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.