During last week’s mHealth + Telehealth World 2014 conference in Boston, Massachusetts, mobileStorm CEO Jared Reitzin was among the knowledgeable industry panelists discussing the future of healthcare technology.
If health apps were more engaging and more fun, consumers would start using them in a heartbeat, Reitzin asserted during the conference. While big data is revolutionizing healthcare, strategies borrowed from the gaming industry, for example, could motivate healthy behaviors in consumers.
mHealth apps need to be personalized, engaging, and irresistible, suggested mobileStorm’s chief executive. But we’re not there yet, he cautions.
“The poor design of many apps is a really big problem,” Reitzin noted. “Healthcare needs to strive for simplicity in a way that Apple did under Steve Jobs. We need to bring healthcare closer to Silicon Valley.”
Just because the issue is healthcare and wellness doesn’t mean the apps must be arduous or boring.
“If consumers find engaging with healthcare apps is difficult or dull, they’ll opt out,” Reitzin added.
To learn more about the insightful panel discussion, check out the coverage from Clinical Innovation + Technology.