How is Blue Label Labs different from its competitors?

First, we live and breathe cutting-edge/bleeding-edge technology, so your app will similarly be cutting-edge/bleeding edge with a long “shelf-life”. Second, with a perfect mix of local, domestic and international talent you are guaranteed to get the optimal mix of a high-quality product and a fair price. Third, you will be assigned a dedicated Program Manager (PM) after we’ve established a contract who will be your single point-person for all of your needs and questions. This PM will stay with you for the duration of your relationship with Blue Label Labs and is your conduit to all of the resources we have to offer, thus streamlining your communication and preventing you from having to repeat your message to multiple resources or play air traffic control. Our PMs are the best in the business and we’d be happy to introduce you to a projected PM (and project team) once we’ve got an estimate on the table to discuss. Fourth, the size of Blue Label Labs team (now 64 people strong) means you don’t have to worry about the “single point of failure” issue that exists at smaller shops of just one or two developers, nor the burden paying for the high overhead cost associated with larger shops. Fifth, we have a stronger focus on design than most other shops. We split our design team into two specific functions—Product/User Experience and User Interface. It’s a rare unicorn designer that is good at both thinking through flow and product decisions, as well as branding, colors, logos and overall User Interface. To that end, each project team has both a UX Designer and UI Designer staffed to ensure top notch design. Sixth, with over 7 years of operation and over 250 apps completed, we have both the experience and extensive re-usable code base to ensure your app is built as efficiently and as inexpensively as possible. Seventh, our QA and Testing methodology is rigorous and as important to us as the actual development—meaning your app will be as bug free as is possible. We have a dedicated QA Engineer staffed on every project. This engineer is not the original author of the code ensuring the highest quality results from the QA process. Please see the below sections for more details.

How does Blue Label Labs work with clients?

Blue Label Labs Labs begins most projects with a Discovery, Planning & Design Phase (Phase One). First, we determine the proper technologies and development schedule. Second, the Design teams inherit the User Stories that were drafted during the sales process. User Stories are simple one-liners that outline the activities your users will need to be able to accomplish within the app. These User Stories then get grouped together into meaningful features and feature sets. The Design teams work with the client to finalize the User Stories. Third, our design team sets out creating greyscale wireframes to illustrate how a user will move through the app (i.e., the user experience, UX). Fourth, we transition to full color illustrations/designs that have the final look and feel of the app (i.e., the user interface, UI). Fifth, the app designs are then uploaded into a prototyping platform called Invision that allows our team to create tappable and swipeable “hotspots” so that you can show the app on your phone or via a mocked-up phone in a web browser. At the same time, we draft a Functional Specification document that details the technical hows and whys of the project for the development team. Once that work is complete, we them move on to the Development Phase (Phase Two). The Agile development/engineering team works hand-in-hand with the Program Manager and follows the wireframes and the Functional Specifications to build the app. Our first development goal is the First Deliverable milestone—we call this D1; this is a highly functional build of the app that contains a subset of features agreed upon by Blue Label Labs and the client. We then begin an iterative process of finalizing the remaining features. At the same time, a QA Team builds a full test plan for the app. The QA Team continually performs functional and regression testing on the app, reporting issues to the Project Manager. Learn more about our process here.

How long does it take to complete the average app?

Typically, for our average 4 to 5-month project, the Phase One: Discovery & Planning and Design lasts for approximately 4 to 6 weeks, with Phase Two: Development and Testing Phase occupying the remaining 3 to 4 months. At the end of the Phase Two, the final app is prepared for Deployment. Deployment involves moving any web services and server side components to a production environment and submitting the app to the relevant app store(s).

How much does the average app cost?

