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.
Double-keying: We Have Penicillin
If you were to ask me what's the most common source of pain for new, first-time clients, I can say unequivocally that it's double-keying – the practice of entering the same piece of information in more than one location (e.g. two different Excel documents). Sometimes...
New Skin: A Case Study
What happens when your client does not like the look and feel you have created in your FileMaker database? You have little choice but to give them something better suited to their sensibilities. When faced with just such a problem, here's how we solved it. The Issue:...
The Pocket Watch Returns
Design sometimes resembles nothing more than a minefield. Take, for example, the article by Robert McMillen in Wired, in which he convincingly argues that people aren't ready for a watch that augments the iPhone. In essence, people might not be willing to replace the...
The Tragedy of Comic Sans
In what may be the definitive final argument in the Comic Sans wars (those of you who attended my FileMaker DevCon session know what I'm on about), Pixartprinting via Sara Boboltz of Huffington Post have given us an infographic that shows the true economic and...
ROI: Raising Your Company Profile
Adopting a new software system for your company is a major undertaking, so you want to maximize your return on investment. In part two of our ROI series, we discuss one of the best ways to do that: bragging.? A significant benefit of improving your company's...
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...