PERSPECTIVES

The healthcare digital space is embraced more and more each day as the market continues to expand. This embrace is specifically strong when it comes to mobile platforms. As many may know mobile-based platforms are now regularly used in healthcare for things like eDetailing and patient education. There are also many mobile devices on the market such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Android Tablet, Blackberry, and Blackberry Playbook to name a few. These mobile devices all have the capability to add applications that are encapsulated within themselves as well as websites or web apps optimized for mobile devices. What I want to talk about in this post are the positive and negatives to both, and offer some thoughts as to where this market is going when it comes to the healthcare field.

Let’s start with native applications

An App is a piece of software that is written on a defined platform, it then goes through an approval process in which it becomes available to consumers. There are some that are free and some that cost the end user money. Below are both the advantages and disadvantages to this way of communicating with your mobile audience.

Advantages

1. An application can have a much wider range of capability for the end user to experience. This includes more robust gaming, high-end graphic rendering, motion effects, and complicated functionality that can’t always be replicated in mobile optimized web apps or websites.
2. Some of the applications don’t require an Internet connection after initial download.
3. Can be integrated with other tools that come with a mobile device automatically such as calendar, camera, email, and GPS.
4. Can be organized and customized easily on the mobile device interface by the end user.
5. Updates and improvements are made to applications on a regular basis and pushed out automatically.

Disadvantages

1. Time and cost can be significantly higher than developing namely a mobile optimized website.
2. It limits the market reach if you or your budget can only afford to develop for one type of mobile device. This is key considering each platform has different types of development requirements.
3. In order to test the application for a mobile device you need to have that device. It can be challenging to do group testing within some organizations when multiples of other devices aren’t always an option.
4. There is an approval process before your application can go public.
5. Every time you fix something to be pushed out as an update the application has to go back through the review process.

Websites and web apps that are optimized for mobile

A web app or a website optimized for mobile is developed to have a URL just like any other website, but it typically starts with a “M.” designation. This delineates it from the non-mobile version of the website. The optimization of the application allows it to use the respective mobile interface in the most effective way possible for the end user. To use an example that many are familiar with, compare CNN’s approach to websites, mobile optimization, and native applications.

Advantages

1. It’s much more cost efficient when it comes to development. Think of it as rearranging elements from your website rather than creating a completely new set of code for other platforms.
2. You will reach a greater audience as one development of the mobile site can be used across all web enabled mobile devices in a consistent manner when designed correctly. There are some minor front-end changes, but the backend development remains the same.
3. Testing is handled just as your organization would test a regular website baring any specific nuances that could be required per your end goals.
4. You will avoid an approval process. Just launch the mobile website on your terms.
5. You can update a mobile website and turn it around to your audience more quickly without an approval process (other than your own) getting in the way.

Disadvantages

1. It’s not as robust when it comes to gaming or complicated back end code requirements. NOTE: With the growing use and improvement to HTML5 there are many changes on the horizon for this particular issue.
2. The end user needs to have a connection to the Internet at all times for interactions to take place. NOTE: HTML5 has introduced ways to go offline using application cache in some cases.
3. To notify users of updates you’ll need to do an email push or somehow note it on your website interface rather than using the automatic updates built into native apps.
4. Screen transitions and interface tricks are not nearly as smooth.
5. Load time and speed of information transfer can sometimes be slow.

So what’s better for the healthcare audience when it comes to web app and native applications?

The direction to take depends on a number of factors that include outcome goals, end user demographics, type of interaction required, and how often the application will need to be updated. Those are some of the key parameters and many others can come into play as you develop an individual concept. Ways to determine this are via research, stakeholder interviews, and past usage patterns of other digital assets. If you’re a video game company for example you might have one website that is a promotional hub for 100 native smartphone applications that run your games. The key takeaway from all this is that the decision of mobile app or website vs. native application needs to map back to the delivery of your overall project goals and requirements. Let the advantages and disadvantages of both assist as a filter for your strategy.