If we were in full-swing on a new project, a client can estimate a cost of between $10,000 and $30,000 per two-week sprint ($20,000 to $60,000 per month) for the effort—typically billed bi-weekly. If Blue Label Labs is handling everything from Discovery, Planning & Design through to Deployment in an app store, total app costs average about $120,000 for one “platform”–iOS, Android, Web, etc. That said, it very much depends on the complexity of the design and development required for each individual app, we’ve completed full apps at costs of between $50,000 (a bare-bones, simple MVP/prototype) and $2,000,000 (a full featured, enterprise apps). We provide free, no commitment estimates to clients. After the app is submitted to an app store(s) or pushed live on the web, the Blue Label Labs team monitors the app store and customer reviews and deals with any issues, questions, delays or approvals that arise. We have a great track record with app submissions and make sure that the app submitted is highly likely to be approved without issue. Post approval, a maintenance agreement can be put into place to cover and small issues, minor app edits (e.g., color, image or text changes) and any bugs that might linger. At the end of the project, we will transfer all source code and project files to you and you will remain the sole owner of all IP in the app. After that time, we provide our services at an hourly rate of $120/hour for ad-hoc updates or at an hourly rate of $100/hour for a mutually agreed upon set number of hours in a 6-month retainer. The monthly maintenance cost for the average app is $2,000/month: in other words, a retainer of 20 hours per month at $100 per hour equals $2,000/month and guarantees expedited service vs. ad-hoc requests.

What is the difference between a Native App, a Hybrid App and an HTML5 App?

Native App: A Native App is an app written for a specific platform like iOS or Android—in other words, the app is written in the coding language used for development on that specific platform (Objective-C or Swift for iOS and Java for Android). When you build a Native App, you get access to all the hardware features exposed by the native code APIs and SDKs. For example, Apple iOS Push Notifications are one example of a feature that cannot be supported by an HTML5 App. The graphics and user interface of a Native App are far superior to any Hybrid or HTML5 app. You would choose this option, if you want to use the user interface components from Apple’s proprietary user interface libraries (i.e., the usability is better); you want full device hardware access—cameras, microphone, and geo-location; you want peak performance with no lag; you want users to be able to access the app off-line (i.e., without Internet access); you want access to push notifications and in-app purchase; and you want your app to de discoverable in the app store. On the downside, your code is less portable across operating systems and it is often the most expensive development option. It is our recommendation that if you plan to start a true, revenue generating, app-based business, this is the only viable option. Hybrid App: A Hybrid App is a form of web app that is deployed to a native platform like an iPhone or Android phone inside a native shell. This shell is usually little more than a web browser view (to display the HTML5 content) and some other hooks to allow your web app to potentially access some more hardware features that are not available inside a typical mobile web browser—e.g., push notification and in-app purchases. It improves code portability because if you want to port your app to another platform, you only need a native shell on that other platform to run it, the HTML5 content of the app is directly portable. These shells can be hand written, but can also be generated automatically by tools in the marketplace like React Native, PhoneGap, Cordova or Xamarin. These tools allow a developer to push the app out to multiple platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows Mobile) quickly by generating the shell and packages required to do so automatically. This sounds powerful, and it is, but clearly creators of these third-party platforms have a lot of configurations and hardware to support, and thus, the solutions do not always work the same across all devices, and in practice, testing and hacking of special cases will be required by the developer to get proper functionality. You would choose this option if you want a balance between cost and usability; you want access to some (but not all) of the phone’s native APIs/SDKs and hardware; you want to be able to quickly deploy across multiple device types; and you’re not worried about high-end graphics. On the downside, because these third-party hybrid platforms (e.g., React Native, PhoneGap and Xamarin) need to support so many device types there are always implementation and usability issues to workout. In addition, you will only have access to the features of a new operating system 6+ months AFTER it is released by Apple, Google or Microsoft. In this way, your app will never be able to cutting-edge technology. While we are fully capable of building Hybrid Apps, it is our recommendation that this option is only viable for simple, lo-fi apps that are heavy on text and images, but don’t need much in the way of functionality or user interface. An HTML5 Web App: An HTML5 app is essentially a website with JavaScript code written to allow the app to perform dynamically, as opposed to a static website that you need to refresh to see the changes. It works interactively to make it feel like an app, but it is actually running in a web browser. It is essentially a website, which will support multiple viewports or screen sizes so that it works well on mobile. Because it is running in a browser, it is confined to what is possible within a mobile web browser. You would choose this option if you want to support multiple platforms with the same app/codebase; you want to deploy it on the web; you want the widest possible support across multiple device operating systems and manufacturers; and you want to be able to update your source files on your server and have them immediately deployed to all devices (i.e., removing the need for the app approval process). On the downside, your app is not discoverable in the app stores; it will never look and feel like a true mobile app; and you will have limited access to some of the software and hardware functionality of the phone (e.g., push notifications and cameras). It is our recommendation, that this option is only viable for view-only content where users are not expected to interact in any meaningful way.

