No-Code Software Development: How it Came to Being

No-Code Software Development 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.

The Rise of No-Code Software Development

So, are we now witnessing what Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt, well known to entrepreneurs, calls “The Rise of No Code”? Here are 4 factors that contribute to the phenomenon:

Improved No-Code Software Development GUI with More Features

WordPress has definitely launched no code with non-developers making it easy to set up and use websites. Its open-source nature has also contributed to an explosion in the number of websites. Free and available to all, here is a winning recipe on the web. However, for those who have tried to work on WordPress to launch a site, even basic, you need a certain knowledge of servers, databases, HTML, CSS, or the optimization of your services. Nothing very affordable easily for a non-developer who does not have a little time in front of him.

What is changing now is the explosion of services that tend to reduce these arduous tasks for non-coders. Services such as Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, or Bubble allow the implementation of very high-quality websites by allowing you to no longer worry about server management (for a fee) and therefore to grow very quickly if your service is successful. We will have the opportunity to come back to all these services, but they allow us to create via a very well thought out GUI robust sites in the back, very well optimized in front.

Lack Of Developers No-Code Software Development

This is probably a reason that could be enough on its own: today we lack developers. Our schools do not produce enough and despite the good boot camps, it turns out that the number of developers available on the market compared to the needs is still too low. What could be the solution? The No-Code of course! There is probably a very wide range of applications at the moment that could be launched via no-code tools. If for the moment, the solutions on the market are just beginning to emerge to create complex applications, the field of no code could be able to relieve a large number of companies in their search for developers.

At present, a Product Manager or a digital project manager could very well create an application with no-code tools without the need for a developer. It would cost much less and especially the project could go much faster. We will come back to this subject, but no code is certainly an answer to this type of problem and places UX/UI designers in the front line.

No-Code Software Development : API first

Even if projects differ, the concepts behind the features requested when starting a project are often the same: a front with animations, a CMS to manage content, an administrator/client back office, an external API call, the creation of an internal API, authentication, etc.

In short, all these needs have already been coded tens of millions of times by developers. If of course there may be specificities, in general, the web projects are similar in their functionality. So why recode them again and again?

That’s why developers have created GUIs and APIs with the goal of simplifying their work, increasing efficiency and productivity. Why recode a payment application when there is already a dedicated and robust API with Stripe? The no code at the moment does not exclude developers! On the contrary, it facilitates 80% of their work by allowing them to work on the 20% of a particular feature that they have never coded before and that is not (yet) developed. Again, this is a matter of time: there will come a time when we will all be able to do everything in no-code. But we’re not there yet.

No-Code Software Development : The Rise of Entrepreneurs

We are in a society of entrepreneurs. We haven’t always been, but it seems more and more true today. A fringe of entrepreneurs is much talked about, especially entrepreneurs in the digital sector such as those who want to create SaaS (Software as a service), marketplaces, sell online, etc. Many entrepreneurs and companies are still unaware of this “no-code” movement that would allow them to launch their idea, there is a strong reason to think that the next few years will completely change the situation. So, the goal needs to be: educate as many people as possible about No-Code.

“Everyone is a creator”

Why Is the No-Code Software Development Revolution Coming Now?

“No code is eating the world”. This could be the title of the continuation of the famous article “Why Software is Eating the World” by Marc Andreessen.

In this 2011 article, Marc disclosed how all software companies would surpass traditional businesses with the development of their sites and applications, and especially how the latter had the ability to launch incredible businesses with relatively low costs. If this “prediction” did indeed go well, there is still a remark to be made: the software is created by the developers. It is the developers who “eat the world”.

It’s 2020 and the world of software has changed. It is now much easier to create a website, a mobile application, a chatbot, and even a video game. “Everything” seems almost automatable. For example, you can build a marketplace or a mobile application via “visual” tools without having to code! As a result, many entrepreneurs and developers are taking advantage of these tools. This movement is called the “No Code” movement.

