Could cognisant computing be the guiding force behind your next app?

Think about the development of mobile apps for a moment. In the early days, they usually performed a single function often requiring a large degree of input from the people using them. Over time, they’ve developed to become more aware of their surroundings and context, all the while becoming simpler to use. Now though, we’re starting to see the next phase of their development, in which they base their actions on data they have about the people using them. Welcome to the age of cognisant computing.

Rather than being a specific phenomenon, cognisant computing is something that users will experience based on their own unique data. Using simple, but specific rules, this data will be used to tailor services and activities to them. These services include alarms, bill payments, managing and monitoring health and fitness, and context-specific ads.

Given the high levels of convergence we’re currently seeing in the tech space, it should also be fairly obvious that cognisant systems will deliver their services across multiple devices.

“Cognisant computing is transforming personal clouds into highly intelligent collections of mobile apps and services,” says Jessica Ekholm, research director at technology research house Gartner.

According to Gartner, cognisant computing should help business-to-consumer (B2C) companies to acquire deep insights into consumers’ preferences and daily lives, which will therefore assist in creating better, more-personalised tailor-made services and offers, as well as ameliorate customer services.

This, in turn, should help providers strengthen their competitiveness (and responsiveness) in a market where consumers are becoming increasingly aware of new services and offers, pricing structures, and the reputation of a brand.

The research house reckons that cognisant computing will put the importance of apps, services and cloud to the forefront — making it one of the three most important components for any customer retention strategies for B2C companies over the coming five years.

“Cognisant computing is already beginning to take shape via many mobile apps, smartphones and wearable devices that collect and sync information about users, their whereabouts and their social graph,” says Ekholm. “Over the next two to five years, the Internet of Things and big data will converge with analytics. Hence, more data will make systems smarter.”

As a result, Gartner expects that smartphones could be doing a better job of managing some tasks than we do. More-onerous administration tasks, such as booking our car in for service, changing a hotel booking if our plane is cancelled, or sending information to our doctor about refilling our repeat prescriptions, are a few examples.

Once this point has arrived, the research house says, apps and services that are hosted in the personal cloud will interact with smartphones and other devices and the intricate app ecosystems they have created.

Any company in the business of providing a service, using apps or selling devices will be affected by cognisant computing in some way. Cognisant computing will allow companies to better connect with customers and to create more valuable products, services and offers.

“The increased awareness of and implementation of analytics and self-learning systems will force B2C companies to hasten their adoption of these technologies, to stay competitive and better serve the consumer of the future,” says Ekholm. “Analytics is the key component and creates the backbone of cognisant computing.”

By amalgamating and analysing data in the cloud from many sources (including apps, smartphones and wearable devices, web sites, store purchases, and social interaction), cognisant computing will provide contextual insights. This will help companies expand the lifetime value of their increasingly fickle customers, improve customer care, boost their sales channels and transform the customer relationship — by making it more personal and relevant.

In essence, this new development will help companies to innovate and create new business opportunities by creating hypercontextual services that will appeal to a dedicated individual — rather than catering to the mass market. However, critical issues will have to be addressed including consumer privacy, quality of execution and becoming a trusted vendor.

As people move their attention and money toward apps and services, device makers will be forced to forge partnerships with apps and service providers and create increasingly innovative business models that meet consumers’ needs by providing integrated services and apps to drive hardware sales.

“Consumer device manufacturers are placed in a formidable scenario of trying to compete with service and apps providers while keeping their brand fresh and exciting for end users,” says Ekholm. “The more obvious answer would be for them to start offering apps and services — which many have done over the years, with varying degrees of success,. However, their best tactic would be to partner with app and service providers, in order to have a better chance of succeeding in this space.”