We’ve debated this question before in broader terms, but what considerations change if we focus on digital health and wellness? Whether you’re a start-up or an established health tech company that realizes the importance of utilizing an innovative app offering, you have an important decision to make – outsource app development or try to build it in-house?
While there are pros and cons to each option, having a seasoned strategic partner as your digital health app developer can help in more ways than you might think.
In-house development benefits may be difficult to achieve
Potential benefits include:
- Oversight of project details – you dictate team size, budget, and timing
- A known quantity – It’s your team; permanent employees may have a greater sense of loyalty to the project
- Open communication channels – any updates can take place without having to get on someone else’s schedule
To help manage and grow your app over time, it may make sense to slowly build out your in-house team. However, it’s important to get the first version of your app to market efficiently and effectively – this is where outsourcing is often a logical choice. Managing timing and resources in-house is more costly and less reliable than partnering with an experienced vendor that specializes in digital health.
Outsourcing can provide more benefits at reduced costs
In our previous blog post, we detailed four key benefits that your digital health development agency can provide, with perhaps the most important being strategic expertise. Their industry knowledge of technologies, combined with past build experiences, can help inform the most meaningful and efficient ways to bring your ideas to life.
For vendors with a health-tech focus, their real value goes beyond simply providing resourcing and project management efficiencies. They also:
- Understand patient/doctor communication
- Design for all types of users (high-tech/low-tech)
- Have previous case studies to gain insights from
- Follow industry standards and rules (FDA, HIPAA, PIPEDA, etc.)
For some experienced developers, and especially those unfamiliar with medical and regulatory rules, it can take a long time to grasp what’s needed in order to build an app that adheres to standards and guidelines.
Or, as Business of Apps suggests, ‘In the health industry, developing an application requires many different variables that are not needed in other builds – having an experienced agency will speed through these roadblocks your teams may be unaware of.’
A place in the crowd
With over 325,000 healthcare apps in the marketplace and a more savvy user base, finding a strategic partner who understands consumer expectations, design trends, and best practices will only add value and efficiency to your app build.
Learn more about how MindSea can help elevate your digital product strategy and develop health and wellness solutions that optimize user outcomes.
