Using Lean Startup to Discover Customers in the mHealth Industry: Current Landscape and Challenges

Hannah B. Eppley
Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships-Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Piscataway, NJ)
Waymond Zhou
Institute of Global Entrepreneur at the Jacob’s School of Engineering and the Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA); Cranfield School of Management (Cranfield, UK); Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships-Ernes Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Piscataway, NJ)
Grant Alexander Wilson
Faculty of Business Administration, University of Regina (Regina, Saskatchewan, CA)
Michael Toscani
Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships-Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Piscataway, NJ)
John M. York
Institute of Global Entrepreneur at the Jacob’s School of Engineering and the Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA); Cranfield School of Management (Cranfield, UK); Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships-Ernes Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Piscataway, NJ)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5912/jcb1015

Abstract:

As technology evolves rapidly, there is a need to integrate these advancements into healthcare.1 Mobile health (mHealth) allows digital health technology to be readily accessible to patients and healthcare providers through mobile applications (apps). mHealth, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries share a patient-centric framework. However, the latter two business sectors have been historically slow to adopt digital innovations.1,2 The lean startup is a methodology aimed at helping companies traverse uncertainty through a series of hypotheses surrounding the customer. This approach can provide an avenue for the pharmaceutical industry to develop mHealth apps.

This article addresses the question of how pharmaceutical firms can enhance customer engagement with their mHealth apps. This discussion provides an overview of the mHealth market drivers and barriers. It proffers potential solutions for using the lean startup methodology to identify customer needs to enable organizations to develop apps more efficiently, identify optimal market segments and business models, improve their bottom line, and reduce unnecessary resource expenditures. It also posits the need for further research and pilot projects to evaluate lean startups in the mHealth industry.