2021 has been a year of ups and downs with much of the world coming in and out of lockdowns and businesses being forced to innovate in order to survive.

The software industry has progressed, pioneering new technologies and generally working out better ways to do things. We have also seen a much greater adoption of software & apps, both on a personal and business level.

In this article we will review key learnings from 2021 to predict the app trends for 2022.

TLDR: Our Predicted App Trends for 2022

Blockchain app trends in 2022 – adoption of Crypto technologies to add tokenisation

As a very quick explainer, blockchain technology allows developers to create decentralised applications, which are themselves governed by “Smart Contracts”. In layman’s terms, crypto developers can create automated code that triggers certain transactions on the blockchain when particular circumstances are met, like the deposit of a cryptocurrency.

There is a huge amount of potential when it comes to applying smart contracts and tokenisation to everyday life. As a very simplistic example, rewards programs can be built using blockchain technology, which will allow users to earn a cryptocurrency, which they can in turn convert to “fiat” (eg Australian Dollars) thus realising the actual reward without being forced to do another transaction within the ecosystem.

The true potential for web 3 and dApps is inconceivable and the app trend for 2022 will be one of first to market. Those that get in quick we reap the rewards.

2022 – the year of Javascript (JS) built websites using Jamstack framework & Headless CMSs

WordPress is still the most popular platform and content management system (CMS) in the world of web. However, app trends for 2022 seem to indicate that more and more people are ready for a change. WordPress requires constant maintenance as plugins and the operating system update. Plus although most UI designs are possible, the more complex you get the slower the loading time. Not to mention that visual composes like Elementor are extremely bloated.

In response to this there are a lot of platforms coming out looking to topple WordPress. One of our favourites is Webflow. This has Javascript at its heart. It also adds a visual composer that is very similar to the likes of Elementor and Oxygen Builder for WordPress.

However, for those businesses really looking to take things to the next level, we have Jamstack technologies. Although more expensive, websites built using this new technology are faster, more secure and more user friendly. If you look at some of the biggest brands (eg Figma), you will see that migrations to this web tech stack have already started.

Super App Trends – 2022 will see the rise of unified application ecosystems

Certain apps really cemented their place in the 2021 market. Some of the most successful applications started to take things to the next level by becoming a “Super App”.

To explain: we saw a trend in 2021 that we are sure will continue into 2022. Apps that were able to create a strong user base started to expand beyond their original niche to offer more useful features in one place.

Google is of course the oldest and best example of this. They started with a search engine, expanded into email and now offer a full suite of cloud tools to businesses worldwide.

You don’t of course have to go to this extent but the goal is to analyse what apps your current user base also frequent. That way you can take key features/learnings from these apps and add them to your own repertoire. The goal is to offer all related services to your users in one place. In this way you’d become a “Super App” within your industry.

No-Code application builders will be another key app trend for 2022

No-code has been an emerging app trend throughout the 2010s. Initially, very clever developers came up with solutions and then implemented white label versions of their applications so that other business owners could leverage this existing IP.

2021 definitely became the year of API integrators like Zapier and Integromat. Essentially these no-code platforms allow you to connect multiple SaaS applications together. Then you can use various triggers and actions to create fully automated workflows.

Although they have been around for years, we noted a significant drop-off of “simple” software development requests. That’s because more and more people tried these no-code builders for themselves. A key reason for this is the distinct improvement in UX (User Experience). In short these apps are now much easier to use. This has lowered the barriers of entry significantly.

As we move into 2022, we predict that you’ll find that many software development agencies will actually leverage these platforms to help their customers. That way the business owner will not have to learn how to use these platforms for themselves, whilst still saving money by not “recreating the wheel”. This will trigger these tools to expand out of the startup scene as established business implement them into their existing tech stacks.

AR and VR will become much more widespread in 2022

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies progressed significantly in 2021 (and prior). However, only a small amount of application developers were actually able to implement these technologies in a way that become widely adopted and easy to use.

In the case of VR, we are still yet to see truly affordable technology. As such, we have not been able to get Virtual Reality goggles into the hands of the everyday user. For AR, most app designers are yet to build something that incorporates Augmented Reality into everyday life.

It’s our prediction as an app trend for 2022 that we will see a big push by tech providers to use AR & VR for client engagement. These technologies are perfect for creating unique and interactive experiences. The challenge will be bringing such experiences into something that is used day in day out.

2022 will see yet more apps using Artificial Intelligence to heighten the User Experience (UX)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have been a constant in software trend articles like this for the last 4 or 5 years. That’s because each year we see new innovative AI apps being released. 2021 was of course no different. Between new AI apps being released and existing applications integrating ML, we have seen a huge spike across the market.

This is in part due to the rise of third party AI platforms. These can provide solutions from natural language and speech to vision (eg facial recognition). The big 3 cloud services, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, have all stamped their authority on the market.

In terms of app trends for 2022, we expect that this will continue on into next year. In particular we foresee new niche neural networks popping up. These will allow app developers access to pre-trained models for specific AI processing.

In fact the more time goes on the more ML models will emerge. This will continually lower the barriers of entry for app startups to leverage this great and inevitable technology.

How Devwiz will leverage these app trends for 2022

It is so important for a software and app agency to evolve with technology. The way we do things now compared to when we first launched is completely different. We are committed to not only bringing on new skilled staff as we did in 2021, but also offering our current developers the opportunity to learn new languages and frameworks.

So what does this mean in practice? Taking into consideration the app trends for 2022 that we mentioned above, here’s what we have done to evolve and be ready for the year ahead:

1. At Devwiz, we are becoming Crypto Development specialists

Our founder and software architect, Jose, is now versed in smart contract development on Solidity and we are training other in-house developer to do the same. Not just that but we are 50% of the way through our first crypto development, which will be a multi-chain NFT portfolio tracker. All in all we are gearing up to become crypto development specialists.

2. We will create next generation Javascript websites for our clients

We built our first JS sites this year. As an example, we used Gatsby.JS and Sanity CMS to create a next generation website for an emerging HRTech company, Humanico. Not only do we plan to upgrade our own website using these new web frameworks, we hope to bring in a whole new class of website development clientele that have outgrown the likes of WordPress.

3. We’ll apply all our learnings from 2021 to help our clients in 2022

Throughout 2021, we created apps using the newest technologies. We implemented facial recognition into an app using Azure Cognitive Services. We leveraged Google Natural Language and Python AI to create automated responders. Plus we became conversant in Integromat, allowing us to quickly pivot our client apps with minimal dev time. We will take all these learnings to add even greater value to our new and future clients.

Need help from a specialist software and app design agency?

If you feel as though the vision for your business or application aligns itself to any of the above, please know that the Devwiz team is here to help. We work with lots of different types of clients, including:

We have also put procedures in place to streamline the development process. In particular we put an emphasis on the initial strategy. From strategy sessions to check viability to full one on one workshops, we will ensure the foundations are right before starting any dev.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in contact any time.