I started Purple Moon Designs in 2014. Time flies when you’re having fun (and juggling meetings, deadlines, and way too many open tabs). It all began with website design using WordPress themes and visual builders. But honestly? I was never a fan of them. Fragile, fiddly, and everything just felt… glued together.
At the time, I was also studying Finance at the University of Strathclyde, so between classes, running a business, and building sites, there wasn’t much room for experimenting.
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The Shift to Custom Builds and Growing the Team
As the business grew, so did the team. I brought in Noreen – our incredibly talented designer who’s been with us ever since. With proper UX/UI design in place, I finally had the space to go beyond templates and start developing high-quality sites from the ground up.
We created our own website design theme with flexible layout parts that let us build any design with top performance. Then Ali joined, and we started pushing the boundaries. We asked: How far can a website go?
This is what this article’s about: websites and custom software that actually do more.
Busy Times, Big Ideas
Fast forward to the 2020s and the post-pandemic web design boom. Everyone suddenly needed to go digital. Things got busy fast. Managing projects with sticky notes and brain power wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
Our Tested Software Stack
Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of tools to manage projects and team workflows:
Right now, our go-to tools are:
- Monday.com – project management with our own custom template
- Slack – for quick chats, DMs, and smooth team comms
But, of course, something was still missing. So, I thought: why not build our own internal tool? Bit of R&D, bit of downtime… plus those sweet tax credits don’t hurt either 😉
Why Our First Custom Software Didn’t Quite Land
The Documentation Platform
The idea was solid: we create systems our clients can manage themselves, so why not build a platform with searchable docs, screenshots, guides, even video tutorials?
Each client got a unique login, could invite their team, and had access to documentation about their website design, tailored just for them.
Where Custom Software Fell Short
The problem? Most clients didn’t use it. Truth is, a lot of people who commission website design in Glasgow don’t touch much after launch. Maybe update a blog post or check orders. That’s it. For anything else they have me on What’sApp or email.
Our custom software design clients tend to need more during the build, but once it’s live, they’re good to go. The platform just wasn’t getting the love (or logins) it deserved.
What We Do Now
We still have the platform for larger, more complex projects. But for most cases, we keep it simple: a nicely formatted PDF guide with step-by-step breakdowns, sent as part of our project handover email. Works like a charm.
Will We Build Custom Software Again?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: It depends.
We love building custom software, and it’s a great way to build your brand and systems. But time and resources are always the tricky part.
Building web design projects already takes time. With software development, things can take even longer. And clients want updates like yesterday. If they don’t see progress, they can feel nervous about their investment.
Our Solution for Website Design Clients
We use Figma for collaborative design reviews and client feedback. Weekly updates go a long way. The clients love seeing progress.
For development updates, we use Loom. It’s fast, shareable, and great for showing what’s done, what’s next, and what’s on fire (just kidding… hopefully).
What Custom Software Are We Building Now
We’re currently developing our own custom software to manage internal and client-facing processes. Imagine a dashboard where clients can:
- Track progress
- Leave feedback
- Submit support tickets
- Feel confident things are moving along
Think of it like mission control for your web design development project.
Should You Build Custom Software for Your Business?
I might be biased, but… yes. 100%.
Every business is different. And building something that’s designed just for you can make all the difference.
Whether it’s tracking projects, managing teams, or just getting a better handle on the chaos. The custom software design lets you create systems that support your growth.
As a business owner, your time is valuable. Systems give you space, and eventually, they even increase your business’s sale value (yep, retirement planning, but make it scalable).
Book a call with me to explore what this could look like for your business.
Does Custom Software Actually Work?
Absolutely. Just check out our case study on SWES Project Management Software. We built a system for managing projects, tracking hours, storing client data, and automating admin work. It’s been a game-changer for their team. They used to use What’sApp and a whiteboard. Now they’re team on the go acing every job.
We’ve also built large-scale systems and mobile apps for clients across industries. But more on that in another post.
What Can You Do to Optimise Your Business?
Here’s a simple starting point:
- Write down your core processes.
- Look for repetitive tasks.
- Ask an AI how those processes can be streamlined.
Don’t rely on old-school methods if better tools exist. Going digital adds value, scalability, and flexibility. All good things for a growing business.
Watch This Space…
We’ve got a few new things in the works. Including some sun-soaked ideas and fresh faces joining the team. Stick around for more insights, stories, and tech that makes business life smoother.
