Playful Platypus provides software architecture and development services that help you build the right software solution to your small business problem
Custom software is a scary risk to a small business. You don’t have to do it alone!
Small businesses regularly encounter problems best solved by custom software- But the technology landscape is extraordinarily complex, and changes rapidly
- Custom software can be very expensive to build - with even seemingly small features adding significantly to project costs
- How can a small business mitigate the risks of building custom software - risks like choosing the wrong platform, budget overruns, or even building the wrong solution?
Playful Platypus provides software architecture and software development services that help you:
Plan out the best software solution to your problem,
Understand the true costs and technical risks of your project,
And avoid the many pitfalls of custom software development!
Hi, I’m Brian Stewart, and as the owner and founder of Playful Platypus, I understand many of the challenges of running a small
business. As a software developer, I also understand the challenges of implementing software to solve small
business problems. And with 35 years of hands-on professional software development experience across all the major platforms, I’ve seen the
dizzying pace at which technology can move. Just choosing a technology platform (web, mobile, desktop, or
embedded) for your solution can be incredibly complex and intimidating, and your choice will have an
enormous impact on the total costs of your project.
Once you’ve chosen a
platform, which tech stack (the combination of programming language, canned software, and external services)
do you choose? Again, your decision greatly influences the total cost of your project. And both platform and
tech stack choices will also determine the size of the developer pool that you can hire from. Add to this
the fact that software developers today are very specialized - most developers only have experience with one
platform, and usually only one or two tech stacks on that platform. So the small business owner usually has
to make the complex decision of platform and tech stack, before they can even hire a developer!
But it doesn't have to be this way. As a senior-level veteran of the web, mobile and
desktop platforms (with experience in the embedded world as well), I can help you take your project’s
requirements, and map them to the appropriate platform and tech stack. With no programmer jargon, and at
whatever level of technical detail you are comfortable with. I can help you understand which of your
requirements are likely to contribute most to cost or schedule risk. And I can either help you select the
right developer for your project - or if you prefer and the project budget, scope and schedule are
appropriate, I can implement it for you.
Brian Stewart's resume
Working with Brian and Playful Platypus was a wonderful experience. Brian has comprehensive technical knowledge that is both broad and deep.
He asks great questions, and always sought to really understand my problems, and then was able to make solid recommendations for
platforms, technology stack, and scope. Additionally Brian was able to implement a solution for us that spans servers and databases
on Amazon Web Services, a very large, state-of-the-art Android app for our oilfield weed spraying operators,
and even a small Windows app for annotating drone imagery. When we had problems with the embedded software for our custom
weed spraying hardware on our trucks - Brian was experienced with C, and was able to fix the embedded code without going back to
the electrical engineer. Additionally, Brian helped us hire a junior developer right out of college, and trained him to maintain our software!
Scott Pratt, owner, PMG Vegetation
STEP 1
Book an initial consultation. We will chat about your project,
and if we’re a good fit for one another, we can set up a contract for working together
STEP 2
Once we have a contract, we will explore your requirements together, and we’ll make
recommendations on platform and tech stack choices, and discuss project implementation
STEP 3
Armed with a solid, technically-sound plan, you can implement your software project with confidence!
Book an Initial Consultation Today!
You know your business. You know how to provide products or services your customers need.
You’re an expert in your field. But there’s this one problem. If you just had some custom software
to solve it - then you could really provide more value to your customers. Or save significantly on
costs. Or maybe get the business intelligence needed to grow your company.
But even though you’re an expert in your business and probably many other things as well, the world
of software development is not one of them. You want to build a solution that solves your problem. But...
Software development is notoriously expensive- The terminology is utterly foreign
- Every where you turn, you hear a different, conflicting opinion
- You’re worried you’ll pour money down a hole, and get nothing of value in return
- You know that if you hire a developer, you have no good way to validate their qualifications, recommendations or estimates
We know how you feel, and we’d like to help:
Explain the platforms and technologies out there in terms that make sense to you...- Help you understand the tradeoffs of the different choices in platforms and technology stacks
- Make recommendations as to platform and technology stack for your project
- Help you understand the scope of your project, the primary risks and the features most likely to unexpectedly increase the scope of the project
If you’d like to see if Playful Platypus can help you navigate the treacherous waters of software development:
- 1Just book an initial consultation below, and we will chat about your requirements, budget and timetable, and possibly start an initial discussion of technologies suitable for your project.
- 2If it seems we are a good fit for each other, we will set up a contract to further explore your project and the available technologies, culminating with a written report discussing the pros and cons of different platform and tech stack options, and our recommendations on what your project should use.
- 3You can then take the Project Implementation Plan and hire a development firm, or potentially hire Playful Platypus to implement it, if you are so inclined, and the scope, schedule and budget make sense for us (remember, we’re a small business too).
So don’t delay! Book an initial consultation today, and get the clarity and technical expertise you need to see your software project implemented and make your business better!
35 years of professional software experienceSenior-level experience in:Web (Full-stack JavaScript, TypeScript, Remix, React, Next, NodeJS, Serverless)Mobile, both Apple / iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin)Desktop Windows (C#, WPF, C++)Desktop macOS (Swift)Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, RoomDB, NoSQL)Multi-platform Game Development (Unity and Godot)2011 Lockheed Martin Co-Inventor of the Year1995 - first person to incorporate a live aircraft into a virtual 3D simulation(like Google Earth) in real-time