Bringing Kuala Lumpur’s Historic Heart Online - Portfolio

warisan kl

Bringing Kuala Lumpur’s Historic Heart Online

Discovering the places and stories that shape Kuala Lumpur.

Background

overview

Warisan KL partnered with XIMNET to create a digital platform that captures the character, history and evolving identity of Kuala Lumpur’s historic core. The website brings together the places, people, stories and experiences that make the area unique, providing a central space to discover what lies within this important part of the city.

The platform gives heritage and culture a more accessible digital presence, allowing users to explore significant places, discover stories from the city’s past and find events and activities happening across the area. Each section provides a different way to experience Kuala Lumpur, from its historic landmarks and cultural spaces to the people and communities that continue to shape them.

More than an information hub, the website creates a digital gateway into the heart of Kuala Lumpur — connecting its heritage with the experiences happening today and inviting people to discover the city from a new perspective.

the client

Warisan KL is a city-making initiative dedicated to revitalising Kuala Lumpur’s historic heart. It brings together heritage, culture, community and urban development to breathe new life into the city’s historic places and create new opportunities for people to experience, connect with and shape Kuala Lumpur.

By preserving the city’s heritage while encouraging new cultural, creative and community-led experiences, Warisan KL is helping to build a more vibrant and connected urban centre — where the past and future can exist side by side.

challenges

One of the key challenges in Warisan KL’s website project was clearly communicating what Warisan KL is about and the role it plays in Kuala Lumpur’s historic core. With a wide range of information spanning heritage, places, stories, initiatives and events, the website needed to establish a clear narrative and make it immediately understandable to visitors.

This meant rethinking the content hierarchy and prioritising information based on what users need to know first, while creating clearer pathways to explore the different aspects of Warisan KL. At the same time, the visual design needed a refresh that felt authentic — moving beyond a conventional corporate look to reflect the city’s heritage, culture and contemporary spirit.

The result is a clearer and more purposeful digital experience that helps users understand Warisan KL at a glance, while giving them the opportunity to explore the stories, places and experiences that make up its wider vision.

our approach

Our approach focused on simplifying the way Warisan KL communicates its purpose and the breadth of information it represents. We restructured the content around clear priorities, establishing a stronger hierarchy that introduces Warisan KL upfront before guiding users through its landmarks, places, stories, initiatives and events. This creates a more intuitive way for users to understand the area and discover what it has to offer.

We also refreshed the digital experience by building on Warisan KL’s existing visual identity, creating a more cohesive and engaging platform that reflects the brand and its connection to Kuala Lumpur.

A digital gateway to Kuala Lumpur’s heritage and landmarks.

The Work

Research

Our research and discovery process focused on understanding Warisan KL’s role, objectives and the different layers of information it needed to communicate. We reviewed the existing content and spoke with key stakeholders to identify what users needed to understand first, how the different content areas should connect, and where the website could provide a clearer path for exploration.

We also looked at relevant heritage, city and cultural platforms to understand how they present places, landmarks and stories online. These findings helped shape the content structure and navigation, while informing a digital experience that makes Warisan KL’s purpose clearer and its wealth of information easier to explore.

design

The design builds on Warisan KL’s existing brand identity, translating its logo and colour palette into a cohesive digital experience. The visual language is carried through colour, graphic elements and imagery, creating a distinctive look while keeping the overall interface clean and approachable.

Landmarks and place-based imagery play an important role in connecting the digital experience to Kuala Lumpur’s historic core. These visual elements are balanced with structured layouts and clear content presentation, allowing the website to showcase Warisan KL’s information, stories and events in a way that feels engaging without overwhelming the user.

Figure 1: Warisan KL website homepage hero banner.

interactive map

The interactive map turns the collection of 10 landmarks into a visual point of discovery, giving users a different way to navigate the Warisan KL area. Rather than presenting the locations as a conventional list, the map places each landmark within its geographical context, allowing users to see how the different places relate to one another.

Each landmark is presented as an interactive point that users can select to access key information about the location. This makes it easier to browse through the different sites while keeping the map as a constant visual reference. Users can move between locations, identify areas of interest and choose which landmarks they want to explore further.

The map also adds a more tangible sense of scale and location to the website, helping users understand how the different landmarks are connected and giving them a reason to explore more of the area.

Figure 2: Interactive map highlighting 10 key landmarks.

Content Hierarchy

Structuring information to make Warisan KL’s purpose and offerings easier to understand.

Visual Identity

Translating Warisan KL’s brand identity into a cohesive digital experience.

Landmark Exploration

Connecting users to 10 key landmarks through an engaging map experience.

The Results

The refreshed Warisan KL website brings greater clarity to the organisation’s role and the many places, stories and experiences connected to it. A stronger content structure, distinctive visual identity and interactive features work together to create a digital presence that feels more connected to Kuala Lumpur.

By bringing these different elements into one platform, the website gives Warisan KL a clearer voice online while creating a more engaging way for people to connect with the city and its surroundings.

project achivements

7.4k

users since its launch in 5 months

40%

engagement rate

engagement time on average

22%

of page views landing on Stories page

see the work

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