How to Make a Healthcare App for the German Market: A Step-by-Step Guide

Building a Health App for the Germany Market

Step 1. Idea

Types of mHealth apps

Fitness apps

Chronic disease monitoring apps

Remote patient monitoring apps

Reminder apps

Mental health apps

Digital healthcare apps (DIGAs)

Step 2. Specifications

Step 3. Design

If you're creating a mental health app, avoid bright colors that can evoke negative feelings and make the patient feel worse. Also, think about the gender, sex, and age of your target audience. According to Statistica, the largest age group in Germany is 40-59-year-olds (23 million people). They are followed by people aged 65 and over (18.44 million). Seniors will most likely use your health app, and you need to develop a successful design for them. Create text size, color variations, navigation, and other features taking into account the behavior patterns and preferences of older people.

Step 4. Development

Based on the specification and design, developers begin to write code. We recommend creating an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to test user response to the application. You'll receive the first data on the traffic and use of the app, which will help you improve the product and remove bugs. The cost and duration of the development process depend on many factors, which include the type of app (native or cross-platform), programming language, team, and so on.

Step 5. Testing

When the first version of the app is ready, the testing stage begins. Testers look for bugs and report them to developers. Mobile applications are usually tested for performance, recovery, integration, security, usability, and compatibility. Almost 1 in 2 apps get deleted within 30 days after installation for various reasons. Carefully test your e-health app and don't give users the chance to uninstall it because of bugs and poor performance.

Step 6. Release

When your app is ready, it will be released on the appropriate platforms. The most popular platforms are App Store and Google Play. To publish an application on Google Play, you'll have to pay $25. This is a one-time payment. The cost of publishing an app on the App Store is $99 per year.

Step 7. Maintenance

When your health app is released, this doesn't mean that you'll forget about it. You'll constantly update it and add new features to retain users and attract new ones.

Final Word

We've described the standard steps of the health app development process. However, depending on the type of application, this process may vary. If you decide to create a digital healthcare app, you need to apply for registration with BfArM and study in detail this process and the requirements for such solutions.

At Elinext, we take care of all stages of development from analytics to publishing applications on the appropriate stores. We've already created a lot of healthcare solutions and are ready to answer all your questions regarding the creation of products for the German and other markets. We'll help you build a number one e-health app that will be in demand among both doctors and patients. Don't hesitate to contact our specialists.