The wellness industry is a multi-billion dollar industry — ranging from apparel to beauty products and exercise equipment. The idea of wellness can change with each consumer. What hasn’t changed is the development of mobile apps catered to the wellness industry.
Mobile apps have been around for years, though with the help of app development companies, their advancements have been ongoing. In this digital age, health and wellness enthusiasts have greatly benefitted from these advancements — as innovations like wearable tech and fitness apps become more popular, the wellness industry is growing in tandem.
If you’re looking to throw your hat into the ring and develop a wellness app of your own, there are six vital factors to consider.
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Consistent Compatability
When designing any type of mobile app, compatibility is the primary factor to consider. When users access the app, they expect a seamless experience from start to finish. A capable wellness app should be compatible with the majority of mobile devices on the market. The key platforms to develop your app for are iOS and Android — if your app is unable to function on these devices, you likely won’t see the kinds of downloads you need.
Compatibility also goes beyond the software itself — fitness trackers and wearable technology are changing the way wellness apps are accessed. To create a functioning health and wellness app, it’s important you’re able to sync to these pieces of technology.
Personalized Experience
Every consumer is unique, and their wellness journey is no different — creating an app for this market involves a level of personalization other industries have never had to consider. Each user’s goals and wellness experience will vary from the rest of the market. It’s essential to tailor your app in a way that allows the user to personalize their settings.
Educational Resources
The wellness industry has a significant educational component — whether it’s food consumption, meditation practices, or fitness activities. Consumers in this market want to absorb the knowledge and insight that comes with bettering their health.
If you’re designing a wellness app, it’s essential to offer educational, verified resources to accompany your app’s services. This allows the user to understand the science behind their wellness practice to continue to use your application with a better understanding.
Creating a Community
It can be challenging to start a wellness journey, which is why community is an essential piece of the puzzle. A supportive community offers users the motivation often needed to commit to a wellness practice and see it through to the end. Even if the community is virtual, users can lean on the support of others going through a similar experience.
Additionally, there are learning opportunities involved with a wellness community. Every user will have something unique to share. It offers a greater understanding and more useful experience when users can come together on your app to discuss and encourage each other.
Friendly User Interface
Even if the material you’re offering is beneficial and engaging, it will turn away potential users if the app isn’t user-friendly. Since mobile apps are being used on compact, portable devices, they must be optimized in a way that is still engaging to consumers — otherwise, they’ll spend significantly less time, or no time at all, on your wellness app.
If your product is intuitive, convenient, and easy-to-use, users will know they can rely on your app for their wellness needs. It’s essential that you conduct thorough UX and UI testing before you launch the application. Ultimately, a successful app should be helpful and exciting to the user.
Safety Precautions
While new technology is exciting and offers users new levels of convenience and engagement, safety is still a primary concern. When a user downloads your app, they are providing sensitive data which they trust developers to safeguard. To ensure a safe and secure app experience, ensure your code is updated regularly, combing through the code for any potential threats.
Encryption is a crucial safety component, mainly because your app is ideally going to be downloaded by thousands of users. If your code is appropriately encrypted, your app will remain secure and avoidant of harmful malware.
Weak authentication is a significant contributor to security issues in app development. To avoid this, ensure all passwords and identities follow a robust identification process that users must follow. While a certain amount of responsibility falls on the user, developers can encourage adequate safety precautions.
