5 Innovative Technologies Powering Web Apps in 2019

on August 02, 2019

Can you remember what the Web was like 10 years ago? Twenty? A static page with a few images and long paragraphs of text and hyperlinks?

Fast forward: It’s 2019, and the pace of change for new Web technologies is now exponentially faster and more futuristic. But these changes are doing amazing things for Web and mobile app usability, customer service, interactivity, and functionality.

Here are five of the most innovative technologies powering Web apps in 2019.

A chatbot is a software that uses standard answers to “talk” to a human during a live chat session on a Web site or mobile app. The bot scans the person’s questions and responses for keywords in order to serve up the correct reply.

According to HubSpot, as of 2017, 48% of customers would rather contact a company for customer support by chatting live than calling on the phone or sending an email. And an additional significant number (40%) of people say they really don’t care who they talk to – a live human or a chatbot – as long as whoever it is can solve their problem.

That’s important to consider for companies that have any kind of customer support component of a Web or mobile application. And big brands like Whole Foods and Duolingo have already implemented such innovative technology into their Web sites.

Advantages of chatbots are tremendous: 24/7 customer service, less chance of human error, and easier experience for your customers.

While we might not be using robots to fold our laundry or cook our food anytime soon, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to take the Web by storm.

Powered by machine learning, that constant stream of data collection and mining that feeds into a computer system to allow it to make predictive and informed “decisions” and “choices,” AI already helps companies like Amazon and Netflix recommend products to buy or movies to watch. AI is and will soon become even more present in customer service (Remember chatbots above? That’s a form of AI.), image recognition, and personalized marketing.

Think of a Progressive Web App like a hybrid Web and mobile application. They use Web APIs and traditional Web site programming tools (HTTPS, JSON, and a service worker) to make a traditional Web site behave more like a native mobile app.

Progressive Web Apps’ main advantages: they run reliably on any platform and even offline, they load incredibly fast, offer push notifications, and they feel like a natural app, making the user experience seamless. They’re also delivered to the user via the Web, and not through an app store, and can be installed and used right from a person’s home screen.

Motion UI

The best way to describe how Motion UI enhances a plain old Web site is simple: interactive animation. Motion UI is a simple SASS library that enables custom animations and transitions on a Web page. Much like powerful traditional video animation, Motion UI helps create rich user experiences that 1.) captures a user’s attention and holds it with motion, and 2.) responds to a person’s input with even more animation that can help guide them through their journey with your site.

Provided by digital product design company Zurb, they offer a robust playground where you can test and view all the features of Motion UI.

And, here are some beautiful examples of Motion UI in action.

“Alexa, where’s the nearest pizza place?”

“Siri, what’s the name of the world’s largest ocean?”

Ever since Siri’s velvety tones first started answering iPhone user’s random questions, voice search has grown into arguably the largest trend to affect app technologies to date. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice-driven.

What’s the biggest implication for you as a Web site or mobile application owner? You need to make sure your content can handle search-by-voice.

And what happens when you add chatbots/AI to voice search? Pretty soon, we might all be talking to our phones – and our phones will start talking back, not like an impersonal robot, but intelligently, like a friend.

Looking for advice on how to incorporate these innovative Web technologies into your Web apps? Give us a call! Here at Innuy, we have the expertise to help you make the most of chatbots, voice search, and any of the other technologies mentioned here.