Has Blue Label Labs ever transitioned an app the firm has built to a client’s internal development team? What is the typical process and how long does it usually take? Is there a fee for this?

Quite often Blue Label Labs transitions an app to a client’s in-house development team. As part of our regular transition for any client, we transfer all functional specs, wireframes, UI design resources, screen flow maps, passwords/certificates/credentials and source code to the client. We also have extensive experience working in tandem with a client’s existing engineering team. For example, Blue Label Labs will build the front-end experience of an app on top of a client’s existing backend web service and databases. These transitions are the quickest, averaging only a few days, since the Blue Label Labs team and the client team have already been working hand-in-hand for months. If we are handing over a complete project with no prior engagement with the client’s development team, then the transition can take a little longer depending on the support needed. This can range from a few days to a couple weeks. The transition is typically free of charge unless engineering resources are needed to facilitate the transition or the Program Manager is required to spend more than a week on the transition and training. We’ve even helped companies to interview potential new technical team members—e.g., developers and CTOs.

How does Blue Label Labs provide training to a client’s development team so that they could make app enhancements and how much would that training cost?

Along with all the project documentation and support outlined in the answer to the question above, we are happy to provide hands-on training to in-house developers/team members as part of the transition. There is typically no extra charge for this if only a few hours are required. If ongoing training is necessary, for example an in-house developer is not familiar with app development and requires a crash course, then we can offer our services at our hourly rate of $120/hour for training. We’ve even aided our partners in their hiring of their own technical/development team if/when the time is right.

How many designers and developers does Blue Label Labs have on staff? How many work on each client project? Where is the team located? Can the client talk directly to whomever will work on the app?

The Blue Label Labs team is comprised of 64 individuals across its UX Design/Product, UI Design, Development, Program Management, Quality Assurance, Sales, Marketing and Leadership teams. We have 6 Designers, 10 Program Managers, 35 Developers, 3 App Marketers—the remainder of the team is comprised of the Sales, Marketing, Operations & Leadership Teams. Depending on the size of the project, a team of at least 7 Blue Label Labs staffers will work on your project: 1 Program Manager, 1 UX Designer, 1 UI Designer, 1 Technical Architect, 1 Front-End Developer, 1 Back-End Developer, and 1 Quality Assurance Engineer—in addition to the technical and strategic oversight provided by Blue Label Labs leadership. The majority of our Design and Program Manager teams is based in New York City, Seattle and San Francisco areas. The Developers and Quality Assurance Testers are also based in the aforementioned cities, in addition to India-based team members. The Development, Design and QA Teams are managed directly by the Program Manager. The Program Manager is your primary point of contact and the liaison across all other Blue Label Labs team members associated with your project. That said, clients are welcome to speak directly with any individual team member as is needed.

Are projects priced based on “time-and-material” (i.e., hourly) estimate or a “fixed-price” quote?

Projects are priced on a “time-and-material” basis. With 7 years and 250+ apps of experience to our credit, we are able to produce very accurate estimates. We do our best to stay within budget or provide you ample warning if we think we may exceed our initial estimate so we can coordinate how to move forward together with you. Prior client references can vouch for the accuracy of our estimates and can be provided to you upon request.

Is Blue Label Labs able to guarantee that our app will be published in an app store?

Unfortunately, no application can be guaranteed for app store approval. However, Blue Label Labs has successfully built and deployed over 250 apps for the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores. We have a solid understanding and insight into what these stores will typically approve or disapprove of. We will warn you well in advance if any particular aspect of you project poses an approval risk. We have had a handful of instances where an app store has rejected an app for publication; not due to technical issues, but due to legal/business/terms of use issues; however, we successfully appealed ALL of these rejections and these very same apps are now in the app store for download today. We led these appeals on behalf of our clients at no extra charge. If your app is rejected due to technical reasons, we will make all necessary corrections needed to get approval at no extra charge. We are happy to connect you with some of our clients who did face some app store pushback to tell you about the rejection and our successful appeal.

