Macadamian Blog
Mobility is both a lifestyle and a technology
We're in the midst of some great discussions at Macadamian about which of the industry verticals we serve - healthcare, networking, telecom, consumer, and enterprise software - will most embrace mobile computing. The answer is clear - they all will. We've started to experience huge leaps in mobile technology in the last couple of years, but the best is yet to come.
Why I Love Working Closely with Designers
In some parts of our industry, development and design are done in separate silos. One team makes a deliverable for the other, iteration over iteration, until a product is born. I don't like this approach. I've found it's far more enjoyable and far more successful to integrate the two silos into one. In short: I love working closely with designers. Here are four reasons why:
A mobile web app that feels like a native app
Today Google announced an update of the mobile Gmail for Safari. There are a number of useful improvements, but for me, what's significant about the update is that for the first time, I prefer a web app over a native app.
11 Disruptive Technologies That Will Change the Face of Healthcare IT
With more than 25,000 attendees and thousands of exhibitors, the annual HIMSS conference gave us the opportunity to talk directly with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and other Healthcare IT vendors about what makes them unique.
At the conference, our team of healthcare software specialists visited every booth and asked one question:
“With hundreds of competitors out there, what is your product's differentiator? What innovative feature or technology makes you stand out from the crowd?”
This question seemed to stump many of the vendors. Most replied with answers that we later dubbed as “false differentiators.” One such answer from EMR vendors was “being the first to enable physicians to achieve meaningful use.”
While this is critically important, this is not a differentiator – everyone is focused on meaningful use. Other answers revolved around features like a offering data to patients via a web portal, an iPhone add-on, or integrated e-prescription and billing. These can also be important, but are no longer differentiating features– they've become prerequisites. To stand out, vendors need to take their product to the next level and serve their users in a unique and innovative way.
Using Technology to Innovate
At HIMSS, the vendor answers that impressed us always revolved around a basic theme: “Our solution is innovative because it uses modern technology in a unique way to make clinicians’ jobs easier and more fulfilling.” In this paper, we look at the opportunities for innovation that new technologies like mobile devices, modern UI design frameworks, and voice and handwriting recognition provide to health software companies. A lot of the examples are given in the context of EMRs, however they can equally to differentiate PACS, HIS, E-Prescription, and any other healthcare solutions that need to stand out from the crowd.
With each technology, we examine:
- The opportunities for healthcare innovation the technology provides
- How the technology is currently being used by forward-thinking vendors
- The limitations of the technology, and how you can overcome them to break new ground
Using this information, your organization can decide which technologies can best help you develop your product into a stand-out that the healthcare world will embrace.
Read more in our white paper on technologies that will change the face of healthcare IT.
Computers for Communities Redux
A couple of months ago, I wrote a short blog post about Computers for Communities, a non-profit that refurbishes computers donated by industry to community groups like the Boys and Girls Club. We're supporters of any initiative that fosters interest in computers and technology among younger generations and students. If you're interested in learning more about how Computers for Communities works and how you can help, check out their new video.