Intro
The healthcare industry has seen a rapid rise in mobile app adoption over the past decade. Health and wellness apps provide users convenient access to medical information, symptom checkers, appointment bookings, wearable device integration, and more. For healthcare providers and startups looking to develop their mobile apps, understanding the key stages of the product development process is crucial for launching a successful digital health product.
Conducting Market Research
Before diving into development, it is critical to understand the target market and existing solutions. Key research areas include:
Competitor Analysis
- What apps exist? Who created them?
- What features do they offer? How well are they executed?
- What pain points or limitations do users cite?
Customer Research
- Who are the target users? Patients, doctors, hospitals, etc.?
- What are their needs and frustrations with current solutions?
- Will they use a healthcare app? What would motivate adoption?
Market Trends
- How are mobile apps transforming healthcare domains like records, telemedicine, wearables, etc.?
- What emerging use cases or growth areas show promise?
Thorough research from an outsourced product development company identifies unmet needs to address and benchmarks for features and usability. It also maps the competitive landscape to position the app.
Creating Requirements and Defining Scope
With initial research completed, the product requirements and scope for an MVP (minimum viable product) can be defined.
Prioritizing Features
List every feature you aim to include in the final product and prioritize by core functionality versus nice-to-haves. Determine what absolutely must be included for an MVP launch versus longer-term roadmap features. This exercise prevents scope creep down the line.
Mapping the User Journey
Outline the step-by-step user journey from signup to achieving their goal via your app. Diagramming user flows and use cases will help identify technical and design requirements. Analyze where key micro-conversions and desired actions take place.
Defining Success Metrics
Determine quantitative metrics for measuring the success of healthcare app development services from a business and user perspective. Examples include the number of downloads, user retention rate after 30/90 days, average session length, referral rate, and more. These metrics will guide development priorities and feature roadmaps.
Creating Wireframes and Prototypes
With requirements defined, design and technical teams start mocking up wireframes and prototypes.
Sketching Early Wireframe Concepts
Start by whiteboarding basic wireframe sketches to visualize the layout and information architecture. These early sketches establish a general structure without colors, fonts, or graphics. Validating the workflow early allows quicker iteration.
Refining Wireframes and User Flows
Create higher fidelity wireframes, potentially using tools like Figma or Adobe XD. Ensure the user flow intuitively guides users through each task and conversion funnel. At this phase, test wireframes with target users to identify usability issues and collect feedback.
Developing Interactive Prototypes
With wireframes refined, interactive prototypes can be developed to mimic the real app experience, allowing users to click through flows. Prototypes demonstrate interactions and design intentions with internal and external stakeholders during development.
Selecting Technology and Architecting the System
The technology decisions profoundly shape development workflows, capabilities, scalability, and cost.
Native vs. Cross-platform Development
- React native app development creates dedicated iOS and Android apps with maximum optimization.
- Cross-platform tools like React Native enable code reuse but can compromise performance.
Cloud vs. On-premise Infrastructure
- Cloud platforms simplify deployment, streamline scaling, and reduce costs
- On-premise infrastructure grants more control but incurs hosting overhead
Third-Party API Integrations
- Integrate telehealth, payment, wearable, and other APIs for enhanced capabilities.
- Thoroughly evaluate partners based on their offerings, reliability, and pricing.
Analytics and Error-Tracking Tools
Platforms like Mixpanel and Sentry provide usage insights and issue monitoring to maintain quality.
The architecture should enable robust features while optimizing efficiency, costs, and iteration speed.
Complying with Healthcare Security Regulations
Healthcare apps must comply with HIPAA, HITECH, and other security regulations when handling protected health information. Work with healthcare compliance experts early when architecting infrastructure, data storage, encryption, and access controls. Neglecting compliance early causes major delays down the line.
Building an Agile Development Team
The right development team provides specialized expertise across healthcare and technology domains.
Leveraging Healthcare Industry Experience
Look for developers and designers with experience building clinical-grade applications, previous medical device launches, or digital health credentials. Domain experience is invaluable when navigating healthcare regulations.
Assembling a Multi-disciplinary Team
An effective product development team brings together UX designers, software developers, DevOps engineers, quality assurance testers, and cybersecurity talent. Developing an integrated mobile healthcare product requires tight collaboration across disciplines.
Choosing an Agile Development Approach
Waterfall development approaches with long release cycles don’t allow for rapid iteration in response to market feedback. Instead, Agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban promote cross-functional collaboration and incremental delivery for complex projects with shifting requirements.
Conducting Alpha and Beta Testing
Real-world testing with a small user group identifies issues and collects feedback before public launch.
Defining an Onboarding Strategy
The signup and onboarding flow requires heavy optimization to clearly explain app value, guide registration, obtain necessary permissions, and securely link health accounts. Observe real users during onboarding to pinpoint confusing interfaces.
Fixing Key Issues from Alpha Testing
Launch a private alpha test first with a small controlled set of testers. Identify high-priority bugs and usability issues from observational alpha testing before expanding to a wider beta release.
Expanding to a Public Beta Release
Conduct a public beta with a broader test group after addressing critical issues. Continue gathering user feedback via in-app surveys on features, content and overall experience to guide final development sprints. Measure key metrics and set baselines.
Submitting for Regulatory Approval
Healthcare mobile apps may require submission to regulatory bodies before launch, depending on intended use cases.
Evaluating Your Mobile Medical Device Classification
In the US, healthcare apps must be classified as either Mobile Medical Applications or Mobile Medical Devices based on functionality. This designation determines which regulatory requirements apply, including FDA submission.
Compiling Your Regulatory Submission
Your regulatory submission must clearly describe medical device product features, intended use cases, risk analysis and supporting clinical evidence. Medical review boards will evaluate safety and performance claims.
Responding to Additional Requests
The regulatory approval process often involves multiple review cycles with additional questions and requests for supplemental data. Be prepared to respond thoroughly and rapidly to each request to avoid costly delays in your go-to-market timeline.
Releasing and Iterating Post-Launch
Launching an app is just the beginning. Post-launch iteration and optimization are key for long-term success.
Monitoring Performance Against KPIs
Continuously track performance metrics defined early in the product development process. Monitor app store ratings, conversion rates by feature, user engagement and retention numbers. Dive into analytics to identify areas for improvement.
Gathering User Feedback
Actively collect qualitative feedback from users through in-app surveys, feedback buttons, app store reviews and user interviews. Track themes around confusing interfaces, desired new features and overall sentiment.
Prioritizing the Product Roadmap
Combine quantitative performance data and qualitative user feedback to inform the ongoing roadmap. Doubling down on the most beloved and highest performing features while deprioritizing unused functionality.
Planning Major and Minor Releases
Schedule both major releases with significant new features as well as minor releases focused on refinements and technical improvements. Frequent releases increase visibility and user delight.
Conclusion
Launching a healthcare app requires coordinating user research, design, development, extensive testing and regulatory activities. Each product development stage builds upon the last, from defining requirements early on through post-launch iteration. Maintaining an agile, user-centric and data-driven approach positions digital health products to deliver patient value long into the future.
