Nice to hear there are more people out there doing this :)
I'm currently developing a very specialized desktop application for a laboratory and it has been an amazing experience. Working closely together with your users means you get to prioritize what really matters and that you can clearly see the effect of your software in people's lives (in this case, at least 5x increase in productivity and a more healthy distribution of work). I especially enjoy demo time, because I see the enthusiasm in the faces of my customers. It can be tough, though, establishing your reputation at the beginning.
I'm currently developing a very specialized desktop application for a laboratory and it has been an amazing experience. Working closely together with your users means you get to prioritize what really matters and that you can clearly see the effect of your software in people's lives (in this case, at least 5x increase in productivity and a more healthy distribution of work). I especially enjoy demo time, because I see the enthusiasm in the faces of my customers. It can be tough, though, establishing your reputation at the beginning.