Don’t Fall into the App Trap

Medical apps have the potential to provide a multitude of health insights and wellness advice with relatively little effort or cost.  And with reputable companies like Research2Guidance projecting a staggering 500 million consumers to be using health apps by 2015, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the revolution is definitely on the way.

 

Although this new phenomenon is quite exciting and demonstrates lots of potential, many health apps simply do not get the job done. With access to over 11,000 downloadable health apps in Apple’s iTunes store, consumers are often sent on a wild goose chase in order to find reliable health apps that are medically sound.

 

The average iPhone user has 40 apps, but research shows that the majority of them lie unused after just a month. Furthermore, in regards to overall health app downloads, Pew’s most recent survey in August 2011 determined that only 11 percent of all adult cellphone users downloaded an app that helped them manage or track their health.

 

With so much promise, room for innovation and opportunity, why is the health app uptake so slow? The main issue is that for potential users, it’s often hard to figure out what apps are available, let alone which ones work best. Companies are too quick to sell their app and overlook the necessity of educating consumers and health care professionals about its benefits.

 

 

As most consumers are not health experts themselves, they often rely on their primary care physicians, specialists and even nurses to offer them advice on different medical practices and programs. This offers a great window of opportunity for app producers to educate health care professionals who, in return, may recommend your product to appropriate patients. Having a healthcare professional as an advocate for your app immediately improves its credibility, and may even lead to increased sales. 

 

It is also crucial to ensure that the target audience knows and understands what services the app provides, and how it differentiates from the multitude of others out there. To fully achieve this goal, educating audiences through magazine articles, TV interviews and social media activities can be extremely useful. The more familiar your consumers are about your product, the higher the chance they will actually download and use it. 

 

 

Make a commitment to your clients — end users and health care professionals — and show them that you care about the longevity of your product. By paying attention and understanding what your customers are saying about your product, it is easier to realize new opportunities, provide information to address their concerns and avoid crisis situations. In addition, go the extra mile and show dedication to your app users’ happiness and health by committing to making changes and improvements to your app based on their feedback and requests.

 

In today’s competitive mobile health market, applying these strategic tips will ultimately help you create a more successful product and avoid getting lost in the millions of others apps. We would love to hear from you. What other steps companies can take to make their health app effective and valuable?