With countries experiencing lockdown as 2020 continues, the streets are deserted, people are raiding the department stores, panic buying what they can, and businesses have closed their doors. COVID-19 pandemic has not only forced us into isolation but also turned the global economy onto its axis.
It has left a significant impact on the various industries sustaining our way of life. The technology and software development and genius videos are one such example to have witnessed changing trends as the pandemic continues.
In the blog, we’ll discuss the impact of COVID-19 on software design and development, mobile apps, and web development.
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The Tech Development Industry During COVID-19
The pandemic has left no industry unaffected, and B2B businesses, like tech development, are interconnected. Meaning, if the manufacturer shuts down, productivity will decrease for the buyer company.
Similar is the case with the tech development industry during the COVID-19 lockdown. Most, if not all, technology brands purchase their manufacturing parts from China. With factories shutting down, tech companies experience a severe drop in supply and delay in shipment of materials.
Not just smartphone manufacturers, but the production of smartwatches, televisions, and video games are all effected. Communication and IT industries all face challenges as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe.
Also Read: How Artificial Intelligence is Boosting Fight Against COVID-19
Software Development Labor Market
The competition in the labor market for software development had always been unparalleled. But the massive downsizing has set the bar much higher. While software companies, like Zoom, are seeing a rise in app downloads, the overall software development sector is witnessing a downward fall as it’s forced to downsize.
Many companies across the globe are forced to let go of junior-level employees, while others have to exercise restraint on their hunt for new talents.
Mobile App Development
With nationwide lockdown and people in quarantine, there is a significant rise in mobile activity. People across the continents are turning to their smartphones for not just entertainment, but also education and business communications. The need for social distancing has also led to a rise in mobile apps for the healthcare industry.
The increasing use of smartphones among millennials was already a significant factor contributing to mobile app design and development. But the spread of the virus means the numbers are off the chart.
However, not all mobile apps categories face the same results of the outbreak. While some are finding success, others are not so fortunate:
Education Apps Are on the Rise
Schools were the first to close up as it was announced that kids and the elderly were most susceptible to the Coronavirus. Educational mobile apps ensure that while schools are out, kids can learn and continue their education online.
Educational apps not only help kids learn, but make the experience fun through games, puzzles, and challenges. Plus, with online classes, institutions can keep students engaged with their studies, despite the lockdown and need for social distancing.
Additionally, they also provide entertainment and a distraction from the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
Health
Another category that has seen a rise in the number of downloads is the healthcare sector.
Digital health solutions have been around for quite some time, but the pandemic has put them under the spotlight. Mobile app design companies are leveraging the rise in demand for health apps to develop applications that offer home testing, self-reporting, and tracking.
Additionally, mobile health apps allow professionals to cater to their patients, even during the lockdown. They are a virtual platform where professionals can keep track of their patients’ mental and physical health.
Grocery Apps
Grocery delivery apps provide people the opportunity to shop for necessities while maintaining social distance. Plus, with contactless payment and delivery, they protect the riders and the users.
Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to an exponential rise in grocery and delivery app downloads. Walmart, Instacart, and Shipt are e-commerce businesses, leading the grocery app industry with over 106 million total downloads between March and April 2020.
The mobile app design and development industry are witnessing a splurge in demand for grocery apps as these numbers continue to climb higher.
Travel Apps
Contrary to grocery and health apps, travel and booking apps have seen a significant decrease in downloads in light of the pandemic. With the ban on international or local travel, many people are canceling their vacation plans, which has also impacted the tourism industry. Boundaries are closed, national and international flights have been canceled, and more.
Entertainment
Lockdown and the uncertainty of the situation have people turning to entertainment apps as a distraction or pastime. It has led to a rise in downloads for game and video streaming apps.
In February 2020, China witnessed an 80% increase in game downloads than the usual average weekly downloads in 2019. It was 25% more than the average weekly download in January 2020.
Video streaming apps experienced a similar surplus. The use of Pluto.tv on Android phones, for example, increased during a week in March 2020 by 75% in the US. It was 2.5 times more than the average weekly time spent during the entire 2019 and early 2020.
Communication Apps
While many businesses have closed shop during the lockdown, others have switched to working from home. It has led to a rise in the use of communication apps like Zoom, Skype, and more.
Constant communication is essential for businesses to maintain their level of transparency and seamless workflow. Slack, Zoom, Skype, and management apps like Basecamp and Jira make lives easier for companies working remotely.
Not just businesses, but with social distancing and lockdown in effect, people are turning to video and chat communications to keep in touch with distant relatives as well.
I hope the blog helped in understanding the various ways the outbreak impacts the design and development industry.
With uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no guarantee for when the situation will improve, and life will return to normal. But as the storm continues, mobile app design and development will experience new trends that will revolutionize the industry, for it’s said that “necessity is the mother of invention.“
