The coming years are going to witness numerous software development trends growing in terms of potential, implementation, and acceptance. These trends are expected to play a critical role in many industries. For instance, for medical app development in the healthcare industry, one of the key trends in software development, i.e. Artificial Intelligence, offers many benefits. It eases access to vast life-saving data sets and predictions of potential health outcomes. Like AI, other software development trends such as IoT, Mixed reality, etc. in businesses will reshape the future of ecommerce and industries. Automation and digitization will make a lot of changes in the customer experience in the coming years.
Here are the following key trends in software development that are expected to dominate the software industry battle next year:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Although many industries have started using AI already, it still remains as one of the leading software trends. In the coming years, AI will become a must-have technology for businesses to remain relevant. AI can benefit different businesses as it has various capabilities such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Vision, and Speech. It is predicted that many industries such as healthcare, travel, education, etc. will broadly use AI for customized experiences, assistance, and prediction services.
- Internet of Things (IoT): As technology trends go, IoT has entered deeply into the human daily routine. It is a network of physical objects like devices, vehicles, gadgets, appliances, etc. and these devices use sensors. These devices use Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to transfer data over the internet. IoT is an integration of different technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), and APIs. Investments in this sector could almost double in 2021 compared to 2017; that means, more and more companies will aim to apply and adapt IoT in their activities.
- Progressive Web Apps (PWA): PWA are websites that look and feel like apps. It is a mixture of a web page and a mobile application that acts like a native app. PWA offers an immersive full-screen experience for users with less data usage and shorter loading time. PWA uses modern web technology to provide app-like experience to users right away in their browsers so that users can access all the information and capabilities without downloading the app. A lot of world-renowned platforms such as Pinterest, AliExpress, Flipkart, etc. make use of PWA. With enhanced performance, engaging user experience, faster loading time, and less data usage, PWA is expected to dominate the web products market in 2021.
Image Source: https://miro.medium.com/max/260/0*9yC_zmcBsVVSxBMn.png - Human 2.0: Human 2.0 or Human Augmentation is a set of techniques and technologies that can be applied to duplicate, complement, and empower people to improve the quality of their lives dramatically. For instance, it allows a person to go beyond his usual boundaries; there are some devices and implants that are highly advanced such as cochlear implants. For muscle capability and to enhance motion, there are limb devices. Other human augmentation types may work with specific sorts of IT resources like big data assets. At the moment, these technologies are being developed and implemented to restore human senses like sight and hearing; also, companies have achieved certain successes in the development of technologies that can enhance human strength or intelligence. It is assumed that experts in developing these technologies will be in great demand in the coming years.
- Cross-platform development tools: Earlier, when developing an application, developers had to choose one of the main platforms or make separate applications for each OS. Now, developers can build applications that will be compatible with the main platforms.It is:
- Cost and time-effective.
- Reduces time to market.
- Allows for faster profitability by reaching a wider consumer pool.
It is expected that the increase in demand of cross-platform development will lead to rapid growth and an increase in the suitable tool’s numbers.
- Blockchain: As the name suggests, it’s like creating blocks that are linked to form a chain. The earlier blocks cannot be altered and they are the central point of their security; also, no single entity controls it. It is usually related to cryptocurrency, but is more than that. Blockchain is also becoming big in the field of IoT. The technology is a good solution for providing security for IoT devices. In fields like healthcare, blockchain implementation promises great potential in helping to secure patient record storage and access.
- Big Data computation: It is still among the top trends and investment opportunities. In 2021, a number of jobs are going to be processed in memory instead of storing data after each operation. When it comes to social media data, text analysis, and documents, and clickstream media, batch processing frameworks are going to be in demand. It is believed that big data will be used for new medical cures, climatic change research, and for more Natural Language Processing and easier data governance. In healthcare industry, a professional healthcare digital marketing agency will use all the data compiled on the treatments, drugs, medical equipment, and more to help determine the best target audience for a specific marketing campaign.
- Cybersecurity: One of the reasons for the increase in data breach is the growing investments in technologies like the IoT, while at the same time secure apps are not being developed as needed. However, the companies approaching one or other software outsourcing company for development have started to recognize the risks and allocate budget toward secure software development. According to cybersecurityventures.com, they
- expect that businesses will face ransomware attack every 11 seconds by 2021
- predict that global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1 trillion cumulatively over the years 2017-2021
The companies following custom and agile software development are attending to secure the software during the development cycle itself and the trend will attain a new level this year.
- Mixed reality: It brings together the best of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to create an enticing environment. The products based on this technology face an ever-growing demand and bring mixed reality to the software trends list. According to the report by industryarc.com, the mixed reality market forecast is expected to grow rapidly from $1.054 billion in 2017 to $ 9.982 billion in 2024. The software industry is preparing solutions for future implementation now. Mixed reality technology will have a great impact and broad application in the fields of healthcare, education, retail, military training, remote work, etc.
Software development is a highly competitive industry that has an impact on every sector. From problem-solving to informed decision making, it depends on the skill and expertise of developers. As a result, software and mobile development have become essential for a business’ growth and success.
