Healthcare App Development

A healthcare app’s regulatory obligations depend on its intended use. Solutions that interpret clinical information, generate recommendations, prioritise care, or influence treatment decisions may fall under TGA regulation as Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). Understanding this distinction early can help avoid procurement delays, compliance risks and costly redesigns. Our detailed guide explains the assessment process and common triggers for regulation.

Explore the full TGA approval and SaMD compliance guide.

A technical proof-of-concept (POC) is a group of activities that our app developers undertake to assess the technical feasibility of a particular aspect of your app. One example where we might recommend a POC is a bespoke integration. Another example is where we would be using technologies or devices in unique or novel ways. A POC allows us to understand opportunities and constraints, and identify options, before progressing too far with app design and/or app development activities. Example folios where Wave Digital has completed technical proof-of-concepts are Newtracs and the Medical Director integration for the GoShare Healthcare platform.

A prototype in our industry refers to a design activity. The goal of an app prototype is to bring your product to life so that you can show it to potential customers, investors or other interested stakeholders. It may also form part of a business case. There is no coding involved in producing a prototype. Instead, our designers would use one of a range of prototyping tools to transform the app interfaces into a clickable prototype. An app animation, which is essentially a video of the app, is an alternate approach.

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a tool for testing assumptions – about your app customers, product and market – as quickly and inexpensively as possible. It’s designed to validate key assumptions, test market appetite, and gather early feedback with the least effort and investment required. An MVP is a vehicle for learning, not simply a product release with fewer features. Rather than building out a full-featured solution based on assumptions, the MVP is focused on learning from real users and improving the product iteratively.

Creating an app prototype can take anywhere between 3 weeks to a few months. The length of the process is generally influenced by two things. The first is the client’s availability to collaborate during the design process. Our app designers rely on feedback to ensure concepts are in line with the client’s vision. At Wave, we understand that most startup founders are juggling multiple commitments and adjust the timing of our processes to fit in with their availability. The other factor is the number of design iterations that have been included in the project.