The Importance of Platform Selection in Mobile App Design and Development for Pharma

Connected Healthcare Experiences

The Importance of Platform Selection in Mobile App Design

and Development for Pharma

Digital Pharma West, San Francisco, CA

June 30, 2011

©2011 The Lathe, Inc. Use by permission only. {www.thelathe.com}

Presented by

Seth Perlman

President, The Lathe

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By 2015,

500 million peoplewill use a

healthcare appWill it be one of yours?

Source: Global Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2012 .

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It might be, if you select the right platform.

The landscape is complex.

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There are several players in the mobile platform game

1.4 2.07

2.1 2.2 2.33.2 4.0 4.1

4.2 4.3

3.1

2.1

3.0

3.1 3.2

7.5

4.05.0

3.0

6.0 7.0

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And you thought it was a pain to support IE6.

(It is.)

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Apple and Google are the leaders in smartphone OS market

share, totaling nearly 70%

RIM is headed down — IDC shows 8 consecutive quarters of

decline to below 20%

Nokia has abandoned Symbian and Meego but embraced

Windows Phone

Microsoft and HP are the dark horses — will Windows Phone 7.5

or webOS 3.0 make a difference?

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Source: Distimo Publication, April 2011.

Nu

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Apple and Google dominate the app market

>800K apps

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Devices are even more diverse than platforms — let’s just look

at screen sizes and aspect ratios as examples

HPVeer

HTCEVO 4G

MotorolaDroid 2

PalmPre 2

SamsungGalaxy Tab

AppleiPad 2

MotorolaXoom

BlackBerry

Torch

AppleiPhone 4

SamsungCaptivate

SamsungInfuse 4G

2.6” 4.5” 10.1”

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Devices are even more diverse than platforms — let’s just look

at screen sizes and aspect ratios as examples

HPVeer

SamsungInfuse 4G

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There are also a few other ways in which devices differ:

CPU speed

Memory

Availability of front-facing camera

NFC

Fingerprint reader

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So how do we select the right platform for a pharma app?

Like every decision we make, this one starts with

understanding the audience.

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Does the audience use smartphones?

What platforms have users embraced?

How does usage deviate from the general population?

How about tablets?

Is there cognitive, visual, or motor impairment?

Are they homebound?

Are they wheelchair-bound?

Are their phones on the nightstand while they sleep and on the

couch while they watch TV?

If they’re patients, do they rely on caregivers?Prop

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Sometimes, however, answering those questions isn’t so easy.

Too few users in population

Multiple platforms preferred

Data unavailable

Immovable deadline precludes research

Research was inconclusive

Research was leading

Research budget allocated to vis aids and belly bands

VP’s kid likes Android, let’s just go with Android

Don’t really care, stop waving your hands and build me an app

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If research or data doesn’t lead you to a specific platform, it

might be appropriate to consider a mobile web app.

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Native apps

are downloaded

and installed on

the user’s device

Mobile web apps

are accessed from

a remote web

server

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How does a mobile web app address the platform question?

Similar to a website that works with IE, Firefox, and Chrome on

Windows and OS X on the desktop, a mobile web app works

with multiple mobile browsers across platforms

This is made possible by a technology called WebKit and the

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WebKit is a layout engine on which all* of the modern mobile

browsers are built: iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS, and webOS

The standards supported by this underlying technology are

HTML5 and CSS3, plus WebKit-specific extensions

With some careful planning, a mobile web app written using

these standards can support a huge cross-section of the market

* As usual, Microsoft is doing its best to be last to the partyProp

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Broad platform coverage isn’t the only consideration.

Data security and patient privacy

Deployment

Internationalization and localization

Maintenance and updates

Metrics and measurement

Usability and user experience

Connectivity Propert

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Patient privacy is not inherently platform-dependent

vs.