What is Blue Label Labs’ policy regarding correcting defects and publishing an update in the app store?

We provide our services at a blended hourly rate of $120/hour for ad-hoc updates or at blended hourly rate of $100/hour at a mutually agreed upon set number of hours over a 6-month retainer. For example, a retainer of 20 hours a month for $2,000/month guarantees expedited service vs. ad-hoc requests. Ad-hoc requests are handled on a first come, first serve basis across all of our clients and development is based on our team’s earliest availability. The monthly retainer of hours functions much like an extension of the warranty period; issues are addressed within 24-48 hours and development will start as soon as the scope of the issue is defined. For those clients wanting a guaranteed 24 to 48-hour turnaround time on maintenance issues, a 6-month retainer is suggested.

What level of Quality Assurance is included and provided by you in your proposal?

A Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer is assigned to every project and builds a custom test plan for every project during the Discovery, Planning & Design Phase. During the Development & Testing Phase the QA Engineer continually tests the app using functional and regression testing. We test on a wide array of physical devices as needed for a given project. If we are building a backend web service and databases as part of the project, we will also have a set of automated unit tests that are run regularly to verify functionality.

What is Blue Label Labs’ quality assurance (QA) and testing methodology?

We believe that Blue Label Labs’ QA and testing methodology is part of our competitive differentiation. The fact that we dedicate resources to solely this function is something that sets us apart from other development shops for whom testing is simply an afterthought. At Blue Label Labs, QA is handled at all levels of development. There are generally 3 layers of QA/testing that happens for every project: 1.) Internal Development Team Testing Each Development Team has an internal QA Tester along with the Developer Lead who perform basic validation on bug fixes prior to builds being released to the broader Project Manager and QA team. Their validation is to ensure that items within JIRA, which we use alongside Trello, to coordinate team efforts and communicate with clients—are properly remedied according to their descriptions prior to “checking-in” or committing code. When items are resolved by the Development Team they are pulled into the “Testing Done by Dev Team” stack of Trello cards and/or within JIRA. When developing new projects, the Blue Label Labs Development Team will also be responsible for creating “unit tests” for our code so that we can quickly run a basic set of verifications. The dev team does the majority of their testing using iOS and Android app simulators. 2.) Dedicated QA Engineer Each project has a dedicated QA Engineer who sits independently from the Development Team who is responsible for: a.) Drafting a milestone based test plan which outlines a list of black box scenarios to verify and the expected results; b.) Performing smoke and full test pass runs against weekly and milestone builds; c.) Verifying and closing bugs that the Development Team has marked as complete; d.) Working with the Development Team to report issues and regressions; and d.) The QA Engineer takes items from the “Testing Done by Dev Team” Trello stack and verifies whether it is actually fixed. If it is, the Trello card is moved to the “Done (Verified)” pile, or sent back to the “Weekly Priorities” or “Product Backlog” stacks, as appropriate. The QA Engineer will generally perform their tests on 2-3 devices, depending on project requirements. 3.) Project Manager (PM) Testing The final QA gate is the PM who is responsible for quality of the entire product. They will also work with the QA Engineer to verify items have been fixed properly in addition to triaging new issues coming in from the client and the QA Engineer. The PM will appropriately schedule issues to be resolved based on their severity and importance. The PM’s testing is done on actual devices.

Can Blue Label Labs help me with Marketing and PR?

Absolutely. We aim to be your full-service app partner. Our Marketing & PR Offering is designed to help you launch your app and gain marketing exposure. Learn more about our Marketing & PR Offering here.

App Design & Development

The State of Apps in Media & Entertainment [2022 Trends]

Over the past decade, consumers all over the world have “cut the cord” in favor of app-based entertainment – if you Google it, you’ll see that cable still exists but the vast majority of us no longer rely on TV for network broadcasting for entertainment and information.

Current metrics of the industry show us what’s working in the market and give us a foundation to plan for the future.

Here, we’re going to break down some of the key takeaways of current trends as identified by Amplitude which we’ll be covering in greater depth in our upcoming webinar next fortnight on data-driven design.

