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Mobile app development trends in 2022
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Andrew Douglas

The main word of the early 2020s is “pandemic”, a phenomenon that turned the lives of many and influenced literally all areas of business. This concerns mobile development to the greatest extent, because due to the fact that people are switching to a remote work format, observing the self-isolation regime, leaving home less often, the time they spend online has increased. Despite the softening of the covid restrictions, according to the e-marketer forecast, in 2022, on average, people will spend on mobile applications 90% of their daily time spent on the Internet – this will amount to almost 4 hours. The development industry should respond to this with a corresponding growth, because the statistics of demand for applications is as follows: according to a study by the Statista.com portal, in the first half of 2021 alone, the number of downloads of various applications in the Apple App Store and Google Play reached 72.5 billion.

We thought about what areas of mobile app development will be relevant in 2022, what trends await us and what features will be in the top. We do not expect innovative solutions in the coming year, it is worth focusing on what is already in demand in the market, or on those trends that are just beginning to appear in the industry, but show their promise.

1. Low-Code and No-Code Development

NCDP and LCDP platforms are gaining popularity due to the growing popularity of the mobile application development industry itself. These solutions allow even companies with limited resources to create new products. No- and low-code technologies are also good for testing a hypothesis – whether an idea will enter the market or not. The development process is greatly simplified with a variety of drag-and-drop tools, flowcharts, user-friendly visual interface. According to forecasts, revenues of the low-code development market by 2030 will reach $ 187 billion and will demonstrate more than 15 times growth in 10 years. 45% of customers already give preference to low-code development due to the fact that this solution reduces dependence on highly qualified specialists.

2. Cross-platform applications

We’ve already written about the benefits of both native and cross-platform development and which industries are suitable for both technologies. Many representatives of the global mobile development industry argue that it is cross-platform applications that will be trending in 2022, and that Flutter is the future of application development. This allows you to reach a large audience of users, optimizes the costs of launching a product, and shortens the time for its creation. And since the winner in the market is sometimes determined by the time of appearance on it, cross-platform development is increasingly chosen for developing MVP and testing hypotheses for its flexibility and compatibility. Such a giant in the market as Alibaba is also being developed using Flutter, without losing either the quality of the interface or the set of available functions.

3. PWA applications

Progressive Web Application is a technology that allows a user to install your site as an application. It has a lot of advantages – at least a significant reduction in development and support costs, the application is very small, works faster than the site and can work offline. PWA works well for brand memorability – if the application is left on the user’s device, then he will regularly see an icon with your logo. Push notifications will help you keep in touch with the customer – notifications about the status of orders or any promotions that can stimulate repeat sales. In addition, according to the study, the conversion rate thanks to PWA increases by 36%.

4. Super-appa.

This is a trend that is likely to come to the fore – multipurpose services that combine the maximum of functions. Traditionally, an application is developed to meet a specific user need: logistics, pastime, communication, education, etc. Now mega-applications are gaining popularity, covering a much wider range of tasks. Here we are talking about an environment in which all the needs of the user will be met. After all, it is much more convenient to use one application for a dozen of your tasks than to install one for each specific task.

In general, this phenomenon is not new at all, the term first sounded in 2010 from the founder of Blackberry Mike Lazaridis, who called the ecosystem of many applications a superappa. However, the new phenomenon gained popularity later, with the arrival of the Chinese WeChat on the market: the service replaced other applications from smartphones of Chinese residents. Using just one system, they were able to communicate, pay bills, order a taxi and delivery, read and watch films, and from February 2020, they could even see cities infected with coronavirus. Billions of monthly transactions conducted through WeChat and other Asian supers have pushed the trend of supers to the west.

An example of the development of such a superapp in Russia is Yandex.Go, which combines the functionality of ordering a taxi, delivering food and groceries, shopping on the marketplace, information on public transport and car sharing. However, this is still not the level of WeChat, but VKontakte is trying to get closer to it, which almost monthly adds new functions, giving its users more and more opportunities to perform actions without leaving the service. In addition, the social network is an open superapp, in which some small function (mini-app) can be launched by any developer (which, for example, Yandex does not have).

