Behold! The No-Code Revolution Has Commenced!
With the No-Code movement, computer development would no longer be reserved for a minority of people. It would become a real game, where, like the Legos of our childhood, we assemble bricks.
No Code comes at a crucial time in web/software development. After having made the use of computers and the Internet accessible thanks to graphical interfaces, the IT world is embarking on the implementation of interfaces to make the construction of an Internet even richer and more accessible. This is called the “no-code” movement. A revolution that will lead to profound changes in the way we design and create the applications of tomorrow. New professions and new skills will appear. So, get a head start on these new tools.
What is Low Code No Code Platforms?
No Code is considered a sub-branch of the Low Code movement. No Code allows you to create applications without using a single line of classic code, no notion in development is necessary. These tools are intended for “Citizen Devs”, that is to say, business users with little or no experience in development and who will still create applications. This allows users to transform their own business processes.
Low Code requires some knowledge in development. Applications created using low-code platforms require the intervention of a developer for 20 to 30% of the lines of code generated.
What are the benefits of No-Code?
With the acceleration of digital transformation for companies, the demands of businesses are multiplying. CIOs struggle to respond quickly and favorably to user needs due to a lack of developers or budget. With No Code, it is the users themselves who create the tools that meet their own needs.
The benefits are numerous:
- acceleration of time to market
- cost optimization
- make up for the lack of developers on the market
- business processes transformed by users directly, operational quality increases
- reduction of shadow IT and securing of the IS
- switching to SaaS or Cloud
How to Take Advantage of This No-Code Revolution?
As for no code, Americans are obsessed with “citizen empowerment”. In other words, they see in no-code tools the possibility for everyone to create digital products to launch new initiatives, bring communities together, further fueling capitalism.
Be a part of this revolution by training to start creating. Here are 3 initiatives to do to get started in this new movement.
Become a “Creator” in Low Code No Code Platforms
First of all, if we had only one commandment to give you, it would be the following: Create. The creator is the one who likes to prototype ideas and put them in shape. They know that nothing is perfect, but that’s not the most important thing. The idea is to be able to validate a concept and the potential to obtain traction with its first product. The most important thing is to have fun in building projects/products. To progress as a creator, do not miss the opportunity to launch no-code projects. This is what will make you progress and potentially lead you to exciting entrepreneurial adventures!
Train Yourself in Low Code No Code Platforms
To take advantage of this no-code revolution, you also need to train in no-code tools. The options are numerous: Webflow, Bubble, Airtable, Strikingly, Carrd, Zapier, etc. You will not be able to be an expert in each. However, if you are already a user of no-code tools you will notice that there are “patterns”, that is to say, ways to create your application that are often found in all these products.
If you know a little Photoshop it will be easier for you to understand Figma or Webflow with its notions of inheritance. Try to familiarize yourself with a few tools. At the moment, there is no big winner on no code, but a nice diversity of tools that have their advantages and disadvantages. After mastering one or two tools, you will be much more comfortable. The learning curve for the next ones will be much simpler and faster.
Educate Your Entourage to Low Code No Code Platforms and Help Them Set Up Their Projects
Finally, if we had one last recommendation, it would be as follows: educate your entourage to these different tools! Everyone around you can have an idea that requires no-code tools. You will be able to find no code in all parts of society, whether from a professional or personal point of view.
Professional first. Whether you are a small company that needs digital to manage its business or a very large company that wants to accelerate change, no code is an excellent solution. In the first case, it is a good way to reduce your costs of setting up a digital product and testing it. In the second case, it is a great way to relieve the IT teams and motivate the teams in place so that they can set up “their own product”.
Then Staff. Yes, the no code is not only for professionals. It has its place for everyday applications with friends or family. More broadly, no code is the possibility of taking in hand for oneself the digital tools in a much simpler way and consequently to regain a certain power in the face of technologies that we did not master. Educating those around you about no-code tools means giving them the opportunity to emancipate themselves from large applications to personalize their uses and to regain confidence in the technologies around us.
The Challenges of Low Code No Code Platforms
This is a real paradigm shift. Users and requesters are now able to solve part of their application needs themselves, without calling on their usual interlocutors in the Information Systems Department (ISD). No-code, while promising, nevertheless raises some questions.
In the absence of a technical barrier to creation, CIOs may not be aware of all the applications in operation on their fleets. This is Shadow IT. It is, therefore, necessary to put in place measures to ensure that each application created is known and listed with the IT department.
There is also the question of the relevance of the developer profession, in a context where everyone could be able to replace it, without knowing how to code. Is it now a profession in the process of disappearing? Certainly, where no-code is used, the role of developers will need to be rethought, as will the relationships that bind them with end-users, customers, and project management support. Nevertheless, they are not bound to disappear completely. Even though no-code simplifies application design from a technical point of view, no-coders must be able to conceptualize the application and its functional architecture. The skills of the technical profiles will therefore always be useful on these subjects.
Also Read: Make Way for the Invisible User Interface! | Creatibuzz
The Limitations of Low Code No Code Platforms Technology
Organizations cannot pass their entire application fleet to no-code. No-code applications are indeed highly dependent on development platforms such as Bubble or Webflow on which they were created. It is very rarely possible to run an application outside the platform on which it was designed. No-coders are therefore subject to the various tariff and contractual changes imposed by the publishers of the platforms.
Technical debt is also a factor blocking the migration to no-code. Many organizations are currently constrained by the weight of the existing to maintain applications based on old technologies, as with the COBOL in the banking sector.
So it’s not no-code that will make developers disappear. It will lead at most to the greater specialization of the latter or evolution of their roles within organizations.
In short, no-code doesn’t really revolutionize the software market. Nevertheless, this technology makes it possible to put application development within the reach of a greater number of stakeholders. The no-code supports the digital transformation that is underway, in all sectors. It is thus very easy to create, for example, a business directory from a spreadsheet, with Glide, or an e-commerce site with Shopify. No-code, hence, pushes down barriers to entry and thus encourages innovation.
To conclude, just like any other revolution, the possibilities raise many questions: with the multiplication of applications created by these “citizens devs”, how will companies and their CIOs control the emergence of IT shadows? How will we ensure that these applications adhere to their urbanization or cybersecurity rules? Well, with new technology comes new laws and reformations and it won’t be different for the mass marketing of no-code if we are being completely frank.
