You decided to add in-app chat and live-streaming. Now your turn to decide will you build or buy it?

Build or buy? Discover the pros and cons of in-house development vs. SaaS solutions for community chats, copy-betting, and live streaming. Learn how to optimize resources, reduce costs, and achieve faster results with the right approach for business.

Accumulated experience or lessons from mistakes: Buy or build social features for your platform?

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">Table of Contents&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#building-a-feature-in-house">Building a feature in-house</a><a href="#buying-saas">Buying SaaS</a><a href="#outcome">So, what’s the outcome?</a><a href="#get-in-touch">Get in Touch</a><hr></div>Many companies face a critical dilemma when implementing new functionalities, such as chats, copy-betting, and in-app live streaming, alongside their core product. Should they build the solution in-house with their own team or leverage a specialised B2B SaaS platform?<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2000/1332;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/3391ca97-9631-4d1c-b665-3f4af3812122.jpg" alt="is it better to build chat solution or buy a saas - introduction" width="2000" height="1332"></figure>There can be many potential advantages and disadvantages for both answers. We have discussed these two variants with numerous potential clients, and we have decided to provide more detailed guidance on making the right choice.<h2 id="building-a-feature-in-house">Building a feature in-house</h2>Companies that lean towards building in-house see the following reasons.1. Resource optimisationCompanies may believe they can distribute costs across existing team members without significantly increasing overhead.2. Strategic alignmentBuilding in-house ensures the solution aligns closely with the company’s vision and strategy, avoiding “not quite right” products from the market. People who build in-house perfectly know and understand the needs and peculiarities of the company and can build something unique and fit for their specific product.3. Developing internal expertiseCreating the product internally can gradually build valuable expertise within the team, so its members can support and maintain this service, not only building it but keeping it in its initial state.4. ControlRelying on in-house resources eliminates external risks like vendor market exit, ownership changes, or pricing shifts. Also, they know everything happening with the feature perfectly: all crushes and all good feedback. Complete control is usually the main reason (perhaps after finances) for building the solution in-house.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2000/1200;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/27ce3d71-5c57-42c3-8d1e-6ec3ab0a9e6f.jpg" alt="why building in-house can look as a good idea" width="2000" height="1200"></figure><h3>Reality check✅</h3>While the idea of the building seems appealing for control and alignment, the reality often unveils hidden challenges.Despite these arguments, building in-house comes with significant challenges.Specific expertise cannot be replacedWithout a dedicated team, the product often remains at the MVP stage and fails to deliver meaningful results.Risk of dilutionFocusing on secondary products can detract from the core offering, stretching resources thin or the opposite—your team always have more prior tasks, and the feature will be underdeveloped.Unpredictable outcomesExperimenting with new features involves a lengthy trial-and-error process, which consumes time and budget without guaranteeing success. Because this feature is new to you, you will face many unexpected problems.Escalating costsInitial development costs can balloon as the product requires continuous improvements to stay relevant.Delayed ROIEven in an optimistic scenario, a functional MVP takes more than half a year to complete, and tangible results may only appear after extensive testing and iteration, which often lasts well over a year.<h2 id="buying-saas">Buying SaaS</h2>Using a specialised B2B SaaS platform offers a range of benefits.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2438/1612;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/316640fe-b5d1-4bac-8326-86cd8c4a32d0.png" alt="what benefits could you get buying the saas solution" width="2438" height="1612"></figure>Access to the most relevant teamSaaS solutions are built and maintained by dedicated teams with deep expertise, often at a cost lower than assembling an in-house team.Leveraging сollective wisdomSaaS platforms incorporate feedback and best practices from numerous clients, ensuring a more refined and effective product from the start. So, you don’t need to learn from your mistakes: use accumulated experience.Cost PredictabilitySaaS comes with clear, manageable pricing structures, reducing financial uncertainty.Faster ResultsWith no lengthy development phase, SaaS users can implement a new feature in days and see measurable outcomes within weeks, not months or years.Flexibility to transitionIt’s possible to start with SaaS to test the waters and later switch to building in-house if the solution makes sense for your business.<h3>Reality check✅</h3>Different SaaS companies offer various business models and communication schemes. Thus, disadvantages can vary, from implementation difficulties to a lack of flexibility: not all details and wishes can be released, and not all improvements appear as soon as desired.<h2 id="outcome">As a result</h2>The choice between building in-house or buying a SaaS solution depends on your company’s priorities, resources, and timeline. Building offers control and alignment but often at the cost of time, focus, and escalating expenses. SaaS, on the other hand, provides a faster, more efficient path to results with access to expert insights and proven solutions.For most companies, starting with SaaS is a pragmatic approach, enabling rapid implementation and cost-effective scaling while leaving the door open for future in-house development if needed. However, you need to have a checklist with questions and choose a SaaS company that perfectly meets your needs and offers you the solution and features you and your end-users will be happy to try.<hr><h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in Touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call</a> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.

What is high-quality UX, how do we meet the needs of our clients from different domains, and what are the criteria for white-label service design?

How do we customise integrated chats perfectly and achieve the best user experience for users? Watchers' product design team share their views on the topic.

