Video-based interactions and instant messaging paved the way for better human communication. Modern interaction methods allow users to exchange information in seconds from anywhere in the world. Video chat has taken the paradigm shift to a different level.
As more people turned to use video calling apps, people who focused on designing video calling apps saw immense success and an incredible increase in revenue.
9 Steps to Starting Your Video Chat App
1) Put your idea in writing
The app store releases more than six thousand apps regularly. This is indeed a huge tally. To avoid getting lost in the count, come up with a high-level idea.
The first thing you need to do to make your app launch session successful is to write your high-level goals in words. You must have a goal before embarking on the application development journey. Moving aimlessly will get you nowhere.
You can use your business model canvas to create your goal. This can be a productive way to start. Your business canvas covers the vital components of your business, including value propositions, segments, customers, revenue, and more. Based on your company’s model canvas prior understanding, you might have your first version ready in a few hours.
2) Write down the features
Here in this section, you will find some of the most common video chat app features that you need to incorporate into your app:
– Record
This is vital but optional for your users. For example, there are many applications released, including the Zoom application, which does not require users to register. To use these applications, users must enter their names before joining a video conference or voice conference. However, it will be easier only for intermittent customers.
– Contact list
Contact list will help users to search for different people in the application. You can ask your developer to code your app so that users can search for people by both their real name and nickname.
– Profile management
Profile management is a must-have feature for your video chat application. Registered users need to control the management of their data. Generally, personal data includes emails, passwords, names, etc. Also, you have to worry about the payment details, in case your video chat app offers paid subscription plans.
– Voice and video calls
This is a vital ingredient that plays a crucial role in the application development process. This will allow users to communicate with people abroad without interruption. Also, the voice calling options within the app are relatively cheap compared to the foreign calling options with regard to internet traffic.
– Text chat
Sometimes the user cannot make a call and the reason may be poor coverage in the area or they are just busy in a meeting. Such situations make text chats useful.
The text chat feature enhances your video chat app. You can use Twilio to create a video chat application with a text chat feature. Twilio is an SDK (software development kit) that basically comprises the primary instances necessary for a text chat, such as messages.
3) Wireframe and prototypes and models
Wireframe differs from prototyping, and prototyping is not the same as a mock-up. Investing your efforts in not mixing these three things can save you a considerable amount of time. Another important reason to follow this step is that you are going to learn about each of them, and that would benefit you. This can speed up the market clearance and help you gain clarity.
4) Develop the application user interface
The interface of your video chat application is a crucial piece of the equation. The success of your application comes with a suitable contribution to the front-end development operations.
You must present a functionally successful, clean and attractive application to your users to generate interest. The first decision you need to make when doing so is to decide the type of application to develop: native, hybrid, or web mobile application.
5) Develop the backend of the application
The application backend understands the non-user interface. The backend runs a critical part of your business, from planning your business rules and logic to retrieving and storing data and generating APIs.
Various backend development tools are available to facilitate and speed up the application development process. Software developers can use these tools to automate mundane tasks like data backup, authentication, login, and more.
6) Landing page
You can benefit from producing a landing page in a number of ways: targeting your audience, providing them with something valuable, and ultimately turning visitors into customers, all while gaining insight into who your customers are and what they’ve become. Landing pages are important because they strengthen your brand and increase your credibility.
7) Evaluate your application
Its aim is to increase the download rate of the video chat app. This can be difficult. For this to happen, you need more and more satisfied customers.
Spend your time testing your app and this will increase review ratings, your app will earn valuable referrals, and eventually, you will have happy customers.
Here is a list of tests you need to pass your application before publishing:
– Functional testing
– User interface (UI) test
– Compatibility tests
– Usability testing
– Test of performance
8) Get consumer feedback
With all the testing going on on your application, you are ready to temporarily publish your application. Show it to potential customers and get their feedback.
9) Promote your app
Now, you are ready to publish the video chat application. Since you’ve worked so hard and invested a significant amount of your time and money in building the app, it deserves some amazing feedback. Your hard work will pay off only when people learn about your application. So be sure to promote it!
Follow these helpful advertising tips:
– Create a video showcasing your application
– Use social media platforms to promote your app
– Start a blog
– Create a presentation to share with slides
Conclusion
Bringing the idea of your video chat app to life is quite a difficult task. So now, you know that building an application is much more than just coding. Of course, there is coding, but then there are high-level specifications that you need to create, organize yourself and your financial resources, design the application, allocate time, and talk. with the clients.
As soon as you know the market demand for your video chat application, choose an operating system to avoid wasting time and start developing the Minimum Viable Product.
