One last thing

This blog post marks the end of my Web Design Tools class, so I'd like to share my impressions.

Before I take a class, I always research it pretty thoroughly. I look up the syllabus if available, and if it's not, I look for a syllabus from the same instructor in a previous semester. I had a good idea of what this class would be like going into it.

Based on the class material, I knew that we'd learn things I already knew, or could easily learn through my own research, but I didn't want to take the class to learn anything. I wanted to take it to DO something.

I've read about creating websites for years. I own four domains. I've read and bookmarked instructions on creating a web store. But I've never done any of it. I wanted to take this class so that I was responsible for actually creating a website. For that, this class was incredibly effective.

I appreciate that the class is geared toward the end result, not how you get there. If you can find an easy way to accomplish your goal, go with it. I'm obsessed with efficiency (to a point that I inefficiently think too long about the most efficient way to do something!), so I really enjoy that approach. I found Wix and used it for almost everything this class required. Wix doesn't require anything but an HTML5 compatible browser. With only a browser, I was able to make a pretty good looking and entirely functional website in a minimal amount of time.

The biggest thing I learned in this class is how easy and cheap it is to create a website nowadays, even for a novice. I'd encourage any business owner to take this class, because it's a relatively small time and cost investment for knowledge and practice that can earn and save them a lot of money.

Finished....for now

Sam's website is finally "finished." I add the quotations, because a website should never be considered finished, it's always evolving. As Cheers grows and evolves, and as external forces (like technology) does the same, the site should always be updated.

But, for now, Sam's site is in a good place. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I like minimalistic design, but I'm just not good at it. I'm glad I was able to find the template I was on Wix. As one last touch that's sure to attract visitors, I added a mobile-optimized version of the site. This allows people who come upon the site on a mobile phone to view the site more easily.

Here's the full site:

And the web-optimized version:

You can see that the web-optimized version has all of the same content as the full site, but is easier to view and navigate on a phone. The menu across the bottom in the first image allows the user to call us, email us, navigate to Cheers, or go to the Facebook page in a single tap.

Sam's primary goal with this website is to retain customers and attract potential customers. We want to make it very easy for new customers to stumbleupon cheers. Anybody who finds us through a Google search will be able to call or navigate to Cheers in one tap of their phone.