{"id":5298,"date":"2020-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hedgehoglab.com\/what-microsoft-can-do-to-better-its-health-offerings\/"},"modified":"2023-11-06T09:55:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T08:55:30","slug":"what-microsoft-can-do-to-better-its-health-offerings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hedgehoglab.com\/what-microsoft-can-do-to-better-its-health-offerings\/","title":{"rendered":"What Microsoft can do to better its health offerings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Issues with current health apps<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In our previous segment on digital health<\/a>\u201a we outlined the plethora of apps available on both iOS and Google\u2019s Android platform. As staggering as it sounds\u201a the number is around 165\u201a000 and\u201a with more and more people starting to focus on health and well-being\u201a that\u2019s only bound to increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As output rises\u201a however\u201a our concerns are centred on quality – especially in relation to Microsoft\u2019s offering. For quite a while\u201a the firm has been boasting a diverse range of tools aimed at capturing patients\u2019 health data. So where are they now\u201a how have they fared\u201a and\u201a if anything\u2019s gone wrong\u201a what can the tech giant do to get itself back in shape? Our preliminary assessment is simple: all is not well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Microsoft offerings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To begin with\u201a Microsoft had four major offerings: Microsoft Health\u201a HealthVault\u201a MSN Health and Fitness\u201a and Xbox Fitness. Which\u201a of course\u201a begs the question: why would anyone need or want so many mediums for logging health data and receiving fitness information from the same provider – especially since there were only subtle differences between them? As it turned out\u201a the tools were misunderstood as collectively they had generated a good deal more confusion than they had offered means for boosting health. This mistake proved costly\u201a Microsoft having to close several services that overlapped and which were becoming difficult to run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consolidation was a wise idea\u201a so what next for Microsoft?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So what’s the status now? Well\u201a Microsoft intends to streamline its offerings and has already shut down MSN Health<\/a> on the grounds that users did not appear to find much value in the app. In 2016\u201a then\u201a the company announced it would pull down the shutters at Microsoft Health too and may stop production of its fitness hardware\u201a Microsoft Band. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course\u201a a tight focus should have been the company\u2019s strategy from the very start\u201a allowing it to build one quality offering across several platforms rather than get distracted with multiple projects. Still\u201a it got there in the end. The problem is that HealthVault – now Microsoft\u2019s core health product – isn\u2019t exactly what you\u2019d call in good shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what are the issues with HealthVault?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Launched in 2007\u201a HealthVault has not since gone through any major improvements. The Windows 10 app\u201a for instance\u201a actually uses Windows Hello for its security and feels rather dated. If you use Android or iOS\u201a similarly\u201a you\u2019re out of luck – as yet\u201a no apps have been created for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also worth considering that one major hallmark of a quality health app is that it allows syncing with other apps. Many of those regularly used by colleagues at hedgehog lab\u201a for instance\u201a enable high levels of integration with third party providers\u201a Gyroscope being a good example since it mixes its central offering with travel\u201a photography and more. HealthVault\u201a needless to say\u201a does not facilitate such seamlessness – another reason it needs to be revisited and given a complete makeover. Despite regulatory hurdles\u201a healthcare innovation is heading towards a centralised assistive system<\/a>\u201a making HealthVault’s lack of integration even more damning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[object<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Users have also complained about the quality of the website\u201a having faced difficulties due to incomplete and sometimes incomprehensible information. The site likewise asks for a lot of sensitive details\u201a which users may be unwilling to share due to privacy and security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can Microsoft do now to improve its health offerings? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As thought leaders in app development\u201a we would suggest Microsoft needs to do two things. Firstly\u201a at an implementation level\u201a it needs to ease its sign in procedure and allow easy onboarding. Secondly\u201a at a conceptual level\u201a the offerings must be raised; currently the basic service that it provides includes new clients to sign up for its email service. This allows the patient\u2019s doctor to send information to the HealthVault directly\u201a at a cost of $9\/year for up to 100 pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message from the tale is then clear: Microsoft must improve its offering by stripping back distractions to concentrate on a customer-centred platform that will put its services back on track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:  <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– A Quick Guide to Microsoft’s Health Offerings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Microsoft\u2019s HealthVault puts your medical records online and in your hands \u2014 sort of<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– The State of the Microsoft Health Platform<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Microsoft to shutter MSN Health & Fitness app\u201a but Microsoft Health app to stay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Issues with current health apps In our previous segment on digital health\u201a we outlined the plethora of apps available on both iOS and Google\u2019s Android platform. As staggering as it sounds\u201a the number is around 165\u201a000 and\u201a with more and more people starting to focus on health and well-being\u201a that\u2019s only bound to increase. 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