And the trend is that superapps will develop and occupy more and more market shares. Of course, it will take a long time and costly for small and medium-sized businesses to create and develop such a service in terms of financial and labor resources. However, it will be possible to adapt to the trend by integrating its services into the super-app of giant corporations, which, for example, Tinkoff said in the release of his application.

5. 3D graphics in applications

This tool will also not be innovative, it has been used for a long time in many areas of design, it is rather worth noting that in 2022 3D graphics will become even more diverse and inclusive. But the trend prioritizes the functional role of 3D and only then – the decorative one. Three-dimensional images have become much more accessible for use due to the fact that the download speed of frameworks is growing every year, and this allows the implementation of complex visual solutions. And 3D illustrations demonstrate the object much deeper and more informative, at least because they are closer to human perception than flat images. Combined with quality animation, this can be a win-win for a memorable interface.

6. Dark theme

After the appearance of dark Instagram, and after it a number of applications in development, they began to pay special attention to this, and now even the operating systems themselves have found dark mode. Someone just likes this theme more, someone it reduces the burden on the eyes, someone is comfortable to “switch to the dark side” when they use a smartphone in an unlit space, and more and more developers are introducing this mode into their products – this is almost a must-have element in 2022.

7. Voice control

In a world where people are faced with the need to do several things at the same time, voice commands are becoming indispensable, so more and more applications give the user this opportunity. Integration is possible with the voice assistant of the operating system itself or with Google voice search, for example. The advent of Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri has revolutionized user interface design. Even just taking notes using voice commands can sometimes be necessary. Moreover, voice control will be important for those who have vision problems.

8. Gestures and swipes

And this is a tool that distinguishes a mobile device from a personal computer, on which it is simply not available. Daily scrolling, scrolling of pages has already become a habit, and the less additional actions need to be performed, the more the user likes it. Some app developers even advocate not using buttons, as if they create a mess, take up a lot of screen space, and suggest replacing their functions with swipes (for example on Dribble), adding good animation. Many are well aware of this action for the most ordinary readers. And on some Honor models, the entire interface for navigating between applications is built on swipes, there are simply no “back” buttons and go to the open applications panel, and this is another trend that will only gain momentum in 2022.

9. Virtual and augmented reality

These two technologies open up very cool sales opportunities. Many brands are already using AR (augmented reality) in their virtual fitting apps (like Lamoda). And facial recognition technology lets you try makeup or accessory options from the comfort of your home. So, for example, Sephora in their application presented a virtual artist who helps to scan a face and demonstrate different images on it. IKEA has also long ago embraced augmented reality by launching an app that shows how furniture will look in different places in the home. Moreover, statistics say that 66% of shoppers will be very interested in using AR technology in online shopping.

IKEA Place im Test: Nur wenige Geräte unterstützen die App

10.5G is coming

By the end of 2021, about 692 million 5G connections are projected worldwide. The launch of 5G networks in Russia is supposed to be done only in 2024, however, in the global mobile development industry, it is assumed that next year this technology will be a new industry standard.

New speeds will provide an increase in the functionality of applications – new features will be added without sacrificing performance. Users expect fewer disconnections due to lower network latency (17-26 milliseconds versus 36 + 48 milliseconds for 4G). In addition, the 5G standard will be distinguished by more accurate geolocation, which is also important for many functions of the application.

What follows from all this?

The direction in which the industry is developing is definitely worth paying attention to. However, this is not the ultimate truth, and when developing your product, the most important thing is to offer a working solution to your user’s problem, think over how your idea will differ from others on the market, and choose a team with a sufficient set of competencies to implement it. It is quite possible that testing your hypothesis does not require virtual reality technology or voice control at all: the performer’s experience can help to determine which trend features should be present in the application: the Appcraft studio has developed and successfully launched more than 200 client applications and is actively developing 4 of its own projects. … We discuss each project individually, share with our customers insights concerning not only the technical implementation or design, but also the features of user behavior and various business models.

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Creation of mobile applications for banks: functions, development stages and trends 2021
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Andrew Douglas

The development of mobile applications in the financial sector is one of the most popular directions in 2021. According to Insider Intelligence, 89% of banking users use mobile banking – mostly Millennials and Generation X between 20 and 55. The mobile application allows you to completely replace or reduce the load on bank branches, reduce the cost of renting premises and staff, and increase customer loyalty.

