Staying on top of technology means always asking what the landscape will look like tomorrow.
That’s why it’s important to assess the kinds of business applications we’ve seen this year to get a good idea of software trends coming up in 2018 and help us keep pace with the leading entrepreneurs.
This year, the user experience, Machine Learning and big data have proven to be important players in software. As we edge closer to 2018, we’re able to re-evaluate which key players under those umbrellas will set the bar even higher.
At WebCreek, we’ve found that the best way to keep your ear to the ground is to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you keep track of which software is trending on social media?
- Do you stay tuned with trending technology blog posts?
- Do you engage in technical conferences or sign up for consultations?
Staying tracked with these three variables will help to ensure you stay on top of the game by understanding the most prevalent software trends in 2018 for business applications. Otherwise, check out what we’ll be keeping an eye on right here.
Outsourcing and Remote Software on the Increase
According to a study, larger businesses saw the percentage of their IT outsourcing budget spend increase from 6.3% to 8.7% and medium-sized businesses increased their budgets from 4.7% to 6.5% in 2017. Specialized software helps companies to decrease costs and increase productivity, getting their services on the market faster by leveraging powerful remote communities.
Unstructured Data Giving Valuable Insights
Business data comes unstructured, often in the form of call logs, emails, transcripts and videos. These can’t easily be formatted into quantitative analysis, but with software advancing to image recognition and natural language processing, 2018 will make the secrets of unstructured data a thing of the past. Organizations will be able to, for example, automate hundreds of hours of telephone call analysis in order to improve their satisfaction rates using secure cloud-based solutions.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on the Increase
Progressive Web Apps use modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like experience to users, working offline to deliver great user experiences. With info stored in the cache, the app loads instantly, with service workers running in the background to give them the latest information each time their device is connected. Studies have demonstrated an incredible 70% increase in conversions and time spent tripling on their sites after PWA launches, and the Washington Post also reported a fivefold increase in engagement.
Software Intelligence Determining User Problems Faster
Innovative companies are starting to utilize software intelligence programs to resolve user issues before they even become a problem. Rather than manually monitoring team dashboards for trends, they’re beginning to leverage predictive insights by providing full diagnostic details for individual user errors, crashes or performance issues. This means they can take advantage of seeing deeper insights into faults in advance.
HTML5-Based Languages
Software trends in 2018 will start to see HTML5 completely displace Flash. The major weakness of tools such as Flash is its incompatibility with mobile devices, which, right now, supersedes the use of computer devices. Companies still using Flash lose valuable traffic, simply because the language is outdated. Businesses which use HTML5 will reach a wider audience that can turn into valuable leads — and it’s becoming a ubiquitous format for all types of digital mediums.
Software Trends in 2018: The Final Word
At WebCreek, we like to focus on the positive, pointing out opportunities and advantages in technology wherever we can.
In software, developments are rarely static. Developers are continuously generating new ideas and solutions, meaning the trends you adopted a couple of years ago might not have the same impact in 2018 and beyond. But that only means it’s an opportunity to re-think, re-evaluate, and re-brand business methods.
We’re living in a data-rich era, which means key software trends will focus on making information more valuable and accessible for the users that need them, whether it’s our clients, our employees, or our investors. Ecosystems like the Cloud are fundamental to all of the trends we’ve listed, reiterating its importance to data and intelligence. Throw in other concepts like AI and IoT, and you have a comprehensive framework established for continuous business improvement.
Ready to start putting software trends in 2018 into action? Grab a consultation with us here.
