Survey finds wearables and connected devices are the biggest headache for mobile app development

Wearables and connected devices are the next frontier for enterprise app developers and designers, but innovation often brings with it new challenges.

Kony, Inc., an enterprise mobility company, announced results from a recent sponsored survey of mobile app developers and designers that uncovered the unique issues they face when developing enterprise apps that innovate beyond the traditional form factors of mobile phones and tablets.

“The Next Frontier in Cross-platform Mobile Development: Wearables and Connected Devices,” a survey of more than 230 global respondents from leading brands in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, reveals that a majority of designers (69% and developers (65%) feel that application design and development for wearables and connected devices already is a challenge, or will be one in the next six to 12 months.

Among the main drivers for this frustration are a lack of clear vision among stakeholders, and the added complexity of developing and designing for multiple devices and platforms.

Dave Shirk, president of Products, Strategy and Marketing, Kony, Inc
Dave Shirk, president of Products, Strategy and Marketing, Kony, Inc

“Forward-thinking enterprises are eager to take advantage of the wealth of new devices and form factors entering the market today, but capitalising on these innovations remains a challenge for today’s mobile app design and development teams,” said Dave Shirk, president of Products, Strategy and Marketing, Kony, Inc. “To meet this demand, designers and developers need next-generation creative tools that allow them to more easily adapt their apps to a broader range of interfaces, screen sizes, and capabilities.”

Key findings include:

  • The challenge is now: 69% of application designers said that designing for wearables and connected devices either already is a challenge they face or it will become one within the next six to 12 months. 65% of mobile app developers agreed.
  • Poor communication: 40% of developers said that the biggest challenge of mobile app development is the lack of communication between developers and IT stakeholders.
  • Lack of resources and omni-channel design & development is a challenge: Lack of time and resources (37%) and complexity of omni-channel development (37%) tied as the top two most oft-cited barriers during the development stage of mobile projects. 51% of designers said that designing mobile apps for multiple devices and platforms is a major challenge.
  • Lack of vision: Nearly 25% of developers felt that stakeholders had “no clear vision” for mobility. Furthermore, the “sheer complexity of omni-channel development and testing” was cited as a top challenge by 37% of responding developers. Designers agreed, with 51% saying that, “designing for multiple devices and platforms” is a challenge.

To access the full report visit: The Next Frontier in Cross-platform Mobile Development: Wearables and Connected Devices

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_ OR @jcIoTnow

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more