Revitalizing Telefonfabrikken: A Cultural Hub’s Digital Journey

How a historic phone factory turned cultural center got a digital makeover

The Story

Telefonfabrikken, once a bustling phone factory, now stands as Gladsaxe’s vibrant cultural heart. But while the physical space buzzed with activity, its digital presence wasn’t keeping pace. The website had become a maze of information, frustrating both visitors and staff alike. They needed a solution – fast.

The Challenge

Time wasn’t on our side. With a tight deadline looming, we faced multiple challenges:

• A labyrinth of content spread across countless pages
• Staff members anxious about learning a new CMS
• The need to maintain continuous operations during the transition
• Complex event scheduling and booking systems that couldn’t fail

The Discovery

Through initial workshops, we uncovered a crucial insight: the website’s complexity wasn’t just a technical issue – it was affecting the center’s ability to connect with its community. Staff were spending hours managing content instead of organizing cultural events. Visitors were missing exciting opportunities simply because they couldn’t find them online.

The Approach

I tackled this transformation through a carefully orchestrated process:

Understanding User Journeys

• Conducted collaborative card sorting sessions with staff and visitors
• Mapped out how different user groups interacted with the site
• Identified pain points and opportunities for simplification

Rapid Prototyping

• Created quick wireframes to test navigation concepts
• Developed interactive prototypes for key user journeys
• Gathered feedback through iterative testing

Empowering the Team

• Organized hands-on CMS training workshops
• Created user-friendly documentation
• Provided ongoing support during the transition

The Solution

The new website brought:

• A streamlined information architecture that made sense to both staff and visitors
• An intuitive CMS that staff actually enjoyed using
• Clear pathways to events, bookings, and information
• Mobile-first design for on-the-go access

The Impact

The transformation went beyond just a new website:

• Event visibility and attendance increased
• Positive feedback from both regular and new visitors
• Renewed confidence among staff in managing their digital presence

Key Learnings

• The importance of bringing users into the design process early
• How simplification can actually increase functionality
• The value of empathy in technical training
• The power of well-structured content architecture

This project demonstrated how technical challenges could be solved while keeping the human element at the center of the solution.

Examples:

Wireframes created dialogue about the structuring of the content on the site

Introduction of dynamic content in the form of a news section on the site