We co-hosted a breakfast event with one of our partner agencies Cold Banana to discuss how digital technology is influencing and transforming the healthcare industry.
Our panel featured CEO Sam Booth, as well as Randeep Sidhu, Head of Product for the updated NHS Covid-19 app – the fastest downloaded app in the UK. They gave insider knowledge on how to integrate digital technology into the healthcare industry, which had the audience on the edge of their seats.
We have a few takeaways here for you…
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel
The healthcare industry is vast. From apps that allow you to video chat with your GP to apps that let you know if you’ve brushed your teeth correctly. This can be overwhelming when you’re looking to break into the industry.
When trying to create something innovative, it may seem like a good idea to develop your app from scratch using custom tools – but this a trap, and a time-consuming one at that.
Why try to create something from scratch when a solution is readily available? Tweak the tools you need, whether that’s age verification or facial recognition to fit your requirements, and save yourself some precious time and effort.
Accessibility
Accessibility within apps, especially within healthcare, is important as your users will be of all different ages and backgrounds.
Use feedback from your service desk to update your accessibility as you go along. You’re probably not going to get it 100% right the first time; part of the journey is failure.
Some might say ignorance is bliss, and protects you from rejection and negative comments. As the old saying goes, if you don’t know, you can’t grow. The same goes for your app. You have to be open to feedback otherwise your customers are going to bolt like Usain to someone else’s app.
Keeping your app hidden away until you deem it perfect doesn’t serve you or your user. Pushing your app out of the nest is a sure fire way to get the relevant feedback you need to make it more accessible.
How to plan for scale with data sets
When working within healthcare, you’re likely to require a large data set. When collecting data for your app you need to make sure you’ve thought of two things: operations and infrastructure.
Operations
If you know you have large data sets to attain in order for your app to be functional make sure you’re planning ahead.
Infrastructure
Throwing it back to not reinventing the wheel, use systems that already exist to collect and store your data.
As Randeep said, ‘‘don’t test where it’s easy, test where it’s relevant’. We think that says everything.
Here are some highlights we weren’t able to touch on:
- Getting users to download your app comes down to trust in the app, the people behind it and how their data will be used.
- It’s crucial to understand your user and why they’ll need your app.
- You’ll need to shift mindsets within the healthcare industry – just get one person on board with your idea and the rest will follow.
We would like to thank everyone who came down and to our panel. We hope you took a lot away from the discussions and enjoyed our gorgeous breakfast spread!
While we’ve got you
If you want to learn more about how we work with healthcare why not check out the work we did with Joe Wicks on his Body Coach app or for anything else get in touch.