Click here to register for our free upcoming webinar “How to Design and Develop for Optimization in Media and Entertainment” with Amplitude on April 21st, 2022 at 11 AM PST.

Recap on digital trends in media & entertainment

Currently, the average household subscribes to four streaming services and spends a total of $47 a month.

To most people reading this, this number shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. But let’s unpack this and look a little further.

In the last decade, we’ve seen the “cut-the-cord” trend continue as we have with virtually everything else throughout – people will opt for more convenient, faster solutions, especially when they’re the right price.

With the rise of streaming services, less-capable cable network systems that were once found in 80% of homes by the end of the 1990s have declined significantly.

In 2020, cable subscribers shrank to a mere 76.1 million subscribers which include all major cable and satellite providers. Funny enough, it also includes 7.9 million subscribers who get cable service digitally through a service like Hulu + Live TV.

At this time, the global streaming market was also valued at $50.11 billion but cable, which was still hanging until 2015 with 76% percent of homes subscribing service, has shrunk even further: as of 2021, Pew Research reports that 56% of Americans now subscribe to cable.

This aligns with growing trends to the overall growth in subscription pay models that have grown 437% over the last decade. Apps that offer microtransactions that allow customers to pay for what they need as in-app purchases (IAP) have become the preferred method for consumers to make purchases.

At least in most cases – note that there have been some select instances with companies experiencing some friction when switching to these models for long-standing franchises.

Recently, we’ve seen drama surrounding this matter in mainstream game titles but we’ve also seen this happen with productivity software like Office which recently caused Microsoft to bring back one-time purchases for the Microsoft Office suite.

Source: Disney Plus

Finally, we have media giants like Disney that recently purchased several IPs, 21st Century Fox, and a majority of Hulu.

AT&T also acquired Time Warner then there’s Comcast which acquired Sky and launched Peacock.

Trends to watch in 2022

Aside from seeing whatever magic Jon Favreau has in store for the Star Wars universe, there will be some other trends to watch closely.

We’ll discuss some of them in our free upcoming webinar “How to Design and Develop for Optimization in Media and Entertainment” with Amplitude on April 21st, 2022 at 11 AM PST.

1. The number of “live” services and features will continue to grow

Even with a handful of streaming apps that, with their powers combined, offer ample entertainment and all at a price that’s less than what most cable companies charge for their lowest tier of service, cable is nowhere dead just yet.

Source: CableTV.com

Consider that virtually every US household has a fixed broadband subscription (that’s 120.53 million out of 128.45 million total US households) and mobile Internet robust enough to stream is essentially everywhere around you (except Southern Michigan.)

If you look at the numbers for dwindling cable numbers and wonder why the numbers aren’t even lower, know there are multiple forces at work but it’s largely because of the lack of “live” capabilities from most platforms, at least until recently.

These shrinking numbers in standard cable subscriptions are slowly starting to trickle into apps of their own digital formats as there are certain elements like the “ritual” and experience of watching regular TV.

Of course, those of us that enjoy the “regular TV format” because it’s a familiar, comfortable experience will eventually fade away, but the love for live broadcasts will remain.

It’s one thing to catch something on YouTube after the fact but a whole other thing to watch what will become iconic events unfold on live TV whether it’s a wardrobe malfunction or a show-stopping tantrum from a movie star.

2. Augmenting live performances with virtual performances

For some, there’s nothing quite like going to a music festival and camping or all the shenanigans you can get into at shows in your local scene.

But wild concerts, and even the tame ones, aren’t for everyone.

Virtual concerts have allowed musicians and other performers to still deliver live experiences using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and custom solutions (among others) to connect with their audience and generate revenue.

You shouldn’t always do something just because the Biebs does it but there are some exceptions.

Even when most of the world isn’t sequestered in their homes due to a global pandemic, virtual concerts will continue to coexist alongside their life counterparts as they’ve proven useful at connecting fans with their favorite performers even when they’re on the other side of the world.

Not to mention, there are plenty of people that really don’t like public spaces.

Comedian Tom Segura says he thinks, “The meaning of life is, ‘%#$& this place. Let’s go home,’” which likely resonates with all the folks who love that working from home is now a thing everywhere because they rarely need to wear pants.

