Any form of digital service, let alone apps, is always gaining momentum owing to the demand that’s out there. Technology is rapidly growing, as our world becomes all the more fast-paced and people prefer to get more done in less time. Apps in particular augment the speed and quality of deliverables, owing to its versatile nature of being available at the palm of one’s hand (via today’s smart devices, of course).
As a result, developing these apps have long since been a hot topic, as brands and developers alike try to stay abreast of every recent happening in this space. Building and maintaining an app is an intricate process after all, thanks to just how much it makes possible – irrespective of device, requirement or circumstance.
So, which technology trends are bound to affect the way that apps are created and delivered to us? While advancements in tech are often influenced by customer demands, both aspects go hand-in-hand to determine what rules the arena of app development. Being one too many, we’ve outlined trends that shall be the most impactful; read on to know more!
The faster the pace of life gets, the more impatient users become to wait for an app or webpage to load! With attention spans ever decreasing amidst seas of content, how is today’s competent business able to stay within eyeshot of its audiences, target or otherwise? Instant Apps are a wonderful boon for speeding up the process of getting accustomed to an app, and thereby increasing engagement rates. With Instant Apps, users can try a mobile app before they download it, so they can get a feel of how it works.
In turn, this can result in a higher number of downloads and usage, as it can help convert customers who aren’t motivated to wait until an app has finished downloading and installing, or simply don’t have sufficient space in their devices to accommodate yet another app.
DIY App DevelopmentBefore we ponder about the future of our apps, we need to take a few steps back and consider why apps even exist in the first place. Born out of the need to satisfy consumer demands, apps have since come far to deliver goods, services and much more to its users. Everything from taxis to pizza are available at the tap of an app, including the possibility to create content which otherwise requires the intervention of a professional.
From websites to images used on social media, applications are available to enable the common person who doesn’t possess the required technical skills to create the very same. So why not the ability to create an app in the same way? On-demand mobile app creation platforms are slowly but steadily gaining recognition, in order to give brand owners the ability to create a fully-functioning mobile app by themselves – sans any technical knowledge in mobile app development.Which means that there are apps out there – to build new apps from scratch. Think about it.
The increasing popularity of smart devices that are run by a voice assistant is enough proof to signify the fact that this trend is here to stay. What’s more, an equally growing dependency on apps – as well as its primary function to work as an on-demand facilitator insinuates enough drive for both voice-based technologies and apps to merge, in order to create a system that is truly customer-centric.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are the foundational technologies which make voice-based commands possible. Natural language processing is an important requisite for voice-based command retrieval and generation, and is something that is honed by the system as it interacts with the user.
Given the success of voice assistants and their dedicated devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, implementing a similar technology that enables voice-based commands for apps in general shall deem to be quite promising for brands and their consumers.
Data-Driven Strategies for Intense CustomisationAlthough data-centric decision making isn’t necessarily breaking news, deploying a strategy that accurately identifies what each user is on the lookout for, very much is. Understanding the importance that data plays in facilitating on-demand services may not be a recent trend in software development, but it’s one that definitely needs to be emphasized time and time again.
Users hardly prefer to be bombarded with notifications that don’t resonate to them, or are of products/services that they do not need. With the aid of AI and machine learning once again, this is something that can be honed – given that the right data exists.
This means that ensuring the integrity of the data which is used to make decisions is just as important; in other words, you need to maintain a reliable source of data, and be fully aware of where it all hails from.
In today’s day and age, every form of machinery has the capability to be ‘smart’, all thanks to the Internet of Things. Apps are already facilitating this, but the growing potential of IoT to make life easier, faster and hassle-free is something which many brands (especially those that focus on home-based products, such as appliances) are yet to take advantage of. For instance, while the industry of software development in Sri Lanka is an active and thriving one, a gap still remains in the IoT market to invent a gadget that is locally bred.
With more businesses jumping into the IoT bandwagon, the need for apps to control such devices is sure to follow – something that app developers should keep an eye out for, this 2019.
With more and more users keen on obtaining products and services in record time, the innovation we call apps is a wondrous resource that we are all dependent on today. Combine this with the pressure to deliver uniquely customised solutions – something that AI and machine learning can enable, along with using legit data to aid the decision-making process. Therefore, the upcoming year of 2019 has much in store for apps in general, to increase their efficacy for the purpose of rising up to the expectations of today’s customer.