The Oasis Diner is a great place to relax, visit, congregate, and eat. It serves diner fare that has comforted Hoosiers for generations; the setting is a piece of history right out of the heyday of the national road (the Oasis is an original 1954 mountain view diner), and the staff goes beyond being friendly. How do you get all of that on one website? I asked part owner Doug Huff and he shared his thoughts in this video.

What makes a great website?

Priorities – A website can be too busy with too much information. Before building any website, the end user must consider their priorities. For the Oasis, it included, menu, bakery, directions, hours, employment, and of course history.

Theme – How should the site look and feel? There was no doubt the Oasis site should be influenced by and reflect the history of the diner.

Pages – A site can be weighted down with too many pages. Pages shouldn’t be created just to have pages. There are sites that require multiple pages, but in the case of the Oasis, multiple pages would only have made the site less navigable, especially on mobile.

Simplicity – Most websites that stand out don’t do so because of their complexity. They stand out because of originality and simplicity. The new Oasis website stands out. (It doesn’t hurt that they have a great product too!)

Usability – Once again, simplicity rules. Why make visitors jump through hoops? A site like this, the historic Oasis Diner, should be easy enough for my 86-year-old mother to navigate. I had her try it. She had no complaints. That’s a good thing.

Check it out, and then check it out. 

Check out the video, then check out the site, The Oasis Diner, and then check out the diner. It’s at 450 W Main set (US 40) Plainfield, IN and opens every day at 7 am. Give me a shout and I’ll meet you there. I’m thinking tenderloin, you?