3. More sports streaming, especially with soccer

Watching soccer games played around the world while living in the US has historically been a challenge until the last couple of years.

Around a decade ago, you could find streams on the web if you looked hard enough but outside of the World Cup, the “official” way to watch your favorite games was through an expensive cable package.

Source: Thomas Serer on Unsplash

In recent times, we’ve seen several streaming services like sports-centric platforms such as ESPN+ and FuboTV emerge but moreover, several platforms now offer add-ons for sports streaming that vastly expand the visibility of the sport.

This makes it ideal for the average fan as there are now a ton of options available on the web and via apps that safely deliver a slew of non-mainstream sports to viewers around the US.

3. Consider these four elements to maximize the UX in media & entertainment apps

Now that we’ve had the chance to see several apps in action between those we’ve developed here and others on the market, we know which features tend to have the greatest (i.e., best) impact on the UX.

Some of the best features and concepts right now are as follows.

Personalization and personalized recommendations

Across the board, personalization helps to better connect with customers.

Starbucks nails the mobile experience – read more about it in our analysis of the Starbucks app here.

To truly tailor an experience for users in media, a smart recommendation system will help to increase screen time with your product.

We’ve seen how well this works with Amazon and with media, the same principle applies.

This is why it’s important to implement a solid behavioral analytics system that can help you identify both large trends for the overall audience as well as more acute trends, down to algorithms that can make unique recommendations based on an individual user’s patterns.

You’ve likely experienced a situation where a personal recommendation from an app would “make sense” but misses the mark for you personally.

As you can imagine, it’s an ever-evolving challenge which is why data collection and analysis should be an instrumental part of your recommendation engine.

You need to rely on your own analytics

Watching the rest of the market and further analyzing data outside your own organization is helpful to gain broader insights but you still need an analytics stack to collect and analyze data on your specific product.

Its importance extends beyond the role it plays for personalized recommendations as the platform(s) used in your analytics stack will essentially coalesce to serve as this all-knowing entity for your digital product.

Source: Kaustav Mitra on Medium

Every product will have a different architecture so the above is more of a hypothetical from a Medium user’s blog – the takeaway is that you’ll have multiple pieces to analyze from your front-end app to back-end databases.

Unlike being a helicopter parent, you’ll want your analytics services to watch like a hawk to help understand everything through the complexities inherent to a piece of software.

Analytics help developers better understand issues, allowing them to resolve issues quicker plus, these services provide a ton of insight into the overall UX.

Unique content is good but you need to test early and often

The market appears to be mixed when it comes to consuming new entertainment content.

Though you’ll occasionally have some who are near impossible to sell on new content, almost everyone will consume new content if you dangle the carrot.

With that said, you need to test your content with your target audience. It should go without saying, if you’re going for comedy, people should probably show some kind of physical display of delight.

Source: Cult of Mac

Just as important as testing your content is testing the structure and delivery.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Quibi crashed and burned after over a billion USD in funding. On paper, the idea sounded great: deliver bite-sized micro episodes of original content with big talent.

Unfortunately, they didn’t really test enough to see what kind of staying power they would have in real market conditions and way overspent on something they should do iteratively as they collected and analyzed feedback.

The thing is, it still could have failed but it wouldn’t have been to the tune of $1.8 billion.

A/B test to efficiently learn how to optimize your designs

Another place you’ll want to put your analytics to work is with A/B testing processes, when applicable.

Sometimes, you’ll see a common denominator among suggestions in user feedback. In other cases, one of your designers will have this “great idea” they want to test.

Trying out different variations and seeing what works against your control is one of the most efficient ways to figure out how to deliver a better experience through design. Too, it can also help businesses decide between different designs without bias.

Blue Label Labs knows how to deliver an exceptional experience for media & entertainment

Our experiences have reinforced our beliefs in the value of data. With the current demand for highly-engaging experiences in media and entertainment, nailing the design, architecture, and doing your homework is more important than ever.

If you want to learn more on how to design and develop for the media and entertainment industry, you can click here to sign up for our free, upcoming webinar, done in partnership with Amplitude, on April 21st, 2022 at 11 AM PST.

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