It’s been with many of us tekkies for so long it feels like an old friend.
But to some, real-time technology is a relatively new player in a field which is becoming increasingly populated.
In its most basic form, real-time functionality is a network of technologies and practices that enable users to receive information as soon as it is published, without the need to refresh their software or to check a source periodically for updates.
You will know it, even if you don’t know what it’s called. Look on the majority of the apps on your smartphone and it’s there.
Real-time technology was introduced many years ago but in the last few years it has gone from nice-to-have to must-have.
The number of apps using the technology is rapidly increasing. Common functionality includes simple data updates for notifications, dashboards (sports, finance, site analytics), real-time news and activity streams.
Integral
Real-time technology has become an integral part of many of our favourite products. Sometimes we even don’t recognise it as a special feature. We just expect it to be there. When somebody messages us on WhatsApp we expect to see it instantly.
Another good example is Google Docs. Possibility of editing, writing, collaborating docs in a real-time by multiple users, without any delay, is a key component to its success.
Nowadays, real-time functionality is present in all of our favourite apps. It’s being used to track scores in sport apps or even your health results in various activity apps.
Owing to real-time technology you can also track your journey progress in many geo-location apps or you can see a pop-up update notification in Twitter.
It’s also a very important feature of e-commerce, airline, booking websites, like Booking.com, where you can see how many people is watching a certain deal, how many minutes left to the end of it and how many tickets is still available at lower price, encouraging people to buy before it’s too late.
Real-time functionality is becoming an integral part of our everyday life. It’s present in many of our favourite apps and websites. It can, definitely, increase customer’s satisfaction, giving business owners who use it an edge over their competitors.
Sylwia Lukjanowska is a Creative Thinker and Web Developer at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
