Custom Applications & Internal Tools
When no plugin does the job
Most of what we build is a website. Sometimes it is software: a system for coordinating volunteers, a dashboard that makes an LMS usable by the people who need it, a configurator that sells a product too complicated for a product page.
Describe the ProblemWhat we build
Everything here exists because a standard tool did not fit the way the organization actually worked.
Volunteer & member management
One place to see who is available, what needs doing and who is doing it — replacing the spreadsheet that gets emailed around. Currently in development, and intended for release as a WordPress plugin other organizations can use.
Learning platforms & LMS dashboards
Moodle consulting, hosting and maintenance, plus custom dashboards that give non-admin staff the numbers they need without elevated permissions.
Product configurators
Interactive sales tools for products with too many options for a photograph to explain — finishes, dimensions and shapes selectable in real time.
Bespoke WooCommerce development
Custom commerce work for stores that outgrew the standard checkout — including the custom WooCommerce development behind a Seattle dermatology clinic’s retail operation.
Membership, dues and events
Member dues collected online, raffle and event ticketing, and the reporting that tells you what actually came in.
Admin tools for non-technical staff
Interfaces designed for the person who will actually use them on a Tuesday afternoon, with documentation so the knowledge does not leave with one volunteer.
How we approach it
- ✓ Start from the manual process. The spreadsheet, the inbox, the whiteboard — they describe the system you need. We automate what already works instead of inventing a new process and asking you to adopt it.
- ✓ Build in stages. Something useful early, then refine once it is in daily use. Nothing is designed in isolation for six months.
- ✓ Leave things out. The most valuable feature of a custom tool is usually the one that was not built. We will say so when a plugin would do the job better and cheaper than we can.
- ✓ Make it maintainable. Documented, on infrastructure you control, and supported afterwards — the same relationship we keep with websites, for years rather than weeks.
Questions we get asked
How is this different from installing a plugin? +
A plugin solves the problem its author had. If your work looks like that problem, use the plugin — we will tell you so and save you the money. When it does not, we build the piece you actually need and leave out the rest, which is usually cheaper to run over the years than three overlapping plugins that half-fit.
Our whole process lives in spreadsheets and email. Where would you start? +
With the spreadsheet. It is a description of the system you already run, and it usually tells us exactly which fields, rules and exceptions matter. We replace the manual work in stages rather than asking you to describe everything up front and hoping we got it right.
Does it have to be built into WordPress? +
Not always, but it often makes sense. If your site is already WordPress, building there means one login, one backup routine and staff who already know the interface. Where the tool is bigger than that, we will say so.
Can you take over something half-built or abandoned? +
Yes — that is a familiar situation. We have picked up approved designs nobody ever built, and rescued a member organization’s site and forum after a hack took the forum offline for months. The first job in those cases is working out what is salvageable, and the second is telling you honestly.
What does something like this cost? +
Scope first, price second. A custom tool is normally a project rather than an hourly arrangement, and it is usually smaller than people expect once the unnecessary features are removed. We will tell you what we would build, what it would take, and what we would leave out before you commit to anything.
Tell us what the spreadsheet cannot do
Most useful tools start as an annoyance someone has lived with for years. Describe yours and we will tell you what it would take — including if the answer is "nothing custom needed".
Start a Conversation