Notes,
essays & postmortems.
Things we've learned shipping software for eight years. Sometimes a craft argument; sometimes a 4,000-word write-up of the time we got something embarrassingly wrong. Always written by the people who did the work.
Announcing IssuesID: AI-Powered Construction Defect Management
We built IssuesID, a multi-tenant, offline-first platform for construction defect, snag and quality management. Here is what it does and why we built it.
Data Breaches Are Now an SMB Problem: Privacy Act Reforms and Your Web Forms
Big breaches make the news, but the Privacy Act reforms reach the contact form on a ten-page site. Here is where customer data actually leaks from a small business website, and an afternoon of fixes.
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Should You Vibe-Code Your Own MVP? An Honest Answer
We get the rescue calls, and we still think founders should often build the first version themselves. Here is when vibe-coding an MVP is the right move, when it stops being one, and what to do on day one.
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Booking and Payment Integrations for Trades: Getting Paid Before You Leave the Job
The gap between finishing a job and getting paid is where trade businesses bleed cash. A practical look at the booking, quoting and payment stack that closes it, and when a custom layer earns its keep.
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Google Zero-Click and AI Overviews: Why Your Traffic Fell and What Still Works
Organic traffic down but rankings look fine? AI Overviews and zero-click results are probably why. How to confirm it in Search Console, what to stop funding, and what still brings enquiries.
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Replacing the Spreadsheet: When a Small Business Needs Custom Software
Most small businesses run on a spreadsheet that has quietly become a system. Here are the signs it has outgrown itself, what to try first, and what a sensible first version of custom software looks like.
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Your Developer Ghosted You. Here Is How to Recover the Project
The freelancer stopped replying, the agency folded, or the offshore team went quiet. A practical order of operations for securing what you own, finding out what exists, and getting the project moving again.
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OpenAI's legal product tells you what not to build
OpenAI has shipped a profession-specific product for law firms, not just a model. If you were about to commission a custom AI tool for document review or intake, the maths just changed.
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Mobile App Cost in Australia in 2026: Native, Cross-Platform or PWA
What a mobile app really costs to build and run in Australia in 2026, across native, cross-platform and PWA routes, and how to tell which one your business actually needs.
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How to Brief a Developer: The One-Page Document That Saves Weeks
A vague brief gets you a vague quote, or a padded one. Here is the one-page document we wish every business owner sent us, section by section, and what each part changes about the price.
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We Fix Vibe-Coded Software: What It Usually Takes
AI app builders make it easy to get a working demo. Getting it to survive real customers is another job. Here is what we find when we open one up, and what fixing it usually involves.
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Where Should Your Data Live? AU Hosting and Data Residency in 2026
Where your website and customer data physically live affects latency, compliance and trust. A practical guide to Australian hosting and data residency in 2026.
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Microcopy That Converts: Writing UI Text That Guides Users
The smallest words on your site do the heaviest lifting. How to write buttons, errors, empty states and other microcopy that guides users and lifts conversion.
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Subscription eCommerce: Building Recurring Revenue Into Your Store
Subscriptions turn one-off buyers into recurring revenue. The models, tooling and retention tactics that make subscription eCommerce work.
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What a Website Discovery Phase Should Actually Deliver
Discovery is the phase most clients want to skip and most regret skipping. Here is what a proper website discovery phase produces and why it saves money.
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AI on the Building Site: Practical Uses in Construction QA and Handover
Beyond the hype, AI is quietly useful on site. Practical applications in construction QA, defect capture and handover, and where it does not belong yet.
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Plausible vs Fathom vs GA4: Choosing Privacy-First Analytics
Privacy-first analytics has matured. An honest comparison of Plausible, Fathom and GA4 on data, accuracy, compliance and cost for business sites.
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Choosing Construction Defect Management Software: A Buyer's Guide
Not all defect software survives a real job site. The criteria that matter when choosing construction QA software: offline capture, audit trails, handover packs, integrations.
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Reducing Cart Abandonment: Checkout UX Fixes That Move Revenue
Most carts are abandoned for fixable reasons. The checkout UX changes that actually recover revenue, ranked by impact and effort.
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Offline-First PWAs: Building Software That Works With No Signal
For field teams in basements and lift shafts, connectivity is optional but the work is not. How offline-first PWAs are built, and why we chose one for IssuesID.
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Passkeys and Passwordless Login: Should Your Site Adopt Them in 2026?
Passkeys are ready for mainstream use. Here is how passwordless login works, where it helps, and whether your site should adopt it in 2026.
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Digitising Snagging: From Spreadsheets to Defect-Tracking Software
Snagging on spreadsheets and camera rolls loses context and blows out close-out times. How defect-tracking software fixes the on-site record.
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The True Cost of a Cheap Website: Technical Debt Explained for Owners
A $2,000 website is rarely cheap by year three. Here is how technical debt accrues on budget builds and what it actually costs your business.
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Ecommerce Replatforming: Signals It Is Time to Leave Shopify or WooCommerce
When to stay on Shopify or WooCommerce, when to move, and what the alternative stacks look like: a decision framework for replatforming without regret.
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Design Systems for Small Teams: When It Is Worth Building One
Design systems pay off at scale. Below that, they are overhead. Here is how to tell when a small team needs one, and the lightweight approaches to start with.
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