Sinew Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I developed an app that functions as a video meme generator. It allows you to import videos from any number of sites including Vine, Instagram, YouTube, and World Star into an application and then customize whatever video that is. They can select a video segment from three to 15 seconds long, add captions, add voiceover, add music, and then share it back on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. They can send it by text, email, or save it to their camera roll.

What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Sinew Solutions?

It’s a free download, and my ultimate goal is to generate ad revenue based on the number of users. So, it’s just really basic exposure to get people to download and use the app regularly. I would like to integrate my functionality with the outlets that my app is compatible with.

For instance, a user can go onto YouTube, and take the video directly from YouTube, trim it, caption it, whatever they want to do to it, and then share it with social media directly from YouTube or Instagram. So, people can customize it and add their own flair to it, and then share it on social media. That obviously boosts viewership for YouTube, many people are visiting their site to share media on other social media platforms.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They provided complete mobile app development from start to finish. From me not having anything, just an idea in my head, they came up with a proposal that was very robust and comprehensive. They built out a specific timeline for their deliverables. At each milestone, they reached out to me for approval, [and] then we would move forward. If there were changes that I wanted to make, we would change them and they would resubmit another milestone for approval and work on it until everything was correct.

They did all of the design work. I had another individual who was specifically there to help with the aesthetics, and she was phenomenal. I would just give her a color scheme and a very general overview of what I was looking for, and she was able to bring it to life. We just kind of tweaked everything in until it was absolutely perfect. They came up with ideas around functionality, around which devices should be compatible, around placement of items, color scheme, any and everything. They worked on idea conception all the way to the app being delivered to the iTunes store and the Google Play store.  

From a conceptual standpoint, it’s a pretty straightforward concept. However, some of the APIs [application programming interfaces] and the integrations with those other sites has to be done organically because there are not many other apps that let you pull video from external sources, then import it, and then manipulate that content. So, most apps just let you use videos that are already on your phone, so that’s the main difference, and that was definitely the biggest challenge for them. I know it was tough, but they rose to the occasion and executed on it. 

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

[Between] $50,000 and $200,000. But, on the low end of that. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

I came to them with the idea in February and engaged with Sinew in March. Our relationship is ongoing. The version for iOS was released, and we are wrapping up the Android version in the next week or two. I’m probably have some updates coming down the pipeline. They’ve already given me a cost printout for what that’ll look like.

Are you satisfied with their work?

Yes, very satisfied. It’s interesting because a lot of people that have been downloading the app have been telling me there aren’t any bugs or issues. Which may seem like a small thing but when you’re using mobile applications, you can think of the number of times where it’s crashed, or something’s not working, or it kicks you out of the app. I’m very grateful, from a functionality standpoint, to have everything be very sound.

Also, from a design standpoint, it’s exactly what I wanted. I couldn’t be any happier with the way things turned out. They really took what I had in my head and brought it to life, which was all I could really ask for, and they did it quickly. I came up with the idea in February, and it’s been in the App Store for a month now.

Is there anything unique about Sinew Solutions that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think their level of responsiveness and engagement, including me in everything, but also bringing value by adding different creative opinions and thoughts is special. Just bringing another level of expertise to the table, because I have no expertise in this space whatsoever was vital.

I came up with a very rough idea without any technical basis, and they took that and applied their technical overlay, and it all came together very nicely. They brought things to my attention that I would have never of thought of. If I reached out to them, they would get back to me usually within 20 minutes, if that. If anything, it was them having to pull teeth to get a response from me, versus the other way around.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

For me, personally, no, I really don’t have anything to suggest.