A Quick History of Improved No-Code Software Development

To fully understand the revolution in progress, it is important to return to a quick history of no code.

There is no specific date on the arrival of no code. As everything in computer science is intertwined, we cannot link a specific event to its appearance, but we can rely on facts. No code is particularly related to the desire of developers and IT entrepreneurs to develop GUI, the acronym for Graphical User Interface.

Windows and Apple appeared on the microcomputer market and each launched computers with GUI. All this has led to an explosion of microcomputers among individuals. Finally, there was no longer any need to be a developer to use a computer, but anyone could use a computer with a little training. From there, computing has spread to all parts of the industry until it has become totally indispensable at the present time. As for smartphones, it was also necessary to invent a GUI. Apple worked on a graphical interface and they exploded in the same way as micro-computing the use of the smartphone. Therefore, without GUI there is no use of the tool unless you are a developer.

However, if we can now easily access websites or mobile applications, the fact remains that if you are not a developer you will not be able to go far to create tech products. You have to learn how to develop! As you’ve noticed, GUIs have made it easier for us to use computers and software. However, they have not yet allowed us to “do”, to “create” software easily.

And that’s exactly where the “no-code” movement begins! The latter aims to create a GUI for websites, mobile applications, chatbots, video games… In short, everything that looks like code must be able to be the subject of a graphical interface in order to simplify the creation of these digital products. The most famous of them from a historical point of view is probably WordPress in 2003 which offers to create a blog easily without having to code it.

Currently, according to Wikipedia, WordPress equips 34% of the world’s websites. There is therefore no denying the contribution of the latter to the Internet as its ease of management has made it possible to contribute to the development of websites. If you don’t know any line of code, WordPress can allow you to create a blog, a showcase site, a platform… But 2003 is very far away in a field like the internet that undergoes almost daily evolutions!

A No-Code Software Development revolution driven by the pandemic

And for good reason: by making it possible to create products with agility, modifiable in the moment, and mobilizable almost immediately, the No Code has made it possible to develop products perfectly adapted to the uncertainties generated by the pandemic. Thus, many solutions for allocating medical resources have been created in No Code. The best example of this is the site set up in 48 hours by the New York City Hall, in order to homogenize the available health resources and manage the crisis as well as possible.

“The U.S. is currently experiencing a shortage of one million code professionals. No-code and low-code can be a solution: employees of companies can be trained quickly in this new form of programming while people who are already pros of this activity would work on the infrastructures of no-code and low-code platforms in the cloud, “predicts Korii magazine in an article dedicated to the subject.

In 2024, the majority of new products will be created in No-Code Software Development

But the most spectacular prediction comes from the American tech consulting firm, Gartner. In a highly acclaimed report published in June 2021, the consulting firm states that by 2024, 80% of technological products and digital services will be built… by people outside the field of Tech.

In the line of sight: a transformation of the role traditionally allocated to the IT department. “As we know, these movements (No Code and Low Code, Editor’s note) liberate technological creation and tend to promote the development of services outside the IT department. Solution providers now explain that the role of the IT department is no longer to create and deliver but to facilitate and control, as well as to give coherence and uniqueness to the whole through APIs and governance tools”, explains the IT for Business website in an article dedicated to the No Code revolution.

A Revolution, Myriads of Possibilities

According to Gartner analysts, the rapid expansion of the cloud, digital business initiatives, and remote services has opened the door to new possibilities for integration and optimization. Thus, according to the consulting firm, in 2023 there will be 30 billion in revenue generated by products and services that did not exist before the pandemic.

No Code – like its twin, Low Code, is, therefore, a revolution already underway, propelled by the upheavals induced by the pandemic. This revolution will lead to profound changes in the way sites are designed and used as business applications. To get a head start and adapt your processes to this new trend, do not hesitate to contact us!

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, therefore, pushes down barriers to entry and thus encourages innovation.

Also see: https://creatibuzz.com/fittss-law-in-design-the-perfect-fit-for-ecommerce-ui-ux/