To say mobility rules the digital world is to understate the obvious. Mobility is to the modern internet user what bulletin boards were to first-generation users in the 1980s and 90s. As such, developers are racing to create the best mobile apps that will drive commerce forward. The best-designed apps will determine what trends are hot in 2016 and beyond.
Those who track mobile application development trends understand how valuable new features can be when implemented wisely. They also note that useless features do not last long. Therefore, app developers have to pay attention to the way consumers are using their devices in order to develop the features they will want.
For the record, there is no shortage of new trends trying to stake their claim in the mobile marketplace. There are a few trends in particular that are expected to be big in 2016, to the extent that they may shake the way the mobile internet is used for years to come.
Voice-Enabled Searching
Apple was the first mobile device maker to take a serious shot at incorporating voice control for people without accessibility concerns. Their Siri interface proved so popular that competitors are still racing to catch up. Those in the know expect voice control to take the next leap forward by incorporating it into mobile searches.
Why voice-enabled search capabilities? Because you can talk to your smartphone a lot easier than you can type. Google knows this, which is why they have already incorporated voice-enabled searching in their Android mobile OS. Others will follow with more sophisticated search capabilities based solely on the spoken word.
Carousel Advertising
The typical smartphone can recognise swipes made vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and even in patterns. Unfortunately, app developers have not taken full advantage of swiping capability. That is about to change. By creating apps that can use carousel advertising, developers will be taking advantage of those quick horizontal swipes we are also proficient at.
Carousel advertising makes it a snap for retailers to present users with multiple advertisements in a limited amount of space. Carousels can be customised to show two, three, or even four advertisements simultaneously. Just scroll back and forth to change the focus.
Focused Colour Schemes
Colour plays a crucial role in online marketing, so app developers are careful to incorporate it. The trend for colour in 2016 is to shy away from multiple colours competing for attention within an app, choosing instead for a single colour to be dominant throughout with just a smattering of additional colours to highlight important things. Single-colour themes will be big this year.
Mobile Beacon Marketing
Mobile beacons represent a way to market to individual customers within a relatively close distance without a lot of expense. The technology relies on Bluetooth connections to send out advertisements within a confined space. It is ideal for brick-and-mortar marketing at the street level. Expect more apps to make use of mobile beacons that are incorporated with local searches from Google and its competitors.
More Mobile Payments
It looks like mobile payments are here to stay. That being the case, app developers have no choice but to incorporate mobile payments into their software. That means more competition among providers offering mobile pay services in what now appears to be a wide-open space.
Mobile application development trends are promising. It will be interesting to see which trends survive beyond 6 to 10 months and which ones fade away before the year is out. To use a popular phrase, it’s all good.