11 Things To Consider While Hiring A Video App Development Partner

Video content generates maximum engagement. No wonder it has become an essential part of digital strategy for any brand.

So far we have covered two blogs on video technology, the importance of product videos, and how Shoppable videos are becoming a valuable tool, in e-commerce retail. In this article, we will discuss 11 things that every business should consider when hiring a video app development partner.

With the help of video content, businesses are seeing measurable results. The content has the power to create more visual stories, monitor performance, and grow your business, by turning viewers into buyers.

Big players in the digital world are investing in video streaming app development. According to a Cisco Analytics prediction, “all video content will hold up to 80% of worldwide movement by the end of 2019”. Take advantage of the power of mobile video applications to engage directly with the community

The next step is to develop your own video app. But how? Developing an app requires input from both your team and a team of developers. If you aren’t sure where to begin, the best option is to hire a mobile video app development vendor.

What should you consider when hiring a video app development partner?
Every video app development vendor claims to be the best in offering development services to clients. It is advisable to do research before you pick any. Here are the 11 things that you should consider:

Video Domain Expertise

When hiring a video app development partner, ensure that the team of developers have a good understanding of the video domain they are working in, such as YouTube, Netflix, Twitch, etc. Whether you are developing a video app for Android or iOS, pick a company with in-depth knowledge of cross-platform development.

Experienced video domain professionals should have the following capabilities:

• Developing a good video app for multiple purposes, such as training, e-commerce, livestreaming, OTT consumption, etc.
• To test the application with better programming
• To identify different types of app issues
• To deliver better and faster video apps

Video App Development Solutions Portfolio

Look for a video development partner with a strong portfolio, based on video solutions that can transform your business. Ask them for case studies of video application development projects, to see their work quality. Also, check the video apps on the app store with reviews and ratings. Make sure with the help of the developers’ portfolio, you get the perfect video solution to:

• Grow your business by delivering better customer experience
• Ease churn by personalizing services
• Upgrade your business agility with cloud solutions
• Fast-track service speed with open, highly secure, and adaptable architecture
• Video-on-demand service to manage, monetize and distribute video contents securely across all the devices.

UI/UX Expertise

To build great video apps for your business, design, and user experience (UX) are the most important factors. Make sure your video app developer includes the latest elements and usability. A good app always makes visual communication with your customers, simple, intuitive, and engaging. Visual communication is the core of user experience (UX). Always pick a UI/UX expert who helps you in creating icons, presentations, interactive prototypes, and mockups, at the time of proposal. This helps to create a better understanding of your idea to the developers.

Processes

You should know what the development company’s processes are:

• Agile methodology: Choose a development company who can build your app with Agile methodology, and a minimum viable product (MVP) This lets you know whether they’ll be able to develop and deliver, a dynamic and secure video app, with the agility and speed necessary to stay ahead of the competition.
• CI/CD: Check whether the team is committed to CI/CD pipelines for better software quality. CI is a stable and automated way to build, package, and test apps. Whereas, CD automates the delivery of apps to selected infrastructure environments. It helps in maintaining the quality of the code.

Also, you must know whether your app is built on Native or Hybrid, from the design perspective. This helps to build a trust factor between you as well and the app development company.

Collaboration & Communication Skills

To ensure top quality design and functionality, it is very important to clearly communicate your needs to your video app development partner. Strong collaboration and communication skills should be a top priority, as it plays a vital role in the app development process. Here are the few things you need to ask your developer:

• How do you like to communicate – in person, via phone, Skype, email, or text messages?
• Do you prefer using a project/task management system like Basecamp, Slack, or Trello?
• How frequently will they give you updates?
• Does the coding belong to the developer or client?
• How much time do they take to deliver a project?

A good company will update you at every stage of the development process, to ensure the video app meets your expectations.

Cost of Video App Development

Cost plays a major role when hiring a video app development vendor. But, doesn’t mean the quality will be compromised as the quality is the utmost thing for every app success. Cost varies among developers and the type of project being created. To build an effective video app, you must look for a company that:

• Asks you to share your budget right away
• Checks whether their quote fits your budget
• Works with a planned approach in development, and within your budget
• Doesn’t compromise quality
• Finds a creative way to develop, using the latest technology
• Clearly explains their fee for development, whether they charge per hour or a flat fee.

We recommend starting with hourly rates. This will help you to judge how the video app development team is working with you. If you aren’t satisfied, you can quit without wasting money.

Client References

Check the company’s profile on sites such as clutch.co, to know where the company stands compared to its competitors. Ask for contact information of previous and existing clients. Talking to past clients gives you an understanding of how the company deals with their customers and projects, throughout the development process. If possible, talk to the clients who are in the same industry as you, because that feedback will be more relevant. Here are some questions to ask past clients:

• How was their experience working with the company?
• How well did the company understand their clients’ needs?
• How did the company develop its app?
• Were they cooperative?
• How did they deal with the pressure?
• Were they regularly in communication throughout the development process?
• How well did they respond to questions or requests?
• How did they handle problems or app-related issues?
• Did the company meet its deadlines and expectations?
• Would they look at hiring this development company again?
• Ask if they have anything else relevant to share of this development company.

By asking these kinds of questions, you will get an idea of how capable they are at developing engaging video apps.

Data Security

Ensure that the data from your video app passes basic security tests. There are a few data security concerns, such as insecure storage, insecure deployment, app’s cache and cookies, video interruption, and privacy violation that can ruin your app’s lifespan. You need to judge whether the companies are able to provide a multi-layered security solution, that secures the data from major mobile app threats, by testing the app through multiple platforms, operating system, and screen sizes, to fix errors and make your app successful.

Video App Submission

Once the developer has approved the beta-tested version of your video app, ask how they submit your app to the app store for approval. Video app submission is often a long and multi-step process that your developer should already know how to successfully navigate. Make sure that your video app development partner has plenty of experience submitting apps successfully to app stores, by following the proper guidelines.

Post-deployment Support

When you are choosing a video app development partner, ensure that they cover all phases of development, from development to design to post-deployment support. The developer’s work doesn’t end after developing or releasing the video app onto an app store. Choose a video app development vendor that follows an end-to-end submission process, including the privacy policy of how they will handle the client’s app releases. Ask your developers whether they work on updating the app or fixing bugs/issues, once the initial development is completed and the app is hosted.

Ownership of the App

Ownership of the app, design, source code, and video content is of utmost importance. Avoid any confusion by asking to whom the completed app belongs:

• Sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to avoid legal hassles.
• Be sure the agreement covers the licensing of innovation rights.
• Ensure that the confidential data stays secure.
• To ensure the exclusive rights of a mobile app and its coding, ask your development company to sign an agreement related to copyrights stating that the app belongs to you in its entirety, including design, source code, and content.
• Say ‘NO’ to developers who delay legal processing, or do not sign a contract to save your ideas.

Conclusion

Video streaming app development is a new trend for online business strategy. With the digital market booming, everyone is looking for a successful video app to grow their business. For successful video app development, it’s best to hire a video app development company. You should clearly convey your idea clearly to the developer based on your requirements, business, as well as market needs.

By considering the above points before hiring a development partner, you will be able to find the right fit in a partner.