If there’s one area of technology that almost everyone is interested in, it’s the one that revolves around mobile apps. Not only do these apps often feel like lifesavers, sometimes they literally can save lives. Following are some of the latest trends in this industry.
On-Demand Goods & Services
With today’s busy lifestyles and late working hours, one of the most popular types of mobile apps is on demand goods and services. Some of the first movers in this arena were food delivery, groceries, and, of course, taxis. Food delivery has expanded from individual restaurants to services that will go anywhere to get your takeout so you can get your favorite hole-in-the-wall fare without leaving your home or office.
Specialized Dietary Needs
A related area to restaurant delivery services offers specialized menus, catering to particular dietary needs such as vegan or gluten-free, or those wanting a boutique gourmet experience. This has become a new outlet for top chefs to reach a niche market, providing opportunities other than being a chef at a restaurant.
This includes services while traveling, making it easier to find places to eat and off the beaten path dining experiences. Mobile apps can even help connect you with people while you’re on the move, whether within your own city or across the globe. For people who are traveling alone, it’s a way to have company when you want it, and in a platonic way.
Healthcare & Fitness
Healthcare is another area where technology trends are further expanding into the app arena. Medical services are one of the newer possibilities within mobile apps, allowing you to get the help you need without leaving home. In addition to having a virtual doctor’s visit, wearable technology has become an exciting trend in medicine that has gone far beyond the fitness tracking devices that were one of the first in the wearable app industry.
While fitness tracking has also gone through leaps and bounds in technology, particularly with the advent of smartwatches, the medical industry has developed ways to use apps to save lives. Being able to track vital statistics for patients not just in the hospital but also living at home has given them a huge advantage, helping to keep them on their medication regimens, monitoring progress, and providing alerts when they’re in trouble.
Virtual Customer Experiences
More interactive experiences, in general, are paving the way forward, allowing companies to gain consumers over those that provide static experiences. Using virtual reality, businesses can help their potential customers better experience products or service that they are interested in, assisting them in making their purchase decisions. This is especially helpful for areas that are more visual, such as seeing how what a decorator has in mind will look in your actual home.
Chatbots
Another area of interactivity, chatbots, are also on the rise. These virtual assistants allow users to have more personal interaction with an app. Of course, everyone has had the frustration of dealing with a “stupid” chatbot. Improvements will continue to be made in this area, with the companies providing the most helpful and productive chatbot experiences being more successful compared to the competition with inferior technology.
Blockchain
Blockchain is another segment in the world of mobile apps that is expected to experience continued growth. What this does is allow for the apps to be decentralized, and not owned by any one individual. The upside is that it cannot be shut down and will never experience any downtime– these are key characteristics sought after in some industries, particularly that of finance.
Security
With the increased use of apps, security continues to be of great concern. Even simple apps like your camera require access to your personal data. A huge concern in the age of permissions for apps is whether no really means no. It’s been found that many apps still take data from your phone even after you’ve said no to the request. Google is working on a new system, Android Q, which is supposed to take care of that problem.
While these are currently some of the hottest areas for mobile app development, more are sure to be revealed. Given the competitive nature of the industry, competitors are determined to one-up their competition. This healthy competition makes it an exciting segment to keep your eyes on.
