When it comes to developing healthcare applications, you are looking at the right market. The healthcare industry is expected to increase in market size to $102.43 billion by 2022, according to Zion Market Research, and the prediction is that around 70% of all major healthcare companies will invest in mobile healthcare apps. In fact, according to Google Play store, fitness and calorie monitoring healthcare apps are the most successful, but many other diagnostic apps and medical apps are rising in popularity.
However, for every successful app, there are several others that fall short of quality and expectations. Poor user experience can result due to confusing navigation and overall features. Some apps don’t address specific customer pain points, and in many cases, issues like data security and compliance failure can be detrimental to the best apps.
Again, there are many kinds of healthcare apps in the market. The popular ones are those that help people maintain a healthy lifestyle and of course, the apps that help monitor medical conditions and goals. There is, however, so much more scope when it comes to healthcare apps. Apps to document medical records, apps for clinical use and for easy medical referencing, and apps for administering departments in the hospitals, are some of the areas that have enormous possibilities.
Understand your User
It is crucial that when you are developing healthcare applications, you get into the mind of your user, whether a doctor, a patient or healthcare professional. Try and collect as much information on your user as possible. According to the Software Sustainability Institute, for instance, embedding your app in research is another way to go. Embedding an app project within a research project that is in a prestigious academic department will also leverage partnerships and networks.
User-friendly Design
The user interface is a huge deal when it comes to healthcare mobile app development. Remember that doctors, nurses, patients, and administrators will most likely use the app regularly, and it needs to have a seamless design that will enable all these stakeholders to stay on the platform and make it function. A web developer should make the design compact, easy to use and should have fonts, colors, pictures and other design elements that imbue positivity.
For example, understand your specific audience. Is the app for children or adults? Call-to-action buttons and even the choice of font play a huge role in the success of your app.
Data and Device Security
A report by Proteus says that as many as 233 breaches were reported to the Department of Health and Human Service and at least 3.1 million patient records were affected in 2017. Let’s face it; users are paranoid about sharing their data online and for a good reason.
Data and device security are crucial to ensure both healthcare app adoption and functionality. Privacy and security features will make or break your healthcare app. Two-factor password verification and end-to-end data encryption services are, and data should only be shared over secure connections and channels to ensure that there are no breaches. Mobile phone device security will ensure that not everyone has access to the records or information on people.
It is also essential to ensure that the app complies with the regulations of the country’s healthcare and privacy policies and that all the necessary registrations are in place.
Scalability, Adaptability, and Integration
Integrating new apps with existing IT architectures is another important requirement. Many healthcare organizations do have integration solutions. Let’s say that your app monitors heart disease. It also needs to connect to previous health records and share data, possibly even with legacy systems before they are ultimately phased out. To be this flexible, the app needs to be built for adaptability.
In countries like the US and the UK, many healthcare experts use technology in a big way. In other countries where clinical management systems are not driven by technology, a web application architecture that adapts and blends with all kinds of systems, at present or in the future, will be a huge bonus.
In fact, interoperability is a huge problem with Healthcare mobile app development and web developers who can fix this can make their product a cut above the rest. Application programming interfaces or APIs, for example, have been cited as being the key to fixing this problem. APIs can integrate existing tools with new applications and doesn’t need too many resources or time to do it.
Cost-effective app building
When it comes to app building for the healthcare department, you need very crucial and fundamental services like integration with custom devices, drug management, patient-doctor communication, electronic records, and tracking of health updates. If you focus on these key areas and build in interoperability, you should be set. Make the UI friendly, positive, and easy to use instead of going in for the bells and the whistles. Again, everything from geography to the volume of features adds to the cost. Outsourcing app development is another great way to maintain quality and cut costs, as you can find many brilliant healthcare app developers from around the world.
Testing Applications for the Healthcare Industry
Healthcare web apps need to be fool-proof, which is why testing the apps and their functionalities become so important. Right from testing the security and compliances to the workability and the integration of the app, testing can also be done with different operating systems, internet connections and hardware.
Other Considerations
Automation is the buzzword when it comes to the healthcare industry and healthcare web apps. Chatbots, for instance, can be used and empathy is another critical factor when developing these technologies. According to Gartner research, by 2020, 85% of customer service interactions in the healthcare services will be with a 24/7 chatbot. Chatbots can save much money for the companies that adopt them. Apps come and go, which is why building a sustainable and long-lasting healthcare app should be the focus of your applications for the healthcare industry.