The Future of Apps: What Features and Capabilities Tomorrow’s Apps Will Need

Predicting the future of apps is less about being a psychic and more about leveraging the latest technologies to deliver the best in-app experiences for your customers. To help you stay competitive in a fast-moving digital ecosystem, we’ve put together a list of where we think mobile app development is headed.

 

Making Instant Even Faster

Modern users’ obsession for instant products and services has generated an on-demand economy made up of services like Uber, Airbnb, and OpenTable. This category of app will continue to expand. In the future, AI and machine learning will push the boundaries of efficiency, meaning that apps will respond to keywords in searches and messages before you can even hit the launch icon. So the next time you text a friend about a restaurant booking, you can have driving time, weather, and online ratings–essentially all the information you’ll need–appear without having to launch an app or say a voice prompt.

 

Greater Integration and Organization

As the mobile world continues to mature, developers will likely focus on creating more organized experiences for users. Some apps come with features that users find difficult to unsubscribe from or disable. A lack of user control can lead to frustration and eventually cause customers to delete the app from their mobile phone. Through further research in UX, app developers will continue to simplify interfaces and create organized platforms of communication that are integrated across multiple channels.

 

Building Better Experience Sharing Methods

Like it or not, mobile apps have made the world more social. They deliver connectivity regardless of distance- it’s now possible to attend a wedding without being there in person, read a storybook to your kids from a different time zone, and announce a personal achievement in real time. Experience sharing apps are only growing in number. Emarketer estimated that there were a total of 2.34 billion social media users in the year 2016- up about 9% since 2015.  App developers will look to deliver digital products that reflect real life experiences, and will integrate experience sharing through video into most apps, including those that are not entirely for messaging or communication purposes.

 

Machine Learning and Data Science

Imagine that you’re hiking along a trail through the Great Smoky Mountains, and you’ve just passed by one of the most picturesque sites in the area—unknowingly. In the future, apps on your smartphone could prevent you from missing out on exciting and important opportunities. Data science can deliver enhanced and custom experiences for each user. By recognizing where, when, and how users are interacting with their digital device, digital service providers can become better at predicting each user’s needs.

For instance, if your customer is driving by your company’s bakery, cafe, or retail store you would surely want them to stop by. Advancements in data science can allow your company to send push notifications or alerts containing deals, new product announcements, etc., when a customer is in close proximity to your business’ location, increasing the chance of interaction. Data science lets your business make the most from the direct line of communication that an app provides, which is why future app designs will be heavily integrated with data science measures and machine learning features.

Being quick to recognize and adopt these trends will make your digital products more competitive in tomorrow’s market.