Simplicity and Consistency: How do we provide excellent UX for partners from various industries 

We integrate chats and other tools for communication to different platforms, from trading to video streaming services. Users of such platforms are different and follow various needs and goals. It's the first challenge with UX. The second one is that we have a white-label solution, so our chats&nbsp;have to&nbsp;become an organic element of your partners' interface. How do we achieve it?&nbsp;Watchers' product design team shares their views on the topic and describes the approach to building the perfect UX for each partner and every end-user.<h3>What does “high-quality UX” mean?</h3>An answer is a bit obvious: high-quality user experience means creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function. A high-quality UX enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the ease of use and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product. For an integratable solution like ours, it means ensuring that users feel engaged, valued, and connected within the platform, facilitating a seamless and enjoyable social interaction.Additionally, we evangelise the principle that 'the best design is the one the user doesn't notice.' That matches our goal of seamless integration.<h3>How do you approach balancing different clients’ unique needs?</h3>Balancing the branding needs of different clients in a white-label product involves creating a flexible design that adapts to various branding guidelines and aesthetics. We typically utilise modular design systems that allow components to be easily customised in terms of colours, fonts, and icons without disrupting the core functionality.However, in some cases, we don’t need to deal with specific custom components. Such separate elements must align with the partner’s design code and should not introduce any distortions to the user experience. This approach allows each client to imprint their unique brand identity onto the interfaces we provide.<h3>Can you share a specific challenge you've faced in designing white-label products?</h3>Imagine we work across various domains like VOD, betting, and trading. It’s clear that the primary scenario involves socialising platform users around content, but we also focus on increasing users’ transactional activity. Each domain requires its unique success metrics. So, the challenge is to adapt one particular solution to platforms with different goals, content, and audiences. Also, differences can lie in one domain. For example, users can watch live content on the video platform and discuss emotions in real-time, supporting the football team, and then go to watch and discuss the series and write a review, without such strong emotions, but taking time for reflection and avoiding spoilers. We need to find a balance and a solution for both ways within the perimeter of the same platform.<h3>What key principles do you prioritise to create a seamless and user-friendly interface?</h3>Simplicity&nbsp;in navigation and interaction to ensure ease of use regardless of the user's technical skills.Consistency&nbsp;in core functionality and interaction patterns to reduce learning curves and enhance usability.Adaptability&nbsp;to allow for easy customisation and integration of different branding elements without compromising on usability or aesthetics.<h3>In the context of white-labelling, how do you manage user feedback?</h3>In managing user feedback, we establish a loop that encompasses both our clients and their end-users. By implementing analytics and tracking tools, we closely monitor user interactions with platform elements. We also encourage our clients to perform regular user testing and conduct surveys.Additionally, we actively engage with the end-users directly. If something displeases or pleases users, they often share these experiences in chats. This direct feedback provides us with invaluable insights into user preferences and needs. The data collected from these various sources is meticulously reviewed to inform iterative improvements, ensuring that our products continuously evolve and effectively meet user needs.<h3>What tools do you find most effective in testing and iterating on user interfaces?</h3>One of the most effective methodologies we use is the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework. JTBD helps us understand the underlying reasons why clients and their users choose our product—what jobs they are hiring it to do.In practice, we start by identifying the various "jobs" that users need to complete with our interface. We then design our UI to make these jobs as intuitive and straightforward as possible. For each iteration of the product, we use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess how well the interface helps users accomplish these jobs. This might include user testing sessions, where we observe users interacting with the product, or analysing usage data to see where users might be struggling.For instance, in our last release, we improved the menu display because users in specific scenarios were losing the ability to interact with it effectively. Our ongoing evaluation directly informed this adjustment of how users manage their "jobs" through the interface.JTBD not only guides our design choices but also helps ensure that our white-label products seamlessly fit into the diverse workflows of our clients and their users, thereby enhancing overall satisfaction and effectiveness.<h3>What product metrics affect your approach to designing?</h3>Retention&nbsp;is crucial because it measures how well our products keep users coming back, which is a direct indicator of the effectiveness of our user experience and overall product satisfaction.Conversion&nbsp;rates help us understand whether the design effectively encourages users to take desired actions, such as completing a transaction or regularly engaging with content. This metric guides us in optimising the user flow and interface elements to lead users towards these target actions more effectively.The lifetime value&nbsp;of a user is also a pivotal metric, as it gives us insight into the long-term value a user brings to the platform.<h3>How does your approach differ depending on the partners’ domains? UX can be really different for investors, bettors, and film lovers.</h3>For investors, clarity and information density are crucial because these users seek detailed and reliable data to make informed decisions. For example, we partner with a trading exchange that has incorporated our product into its platform. With our solution, they can host live streams with influencers directly on their platform without needing external resources. These sessions discuss current news, trends, and expectations, encouraging users to make more informed and profitable investment decisions.For bettors, we emphasise the social and community aspects of the experience. Our design aims to enhance interaction within communities, making it easy for users to share tips, celebrate wins, and learn from each other. Thus, increasing transactional activity through a socially enriched environment.Film lovers, on the other hand, value visual appeal and ease of content discovery. For VOD services, the discovery metrics are critical: the faster users find engaging content, the longer they will remain active users. That's why we focus on getting users to share their viewing experience and make recommendations to each other.<h3>How do you stay updated on the latest design trends and technologies?</h3><ol><li data-list="bullet">Read industry publications and blogs like Smashing Magazine and UX Collective.</li><li data-list="bullet">Participate in design webinars and workshops.</li><li data-list="bullet">Engage with other professionals through forums and social media groups.</li><li data-list="bullet">Experiment with new tools and methodologies as they emerge.</li></ol>

Blog with tag: SaaS