Our world has become highly tech savvy and a large number of people rely on mobile devices to find information about everything under the sun. Mobile devices and mobile apps have penetrated into all industries and the healthcare industry is no exception. The healthcare industry is expanding in the field of mobile app development and it has helped in boosting doctor-patient interaction. Today, people are increasingly health conscious and do research on the internet before they make any medical decision. This has in turn led to the development of mobile apps that have become important for healthcare SEO too. Medical apps are helpful for patients at the time of illness and also for people in remote areas. Mobile apps for healthcare organizations deliver quality services and ensure increased patient interaction with minimum complexity.
Recent Significant Changes in Mobile App Development
Aggregator apps are the new trend today. These can organize content from different sources on the web and integrate them into an easy to follow interface. These apps are useful mainly for people who do not have the time or desire to browse various websites or download apps. Another trend that has gained popularity is the hybrid monetization models, like in-app purchases and in-app ads. Analysis shows that in-app advertising would be a key technique of mobile app development in the coming years. Other technologies such as SmartTV, Smartwatches, IoT etc are expected to grow in the future.
Changing Face of the Mobile App Market
Almost 87 percent Android smartphones are sold worldwide and Apple’s iOS has 11 percent share in the market. Since access to fast internet is easy now, smartphones with powerful graphics and high speed processors are becoming profit-generating machines for mobile app development companies. From 2015, mobile applications have been witnessing a greater use. Following are the significant changes observed:
- The use of digital versions of newspapers and magazines that are compatible with Mobile View has increased by 135 percent.
- The customization applications have seen surprising increase in usage by 332 percent
- Social media applications, sports, health, and fitness utilities are emerging rapidly.
- Applications and productivity tools like Wunderlist, Pocket, Google Keep and Letterspace witnessed a 125 percent boost.
- Lifestyle and shopping applications have created a great buzz in the market and there is no sign of stopping it.
Ongoing Trends in 2017
- Accelerated Mobile Page: A small circle with a lightening symbol inside it in Google search results shows that the webpage is an accelerated mobile page (AMP). The focus of AMP is faster mobile websites. AMP also supports a range of ad network, technologies and format. AMP visitors’ analytics automatically tracks visitors’ data like conversion, video and link tracking and more.
- Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): In 2016 Pokemon Go was introduced which became popular and the AR development will continue to rise. This game proved that AR technology has greater potential in engaging users. So many applications have started using AR technology and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. Google invented VR in 2014 and it has come a long way since then in terms of accessibility and performance. VR compatible apps especially games are more immersive than other applications.
- IoT with Driverless cars and smartphones: With IoT i.e. Internet of Things, we are able to see various Smart Homes and self driving cars. The integration requires complex mobile platform and backend architecture that can interact and share data between all devices for a unified experience. It is the IoT enabled sensors that helps self-driving cars get information about traffic, weather, navigation via ad hoc networks in order to get all things done correctly. The same technique applies for Smartphones also like switching on and switching off lights, locking and unlocking doors etc.
- Instant apps: Google recently announced Android Instant Apps that enable Android apps to run instantly. These applications need not be downloaded and installed on a device; users can access a wide range of apps seamlessly. This enables the users to use a specific feature from the app without actually installing it on the device. Android Instant apps are still in their initial stage and available for Androids, but sooner or later they will be available across platforms.
Healthcare Consumers’ Expectations Will Continue to Rise
Regardless of the industry, almost all patients, healthcare users and customers do not prefer manual paper-based processes that are slow. Proper access to services or information has become a basic necessity to all individuals and consumer expectations are likely to increase in the years to come. More and more organizations are now in the process of digitalization that will accelerate further and ultimately improve workflow and delivery of patient care.
Mobile app development has become a crucial part of healthcare digital marketing and helps physicians monitor several aspects of their patients’ health. It helps in getting the lab results easily, providing instant feedback to patients, managing appointments and so on.
