We’re only a month or so away from the new year, so now’s the perfect time to take a look at what’s ahead for the world of mobile app development.
As you know, at Iconic Solutions we’re heavily focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on software development. In our view, AI will be perhaps the biggest shift in the world of apps since the advent of the app store itself.
So, how will AI impact the world of app development in 2019, and in the future? Let’s take a look.
It will increase the use (and ability) of voice recognition for businesses
The increase of Alexa, Siri and other voice capable software has seen demand for voice search grow substantially over the past couple of years. Indeed, one study showed that there were around a billion voice searches a month carried out as early as January this year!
Gartner, meanwhile, believes that as many as 30% of all web browsing sessions will be done through voice rather than through a screen.
What does this mean? Simply that any business wanting to take advantage of this technology should take the inclusion of voice capabilities in their app very seriously. Within a few years, it’s likely that this will be considered a ‘standard’ feature in some markets.
The improvement of AI will, of course, see voice recognition ability improve, and the most successful businesses will take advantage of it.
One company that’s already well ahead of the curve is Domino’s, who’ve already integrated Alexa into their app so customers can order food hands-free.
Expect more and more bigger companies to take a similar approach within the next year or so.
Content delivery will become more personalized
Whether it’s YouTube, Netflix, Facebook or even just a local marketing agency, the ability to deliver personalized content in 2019 will be vital.
Users simply have so much fighting for their attention from different devices and networks that the only way to grab their attention amid the sea of noise will be to tailor messages specifically to them.
AI, fortunately, can be a key ally in helping you to do this through your app. Whether you’re sending out simple push notifications, or delivering full video content, AI algorithms can play a key part in ensuring your app users continue to engage with your app past the initial download.
How? Simple. AI can analyze user behavior fast, and use that data to determine customer likes and dislikes, both in terms of what products or services they prefer, and in terms of how they engage with the app itself.
Personalized content will, of course, also rely on machine learning, which is a more specialist form of AI we’ve covered in previous posts. But, needless to say, apps that wish to continue to attract users in 2019 should definitely take providing a personalized user experience into account if they wish to be successful.
It will play a key part in the internet of things
We’ve covered the internet of things in several previous posts, but it’s worth re-iterating that AI will by its nature play a key role in providing a link between software and hardware within IoT apps.
For an example, let’s say that you install a network connected heating system complete with an app that allows you to adjust everything while you’re at work. Over time, AI software will be able to learn your preferences and then adjust the system without you needing to prompt it, or to remind you if you’ve forgotten to change the temperature at the same time you normally do, for example.
The more AI assistants are used, the faster they will improve. If you consider the difference in the quality of service Apple’s SIRI delivers now compared to when the technology first launched as an app in 2010, then consider the fact that technology always improves exponentially, you’re looking at huge growth potential over the next couple of years.
What does this mean? It means that, simply, if you’re developing any app using the internet of things as a basis, getting a grasp on AI as soon as possible could give you the potential to make huge leaps forward in your business over the next couple of years.
Without AI algorithms and machine learning, the internet of things would simply not have progressed as far as it has in the last couple of years. And you can expect that to continue into 2019.
AI will heavily impact the UX process
It’s no secret that at Iconic Solutions, we place a huge amount of emphasis on user experience as relates to app development.
Put simply, if users don’t like using your app, nothing else about it matters: it won’t grow your business!
One of the biggest areas of interest in terms of AI and app development is how many changes we see in how apps are designed as a result of machine learning.
To give you an example, think about how different Amazon looks today compared with how it did when it first launched. The same goes for YouTube, Spotify, Facebook…all the companies that test heavily and rely hugely on customer interaction.
It’s very likely we’ll see similar changes taking place within the world of mobile apps. The better AI gets at learning how customers want to engage with their app, the more changes will take place through the next few years.
Of course, as Amazon, Facebook, YouTube and the rest learned, the businesses that tap into this potential first will be the ones that reap the biggest rewards. The earlier you can start to use AI to inform the way your app’s UX is designed, the better results you’re likely to get.
Essentially, by letting AI learn enough about your customers to inform your UI, you’ll be giving users exactly what they want, which is a sure-fire way to achieve success, even in the high-stakes app store.
The other AI development in terms of UX is the ability to monitor demographic information. With Google’s analytics platform providing less useful information than in did a few years ago (almost none in terms of organic traffic) the ability of AI to provide actionable, useful information about age groups, income bracket and so on could provide invaluable insight to modern businesses looking to learn more about their users.
In summary
AI and machine learning will become more and more important to any company looking to design apps in 2019 and beyond.
The key to success here is to start to adopt the technology and the capabilities as early as you can. As with any form of technological leap forward, the earlier you get on board and start to learn how you can make it work for your business, the better.
The rewards for any business that uses AI and machine learning in their app development are potentially limitless. Put simply, it is the ability to KNOW that you’re delivering a great app to your users. The result? More engagement, more retention and – in the long run – more business.
Get in touch today if you’d like to learn more about the future of AI in app development.
