FM BetterForms Redesign

A complete redesign of FM BetterForms, transforming it from a form-builder into a full app-building platform with clearer navigation, shorter onboarding, and progressive features like drag-and-drop editing and AI assistance.

Project Summary

FM BetterForms is a SaaS platform created by Delfs’ Engineering that extends Claris FileMaker databases into fully customizable, web-ready applications. Originally designed as a custom form builder, the product lacked the flexibility and structure needed to support more complex web-apps. As Delfs’ Engineering shifted its vision toward becoming a full app-building platform, I was brought on as the company’s first and only UX Designer to lead a complete redesign of the product.

My Role

As the sole UX and Product Designer at Delfs’ Engineering, I led the redesign from the ground up. I created a comprehensive design system to unify the product’s look and feel, and I restructured the navigation around the new apps → environments → pages model. I conducted interviews with our internal developers, who were among the most experienced users of the software, as well as veteran clients and new users just beginning their onboarding journey. These conversations helped me balance the needs of advanced users with those of beginners.

My work extended beyond product design. I redesigned the company’s marketing site, helped build out a new onboarding flow supported by a modernized video library, and hosted a monthly UX segment in our client-facing live conferences. I also represented the company as their lead presenter and spokesperson at industry conferences and online events, where I educated the FileMaker developer community on the value of UX in building more effective products.

Presenting at ElevateFM, Toronto (2025)

Guest spot on FMTraining.tv podcast (2025)

Hosts UX segment at monthly client-facing live conference

The Problem

When I joined Delfs’ Engineering, FM BetterForms was powerful but poorly structured. Users had no way to organize their work into apps or projects; instead, they were presented with a flat list of pages, some belonging to one project and others to another. Its uncoordinated framework made managing projects unnecessarily confusing. Navigation was clunky, the interface lacked cohesion or brand identity, and onboarding was virtually non-existent.

New users were unable to get started without hours of one-on-one training from the company founder, a bottleneck that slowed growth and frustrated users. At the same time, the company wanted to introduce the concept of apps and environments (development, staging, and production) to mirror the workflows developers already used in software development. This shift was essential for making the platform scalable, but it presented a major design challenge: how to introduce a brand-new concept in a way that felt clear and intuitive for both veteran users and newcomers.

Presenting at ElevateFM, Toronto (2025)

Guest spot on FMTraining.tv podcast (2025)

Users and Research

FM BetterForms serves a community of primarily FileMaker developers. These users are highly skilled in backend development but often less experienced in building polished frontends. While many of our clients were power users who could code confidently, others relied on Delfs’ Engineering to build and maintain their apps for them. This meant the product needed to strike a balance: powerful enough to support advanced customization, but approachable enough to help less technical users get started.

Through developer and client interviews, Slack support channels, and live conference feedback, I gained a clear picture of our users’ needs. One of the major insights was the demand for more visual, accessible tools. Previously, everything in FM BetterForms had to be coded by hand, with no live preview of what users were building. In response, I helped design and prototype Graphic User Interfaces (GUI) for several workflows in FM, like the drag-and-drop editor and action script page.

Action Scripts were hard-coded in a single text field, making it difficult to keep track of all the scripts in an app (2021)

A GUI (Graphic User Interface) was introduced to the Action Scripts page, making it easier for users to manage and modify scripts (2025)

Design Process

Because FM BetterForms already had a technical foundation, my design process typically began directly in Figma with high-fidelity mockups. I would explore multiple design variations for new features, review them with team leads and users, and iterate until we reached consensus. For more complex workflows, such as the new app wizard or the page history rollback feature, I created interactive prototypes to help developers understand the intended interactions and user flows.

I kept an ongoing dialogue with both experienced users and new clients, often reaching out directly to gather feedback on designs. This allowed me to test assumptions, validate design decisions, and refine the user experience before handing designs off to developers. Over time, nearly every feature within FM BetterForms has passed through my hands, from the navigation system and onboarding flow to major innovations like the drag-and-drop editor and AI assistant.

Challenges

One of the first challenges I faced was redesigning the navigation system to incorporate the new concept of apps and environments. As someone new to the software myself, I initially struggled to understand how the pieces fit together, which mirrored the challenge new users would face. Designing a navigation model that was clear for both seasoned developers and first-time users required careful attention to hierarchy and labeling.

Another ongoing challenge has been the development of the drag-and-drop editor. While newer users welcomed the more visual approach, some experienced developers felt that drag-and-drop slowed them down compared to hard coding. My task was to design an interface that added accessibility without removing flexibility, ensuring FM BetterForms remained true to its core strength, enabling users to build anything.

Solution

The redesign of FM BetterForms transformed the product from a form builder into a full app-building platform. The new navigation system gave users a clear hierarchy of apps, environments, and pages, replacing the old flat list of pages with a structured workflow. The stylistic overhaul created consistency across the platform and gave FM BetterForms a stronger brand identity.

More recently, I designed the drag-and-drop editor, which has become a cornerstone of the product. It allows users to visually create and edit their apps without relying solely on code, while still offering the flexibility for advanced customization. I also worked on the integration of an AI assistant, capable of helping users with tasks ranging from editing elements on a page to modifying schema and JavaScript. Together, these improvements modernized FM BetterForms, reduced onboarding friction, and positioned it as a more accessible and powerful platform for both new and experienced users.

Impact

The redesign significantly shortened the onboarding process. New users can now self-teach through the improved interface and video library, eliminating the need for lengthy walkthroughs with the founder. This shift has allowed the company to scale more effectively and take on larger, more complex projects.

On a personal level, leading this redesign taught me how to approach a product holistically, balancing the need for continuity for existing users with the opportunity to introduce clarity for newcomers. It was my first experience deconstructing an existing platform and rebuilding it into something more intuitive, cohesive, and future-ready, and it remains a defining milestone in my career as a designer.