Software that lives on the computer: fast, offline-capable and installed like any other app.
Request
You are asking about: Desktop app. I reply by email, usually within two working days. Please do not include passwords or logins.
A good desktop tool is almost invisible. It opens quickly, does one job, and never asks for more than it needs. That is the standard I aim for, and it is what I tried to do with Cocon, which sits in the menu bar and asks for no system permission.
For internal tools the same idea applies. If the person using the software has to think about the software, there is still something to remove.
I watch or describe with you how the work is done today, because the best desktop tools remove steps rather than add screens.
A first version of the one thing the app must do well, to try on real files.
Features are added around that core, with a build you can install at every step.
Signed installer, update mechanism and, if relevant, Mac App Store submission.
A small tool takes 4 to 8 weeks; a full product takes longer and is scoped in stages.
My published desktop work is on macOS, where I am most at ease with the native tools. If Windows is a requirement, we discuss a cross-platform stack together and I tell you honestly whether I am the right person or whether you need someone who specialises in it.
Often a web app is the better answer and I will tell you. A desktop app is justified when you need offline work, access to local files, system integration like the menu bar, or performance that the browser cannot provide.
Not if the app is signed and notarised, which is part of the packaging step. It requires a developer account in your name or your company's.
Through an update mechanism built into the app, or through the Mac App Store. Users are not asked to download a new installer by hand.
Yes: file import and export, calls to your web services, or links to common tools. The integrations are listed during scoping because they weigh on the schedule.
