counselors.
