What's Your Digital iQ

Mobile is all the buzz right now. And it more than worthy of all that distinction, too. In both 2011 and 2012, there was talk that each of those years were the “year of mobile”. 2011 definitely wasn’t “thee” year and 2012 still has a long way to go if it’s going to live up to that distinction. But, there are 10 trends that could put make mobile explode by the end of the year.

1) Voice is the New User Interface

The interesting thing about Siri is how it is evolving. Just a few weeks, we heard about the new developments in iOS that will integrate Siri more deeply into the mobile experience. While there is no open API yet, it seems we are getting closer and closer to that.

Be prepared in 2013 to see a number of speech-enabled, mobile health apps that allow people to speak to their phone about their conditions, symptoms, or treatments.

2) It is very cloudy

The cloud is everywhere. Except healthcare. The healthcare and pharma industry is still very siloed and still a little behind

3) Reps Sell, iPads Don’t

The iPad was a game changer. The entire industry seems to have embraced the iPad. Up to now, the trend has been to adapt what we’ve always done to the iPad. But the iPad has empowered us to look at the call from a 360-degree approach. It’s no longer about just making content “sexy”, it’s about putting tools in the hands of reps and physicians that can improve sales and health outcomes. We are now (finally) starting to recreate versus adapting.

We first went from the Visual Aid  to the Interactive Visual Aid. Now it’s time to go from the IVA to the IEA (interactive engagement aid)

4) Apps Work

78% of US consumers are interested in mobile health apps. There’s a huge opportunity in the rest of 2012 and into 2013 to create mobile applications. Consumers want them and we are learning how to create a better experience. It’s going to be quite a race.

5) Building Eco-Systems

The ecosystem is a very interesting trend. If you look at iOS, it doesn’t operate on its own. It neatly integrates with a variety of difference experiences (Facebook, Yelp, OpenTable, FaceTime, Twitter, iMessages). The question is what are we doing in the healthcare space?

6) Single App is a Killer App

Single App allows an iPad to be locked to a single app. It makes the iPad become a single-function tool. This could open up many potential ways to use iPads to engage physicians, patients, or tradeshow attendees without worrying about them misusing the device.

7) Passbook is fun!

Also with iOS 6, we found out about Passbook – the tool that will keep our boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and everything all in one place. The phone will increasingly become your all-in-one device. By 2013, we’ll be using tools like Passbook to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon.

There is huge opportunity for a healthcare integration here that can help patients remain compliant to treatment plans and more proactively manage their health.

8) Motion is Fun, But…

It’s important to think about the ratio of user experience and the expectation. We need to makes sure

9) QR Codes are so 2011

75% of people say they are highly unlikely to scan a QR code. But NFC is making a gigantic splash in the market today (do a Google search of NFC-related news articles, there’s a bunch!). By the end of this year, we’ll see a lot NFC technology out there. This will open the door to mobile payments, desiminate valuable information, and connect with others.

10) Let’s be Social

Social media isn’t going away for the healthcare industry. We shouldn’t have to wait for the FDA any longer to start creating social strategies. 2012 is the year to develop big ideas for how social can be incorporated into healthcare.

Final Thought

The year 2013 is going to be big! We won’t have to worry about smartphone adoption or whether people are using social media. We will no longer be charged with making the case, we will just be charged with coming up with the next really big idea that will change everything. Now’s the time.