Doohickey has been around since 2017, building affordable websites, WordPress and CMS support, secure portals, AI integrations, custom web applications and stalled projects that need a calm path to launch. Work is kept lean, fixed-price where the work is clear, realistic for small-business cash flow, and handled without outsourcing or offshore handoff.
Four practical, affordable ways we help Australian small and medium businesses launch, support, rescue and improve digital systems.
A portal, dashboard, internal tool, or workflow system. Hardened authentication, role-based access, audit logs, Australian hosting, and plain-English handover. Sized for small and medium businesses, without enterprise theatre.
We add useful AI to existing systems: drafting, search, OCR, triage, classification, and summarisation. Every integration is evaluated against your real workflow, logged, guardrailed, and switchable.
A new product with AI at the core: the tool that drafts the quote, screens the lead, reads the invoice, books the job, or answers the email. Built end-to-end, hosted in Australia, and owned by your business.
Start with a short rescue review. We look at the build, access, hosting, vendor context and obvious risk, then tell you whether to stabilise, finish, rebuild or stop. If the project is worth saving, we scope the next move properly.
Choose the affordable path that matches the problem: a better website, a supported WordPress site, a practical app, a rescue review or a first proof of concept.
Affordable web development for Perth service businesses that need a site that explains the offer, captures enquiries, connects forms to CRM or booking tools, and has a real support path after launch.
Custom apps Custom app developmentAffordable custom app development, portals, dashboards, AI tools and workflow systems for teams that need software they own.
Free staging proof Free MVP offerA basic website or app proof of concept for eligible projects, built with no upfront build fee and payable only if you approve launch or production use.
Business systems Custom software developmentFocused, affordable software for the business process that generic SaaS cannot quite support.
Rescue Project rescue reviewAn honest technical read on a stalled, inherited or offshore software build before you spend more.
The website is the visible part. The standards underneath it decide whether the build holds up after launch.
Doohickey carries habits from government, not-for-profit and enterprise work into small-business projects: build for the bad day, document the decisions, watch the handover, and treat security, hosting and support as part of the product. Since 2017, that has meant 100+ shipped builds, fixes and support outcomes without turning delivery into theatre. UX and CX work for a major Perth university adds another useful layer, with real students, staff and support teams shaping how we think about forms, content, accessibility and the moments where people get stuck.
For small and medium businesses, a polished screen is not enough. The enquiry has to land cleanly, the records have to move, the CMS has to be maintainable, and someone needs to know what to do when an update, integration or login path breaks.
Read the studio storyApproved examples from real website, hosting, app, CRM and AI work.
Flexi Tribe has worked with Doohickey across website builds, hosting and application development, with a focus on getting useful digital pieces live, keeping the hosting path steady and shaping application work around the way the business runs day to day.
Good Designs worked with Doohickey on CRM development and AI assistance, with the work centred on clearer customer records, better follow-up visibility and practical AI support that helps the team move faster without losing human control.
Websites, support plans, apps, AI, CRM, Power Platform, API integrations and search visibility work for businesses that need enquiries, cleaner operations and fewer unsupported systems.
Get practical phone and email help for broken forms, CMS edits, layout fixes, plugin issues, hosting questions and urgent website problems.
WordPress care WordPress MaintenanceRun WordPress updates with backups, rollback planning, form tests and plain-English reporting instead of hoping plugins behave.
AI automation AI Automation For Small BusinessUse AI to triage enquiries, read documents, draft replies or prepare quotes while people stay in control of the final decision.
AI Agents Custom AI Agent DevelopmentTeams that need AI to assist a repeatable operational workflow, not act as an unsupervised black box.
Custom systems Custom Software DevelopmentBuild the software your process needs when off-the-shelf tools keep creating workarounds, double handling and reporting gaps.
Business apps App DevelopmentReplace spreadsheet, email and manual handoff work with a secure web app, portal or field workflow your staff can use.
Web apps Web App DevelopmentCreate browser-based tools for staff, customers or suppliers to submit data, check status, manage jobs and run reports.
Client access Customer Portal DevelopmentGive customers, members or suppliers a secure place to log in, upload details, check progress and reduce email back-and-forth.
Search visibility Search Visibility SupportTurn thin service pages into useful buying pages that answer fit, cost, proof, support and next-step questions.
Microsoft apps Power Apps DevelopmentBuild practical Microsoft 365 apps for inspections, approvals, job tracking and admin workflows without creating licence or data-model mess.
System links Custom API IntegrationsConnect the systems your team already uses so enquiries, bookings, payments, CRM records and reports move without re-keying.
Short explanations for buyers comparing search visibility, website support, custom software and AI automation.
How SEO, AEO and GEO help a business explain services clearly before buyers enquire.
AEOWhat is AEO?A plain-English definition of answer engine optimisation for service pages and FAQs.
GEOWhat is GEO?How AI tools understand a business, its proof, service area and useful next step.
SupportWebsite maintenance explainedWhat care plans, updates, backups, form checks and support response targets usually cover.
SoftwareCustom software explainedWhen a focused custom system makes more sense than another spreadsheet or SaaS workaround.
A small-studio workflow for custom software, web applications, and AI products that need to be useful on launch day.
We define the business goal, the users, the messy handoffs and the point where the build becomes worth doing.
You see screens, service flows and trade-offs early. No mystery deck, no surprise scope.
Short cycles, visible progress, production-minded engineering and a short weekly progress update.
We ship, watch the system, fix the sharp edges, and leave clean documentation behind.
A few current examples, anonymised where needed, showing the kinds of work Doohickey handles.
The buyer path, workflow or support risk is named before design or code starts.
The first release proves a real page, integration, portal or app workflow.
Access, hosting, backups, notes and response paths are treated as part of the work.
Doohickey is based in Perth and works with Australian small and medium businesses that want direct senior delivery, clear support and practical software without agency theatre.
Perth is the home base, and the work is shaped around Australian time zones, local business language and straightforward ownership. When the right client is outside WA, delivery stays practical: remote workshops, fixed-price options for clearly defined work, plain-English updates, Google Business Profile alignment when it matters, and support paths that do not depend on a big retainer.
A website that explains the offer, an app that removes admin, a support path that answers when something breaks, and clear content that helps serious buyers decide whether to enquire.
Perth web developmentStraight answers about websites, business apps, AI integrations and rescuing a project that has gone sideways.
Yes. Doohickey is a Perth web development and application development studio building websites, secure portals, custom web applications, AI integrations, and project rescue work for Australian small and medium businesses.
We build both. The work ranges from high-performing websites through to logged-in portals, dashboards, CRMs, workflow tools, and AI-powered products.
Yes. We start with a rescue review for stalled, abandoned or offshored software builds, then give a clear recommendation on whether to stop, stabilise, rebuild or finish the project.