The protection of patient data is accomplished through softwarearchitecture and implementation decisions

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Let’s look at a few patient privacy considerations

Data typically stored on the

user’s device

Personally identifiable

information inaccessible except

to device owner

A lost or stolen device can

compromise privacy without

adequate safeguards

Data typically stored on a

remote server

Encryption required during

transmission and storage

A lost or stolen device has no

effect on privacy

Additional safeguards required if

data is accessed by a HIPAA covered entity

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Mobile web apps have a distinct advantage in ease of deployment

Distribution channel controlled

by platform manufacturer

Distribution channel is well

known and understood by users

App store features — such as

user comments — are

immutable

App store review processes can

be time-consuming

Distribution channel controlled

by app manufacturer

App is accessed directly to users

with no app store required

Native wrappers can provide app

store presence if desired

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Global rollouts can be a headache

The typical structure of pharma companies’ legal entities poses problems for the distribution of native apps

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Global rollouts can be a headache

Mobile web apps may offer a remedy

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Let’s look at some global rollout considerations

Requires separate app store

account for each local operating

entity

Each market is a distinct app

Issues with users who move from

one market to another

Without a sophisticated build

process, updates across markets

are time-consuming

Single app instance can treat

i18n and l10n like traditional

web approach

Users can seamlessly move from

one market to another

Unified reporting and analytics

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Maintenance and updates can have legal and regulatory implications

Update Submit Wait Approval

Optional download

Listing

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Maintenance and updates can have legal and regulatory implications

Update Deploy

User accesses latest

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Maintenance and updates

Even minor updates require a

new build, app store submission,

and review

Emergency updates mandated

by regulatory are beholden to

the app store process

No guarantee that user will

download the updated version

Becomes even more difficult

with apps in multiple markets

Updates immediately available

when user accesses app

User is guaranteed to access

latest version

Updates do not require

significant advance planning

Updates applicable to multiple

locales are automatically

available

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Metrics and measurement

Requires the use of custom tools

to collect usage data from apps

Events and anonymous data to

be collected must be planned in

advance

Tagged using similar methods to

websites

Aggregate reports based on user

data can be defined any time

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

Can a mobile web app approximate the native app experience?

Native apps — particularly iOS

apps — are known for their

smooth, consistent use of

interface elements

In other words, iOSapps always

look like iOS apps

Android apps often look like

Android apps (and getting

better)

BlackBerry apps... let’s not talk

about BlackBerry apps

No specific interface standards

Mobile web apps can look and

feel just like native apps

Public libraries such as Sencha

Touch and jQuery Mobile

Agency libraries

Custom development

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Mobile web apps


Native apps

How does availability of connectivity impact the decision?

Can be developed to be

completely disconnected (with a

few exceptions)

Connectivity still required for

measurement

Connectivity may be desired to

always load most recent ISI and

PI

Require connectivity at least for

initial access

Generally work better when

connectivity is available

Can use features of HTML5 to

handle disconnection

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There are circumstances that point strongly toward either a

native app or a mobile web app

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Choose a native app when...

Select with certainty

You need access to the device hardware, such as the camera(s) or the

accelerometer

You need to interface with external hardware, such as a blood pressure cuff

or a blood glucose monitor or an autoinjector

Your features must work without connectivity at all times, such as an app

that provides information in an emergency scenario

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Select with certainty

Choose a mobile web app when...

You need the broadest platform support possible

You need to control the distribution channel

Your users must have the latest content and features available for

regulatory and/or legal reasons

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Platform selection is just one element of a mobile app design

and development approach

Consider it carefully

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Thank you!

For more about our mobile solutions, please visit us at

thelathe.com

Hope to see you at DP East in October

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The Lathe


The Lathe helps companies utilize web and

mobile technologies to connect patients,

caregivers, and professionals to support improved

outcomes.


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Bio

Seth Perlman, [email protected]

646-291-6490 / 646-528-5755 m

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sperlman

Seth has more than 17 years of web development experience

for hundreds of clients, from design and implementation to

technical leadership to executive management. He has spent

the past 8 years focused on healthcare and pharmaceuticals

since founding The Lathe in 2003.

Most recently, Seth has focused on mHealth and the

application of mobile technology (apps, web apps) to the

needs of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.


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http://www.linkedin.com/in/sperlman

Technology

The Importance of Platform Selection in Mobile App Design and Development for Pharma