Tutor Chest
About Tutor Chest
Tutor Chest is determined to deliver an accessible online environment that enhances learning for all students, parents, and educators. An easy to use, all-encompassing platform that connects parents with educators, provides resources, professional development opportunities, and a place to gain support and learn together. You can read more on their about page.
About The Project
Mission: This project began when a client reached out to me through Fiverr, seeking assistance with their web development needs. They had previously engaged with a web development agency and two other freelancers, but were unsatisfied with the outcomes. The initial website, built on Laravel, catered to two user types: parents and teachers. Teachers could create profiles with service packages for parents to purchase, while parents could search for teachers based on various criteria such as zip code and subject expertise. The client expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the website's design and lacked the ability to make edits independently. The previous web development company quoted a hefty fee for simple content changes, prompting the client to seek alternative solutions. They attempted to address this issue by hiring a freelancer to create WordPress pages as replacements, but encountered difficulties in implementing a seamless redirection system between WordPress and Laravel. I stepped in to assist by developing a custom WordPress plugin to streamline the integration between the two platforms. This plugin provided an API endpoint to retrieve HTML content from WordPress within the Laravel application, eliminating the need for subdomain configurations because the client wanted everything to be "tutorchest.com" even though two applications were being shown. Additionally, I implemented a WordPressPage middleware to dynamically fetch WordPress pages when requested, ensuring a smooth user experience. In addition to resolving the redirection challenge, I also addressed incomplete tasks left by the previous freelancer. This included setting up Laravel Cashier and Stripe integration for subscription payments from parents, as well as enhancing the overall design of the Laravel application and optimizing the WordPress theme for improved mobile usability. Through collaborative effort and effective problem-solving, we successfully revamped the client's web platform, providing them with a seamless and efficient solution tailored to their needs.
Technologies Used: Laravel, Wordpress, Wordpress API, Laravel Cashier, Laravel Forge, Bitbucket, Tailwind CSS.
Links
Before: From the Web Archives
After: Visit new live website
Summary
I took on this project as more of a charitable endeavor because I empathized with the client's unfortunate experiences of being let down by previous developers multiple times. Despite receiving only a small payment for my work, I was motivated by the challenge it presented. Initially, I wasn't even sure if it was possible to utilize WordPress pages and middleware in the way I envisioned. Nevertheless, I assured the client that I would give it a try and that she wouldn't owe me anything if I couldn't complete the task. Fortunately, I successfully finished the work as planned, and we continued collaborating on various updates thereafter. This project holds great significance to me because I have a sibling with disabilities. It allows me to relate to the love and the need for assistance that parents have for their children. Tutor Chest provides a valuable platform for connecting teachers and parents, which I find incredibly helpful.