FileMaker 18: Workplace Innovation Platform
What Was the FileMaker 18 Workplace Innovation Platform? FileMaker 18 introduced additions to the Workplace Innovation Platform that helped teams build and improve custom applications across desktop, mobile, and web environments. This page is historical, so readers...
New on ShockeyUX: Grids
A new post on ShockeyUX.com, in which Bob Shockey outlines the nuts & bolts of designing in FileMaker with a grid! https://shockeyux.com/traffic-control-designing-with-a-grid/
A Clever Article on the Squint Test
This is one of those articles that not only introduces a good beginning design technique, but subtly introduces the concepts of data hierarchy and keeping close to the original problem being solved – all wrapped up in a very accessible stream of consciousness. Nice!...
Self-Critique and Internal Software Testing
Key Takeaways Developers are too close to their own work to self-test effectively: Just as artists struggle to objectively evaluate their own creations, software developers lack the detachment needed to spot how users will misuse or misunderstand the interfaces they...
Why Use FileMaker To Build Your Custom Built Software
Key Takeaways FileMaker enables fast, affordable custom app development: Businesses with unique operational needs can use FileMaker to build custom software quickly and cost-effectively, avoiding the high expense and long timelines of traditional development. Highly...
How to Choose the Best Software Consulting Group
Many businesses are as unique as any two fingerprints, and the reality is, off-the-shelf software will not likely fit their needs. These type of businesses need solutions for how they get things accomplished — how they track their work, manage their inventory, pay...
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun: 20 years and counting!
When I started Alchemy Consulting Group, I had no idea how long it would last, or how rewarding solving business problems with custom software could be. Twenty years later, we are still going strong.
Join or Die – The New Age of Custom Business Software
Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” This is something every business owner knows, because being able to change and adapt is a necessary survival skill for any business —and it begins in the CEO’s mind. Back when Prince was...
Name Your Style
Key Takeaways Themes and styles are powerful FileMaker tools that are frequently underutilized: When applied correctly, named styles enforce design consistency, reduce file weight, and allow developers to switch an entire solution's visual language by changing a...
Common Scaling Challenges and How to Handle Them
Key Takeaways Scaling isn’t just growth, it’s transformation: One of the biggest challenges of scaling a business is failing to adapt systems and people to match complexity. Custom software helps identify inefficiencies, realign team structures, and support...