Thoughts on Design, FileMaker, DevCon, Pause on Error, ROI (Return on Investment), and anything else related to what The Alchemy Group does on a daily basis. We care, so we share whatever we can with you. We are a full-featured FileMaker Pro development shop, with years of experience building systems for businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations exactly like yours. Your unique processes will be exactly mirrored by the custom software we write for you, whether it’s for mobile or desktop.
The Purpose of Icons
Most software designers rely on icons as an essential element of design. Used correctly, they convey ideas more quickly than words, and they often take up less space. In addition, they break up the monotony of textual information, including fields that may or may not...
Dead Man’s Curve
Learn how to avoid a common mistake growing businesses often make. Dead Man's Curve, it's no place to play Dead Man's Curve, you best keep away Dead Man's Curve, I can hear 'em say Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve Jan and Dean, Dead Man's Curve There is a pattern...
DevCon San Antonio – Another Successful Year
Attendance was up at FileMaker DevCon 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. Alchemy Group President Bob Shockey wrapped up all three afternoons with a design panel on Tuesday, sharing the stage with Heather Winkle, Matt O'Dell, Don Levan, and Andrew Paulsen; a session on...
StylŌ: Previz Your Themes and Styles
Themes and Styles are a welcome addition to FileMaker Pro 13. But how do you keep track of all the details that give these tools their potential power? Here's one way: use?StylŌ to help you put together the elements of your theme. With powerful reporting to provide an...
Calculating ROI on Custom Software
Anyone who has ever tried to purchase a car based on gas mileage knows that real-world results are different from what's written on the sticker. It's even harder with custom software, because there is no sticker. One thing is for certain: done right, a new business...
Bob Shockey to Speak at DevCon 2014
Alchemy Consulting Group founder and CEO Bob Shockey will once again speak at the FileMaker Developer Conference. This year, Bob will start with a discussion of ?real-world type design in FileMaker Pro and Go, including some typography basic information and an...
Interface Copy Rules
I found a great article from a designer at Google Ventures, about how to use text in interface design. Anyone who follows Alchemy Group knows that we focus heavily on the visual design aspects of interface design in our FileMaker business ?solutions. This article...
Why You Should Use FileMaker Pro
These days, the voluminous amount of data we collect in the course of conducting business transactions requires us to find an efficient way to manage it. There are already big names in the database management software niche, like SQL Server, Microsoft Access and...
FileMaker 13 Product Line Announced
On December 3, 2013 FileMaker Inc. brought us FileMaker 13, the latest in its fantastic line of products. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the best new releases I have seen in years. ?Sporting a host of great new features and some not-so-obvious...
Experience & Style
Alchemy Consulting Group president Bob Shockey is speaking at the Experience & Style conference in Chicago on Tuesday, October 22. If you have not yet heard about this important conference, please check it out at experienceandstyle.com. Bob's topic: Designing with...