What tasks does the banking application solve?

Automates processes and saves budget. With the help of the online service, a person can apply for a loan or receive a debit card, download the necessary certificates or ask a question to the chat bot without the participation of bank employees. Thus, the application avoids the factor of human error and saves money on training and maintenance of employees.

Increases loyalty. The opportunity to get any banking service at any time without leaving home gives a good competitive advantage and keeps customers among regular users.

Provides an additional platform for marketing and analytics. In the application, you can inform about new services and changes in work, hold promotions and contests, create a separate loyalty program and send push notifications with an individual offer to each client. The service also provides detailed analytics of user actions: what channels they come from, what functions they use most often, what they spend money on, etc.

Mobile Banking Features

In the process of creating mobile applications for a bank, basic functions with basic banking services are added to the basis and, depending on the preferences of the target audience, additional options are introduced.

The main

  • user authentication and authorization
  • setting up a personal account
  • support chat
  • linking bank cards
  • viewing card and account balances, expense history
  • setting a limit on spending
  • contactless payment
  • money transfers to other cards and accounts
  • replenishment of a mobile phone and housing and communal services
  • currency exchange
  • purchase and sale of securities
  • issuance of account statements, bank details
  • card blocking and unblocking
  • push notifications

Additional

  • budget statistics
  • system of bonuses and cashback for purchases through the application
  • payment by QR code
  • voice menu
  • creating a family account

Trends in the banking application market

Big data

Big Data is a large amount of data that is processed by automated tools and used to collect statistics, make predictions, and make decisions. With Big Data, the bank can analyze customer behavior, create personalized offers and make decisions on loan applications. Companies that learn how to properly sort and manage data will be able to offer better solutions to users.

Complete ecosystems

In recent years, large banks have begun to concentrate entire ecosystems around themselves with proven consumer services. For example, in the Tinkoff bank application, in addition to basic functions, you can buy movie tickets, book a hotel or sign up for an excursion and get cashback. A person does not need to additionally register on each site and fill in the card number: the data is automatically transmitted through the application.

Voice control

The function is actively moving from everyday tasks to banking products. Otkritie Bank and Citibank were the first to add voice control to the application, the rest of the companies are only developing their voice direction. In the future, this will allow you to find the necessary documents in the service, determine the nearest ATM, answer customers’ frequently asked questions and set up regular payments.

Family Products

Opening an account for several people in Russia was legally allowed only in 2018, so products for each family member are just beginning to develop. For example, Tinkoff, Raiffeisenbank and Alfa-Bank have family accounts in applications. Now the market lacks a separate application for children with an educational approach and a separate set of services.

Augmented reality

The technology is still used in a targeted manner and mainly for marketing, but it has a good perspective. For example, VTB mortgage lending clients are offered a virtual tour of a property, and a virtual consultant explains the basics of investing in an app.

Development stages

The AppCraft development studio is attentive to every step: it helps us to accurately determine the client’s needs and create the desired application functionality.

Consulting and analytics

Before starting the development, we conduct interviews with a client, immerse ourselves in business goals, study the audience and communication channels, analyze competitors – this will help to correctly position ourselves with clients.

Preparation of technical specifications

We write down the project goals, interface and security requirements, functionality, development stages, team composition and budget. We sign a contract and start development.

Prototyping

We reproduce the basic logic, structure and functionality of the future application. Typically, the prototype is created in the form of screens at each stage of the user journey. It is not yet a finished product, but it helps to test its functionality in order to fix bugs and improve the user experience at the initial stage.

UX / UI design development

The UX designer builds the logic of interaction between the pages: registration and authorization screens, filling in data, personal account, shopping cart, purchase payment, order tracking, etc.

The UI designer develops the appearance of the future service in accordance with the terms of reference and the client’s corporate style. He selects a color scheme, fonts, renders icons, buttons, push notifications, sliders, etc. After approval, the prototype is sent back for review to correct the shortcomings.

Backend and frontend development

Front-end programmers develop the client interface and platform logic, and back-end developers create a server for storing and exchanging information.

Testing

To test the features, people who have not participated in other stages of development are involved – they must be impartial and with a fresh eye to evaluate every page, button and push notification. To do this, you can involve a professional QA team with their own test plan, list of features and desired behavior. In the process, they test functionality, performance and design. For additional confidence, a focus group is attracted with people who use the application for the first time.

Publication and revision

After launching in the marketplace in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, you will have access to detailed statistics: which sections are the most popular and which ones are not very popular, how many people completed targeted actions, which pages should be modified, etc. code revision and technical support.

Order the development of an application for a bank can be in AppCraft. We are ready to turn your idea into a full-fledged product that will help maintain communication with customers and increase profits. We deal with all stages of development from analytics to release, help with promotion and provide prompt technical support. For 10 years, we have created several of our own projects and more than 200 mobile applications – banking systems, instant messengers, corporate solutions, e-commerce and social networks.

Contact us via the form to discuss the details and find out the exact price.

The main trends of the IT industry in 2021
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Andrew Douglas

Imagine returning to the office after a weekend and discovering that sensors determine how many times a day employees wash their hands, computers check to see if masking is being followed, and speakers alert people if someone breaks the rules. All received data is collected and analyzed by the company in order to influence the actions of employees. Sounds like the beginning of a fantastic book? This is actually called the Internet of Behavior (IoB).

IoB is one of the trends of 2021. It will help companies to be more flexible, which is very important in the current economic environment and the dramatic changes caused by COVID-19. As organizations begin to collect large amounts of data and aggregate information from various sources and channels, online behavior will increasingly influence how companies interact with people.

Trends in 2021 can be divided into three blocks: location independence, people focus, and stable supply.

Location independence: COVID-19 has affected all areas related to customers, suppliers and ecosystems of organizations. In order to stay afloat, it is very important to change old business processes and technologies.

Focus on people: since the start of the pandemic the number of people working and interacting with organizations has changed. But it is people who, as before, are at the center of any business. To function in the new realities, they need digital processes.

Stable supply: only those companies that are ready for change at any time can withstand any changes.

Together, these trends reinforce each other and provide flexibility that will help companies cope with the crisis over the next 5-10 years.

Internet behaviors

With the rise of technology that collects information from everyday life, data that spans the digital and physical worlds enable behaviors to be influenced through feedback.

For example, car manufacturers can use telematics to track driver behavior by capturing sharp movements and turns. This information can be used to improve machine performance, routing, and security.

IoB has ethical and social implications that depend on the purpose and outcome of use. Apps need to collect data about location, purchases, physical activity, and other customer activity, so privacy laws will have a significant impact on how IoB is used and how large it is.

Complete experience

The overall experience includes a varied experience of working with clients and employees. It transforms business outcomes and enhances the overall work experience where all the elements intersect.

This trend is helping companies capitalize on the negative impact of COVID-19 and creating a competitive advantage for businesses. For example, many companies have improved their customer experience by developing and updating mobile applications. When customers approached the store, they received a notification asking them to register electronically and a message telling them when they could safely enter the premises with social distancing.

Technologies to protect confidential data

Computing that helps maintain privacy consists of three technologies that protect data while it is in use. The first provides a secure environment. It can process and analyze confidential data. The second performs processing and analytics in a decentralized manner. The third encrypts algorithms and data before processing or analytics.

This trend has arisen from the growing need for data sharing and security. It allows companies to securely and confidentially collaborate with competitors and participate in research.

Operations anywhere

The ability to perform operations anywhere is a vital necessity to get a business out of the post-COVID-19 crisis.

In 2021, it is important for companies to be accessible to employees, customers and partners. This can be achieved by making it possible to perform transactions and use services from anywhere and from any device. For example, banks use mobile apps to provide all kinds of financial services without physical interaction, while stores use self-checkout and home delivery services that can be arranged while in a traffic jam on the way home. This does not mean that physical space has no place in the modern world, but it should be complemented by a digital analogue.

Intelligent business

Smart business is a business that can restructure and adapt to changing conditions. It is important for organizations to be agile, quickly analyze information and make business decisions based on the received data. This strategy will be successful if companies move from inefficient and bureaucratic processes to autonomy.

Hyper-automation

Companies that do not focus on the flexibility and efficiency of processes find it difficult in a situation of uncertainty and rapid change. This is why it is important to automate everything that can be automated.

Text written based on materials from Gartner…

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