Developing an app as a non-technical user appears to be nearly impossible. Is it necessary for me to spend months mastering HTML? Is it necessary for me to join a coding Bootcamp?
Not at all, as it turns out. Fortunately for all of us, the no-code revolution is gaining traction, with user-friendly platforms allowing users to create web and mobile apps without ever writing a line of code. The team from Pitchblak (a Melbourne-based startup business) presented intriguing insights into the potential of no-code tools during the first week of the Startmate Student Fellowship, allowing tech and non-tech individuals alike to achieve what they want to do and avoid the pitfalls they’ve made while developing their own firms and get venture capital funds.
What is the meaning of “no-code”?
Users may utilise no-code platforms to create software applications without having to know how to code. Users may visually construct components and fully design an app using drag-and-drop features. There’s no need to know how to code! Bubble.io, for example, is a popular no-code platform that allows users to build production-ready apps for both desktop and mobile. Its strength comes from its ability to generate prototypes, iterate, launch, and scale all in one location.
Low code goes hand in hand with no code. This is a little more difficult because it involves some code and understanding, but it still offers limited drag-and-drop functionality. This might be useful if you’re new to coding and want to brush up on your abilities.
Low-code vs no-code
Low-code technologies gained popularity in 2014, but the concept dates back to 2011, according to Forrester. Low-code tools and app development will account for further over 65 per cent of app development activity by 2024, according to Gartner. Low-code tools, on the other hand, benefit all who understand code, allowing engineers to work more quickly and effectively. This still creates a huge gap for business customers who don’t have that degree of technical understanding and wish to complete technical tasks.
No-code tools, on the other side, don’t require any coding, allowing anybody to develop amazing processes, apps, and websites. No-code solutions are a game-changer for the digitalization era, with increased technological needs, limited budgets, and developer shortages. Gartner predicts that by 2023, more than half of medium to large businesses will use a no-code solution as a result of these improvements.
The Advantages of No Code
The benefit of no code is that anyone may use it. It’s beneficial not just to non-technical persons, but also to startups, SMEs, businesses, and anybody with an idea who wants to do something.
1. Simple and quick
Building without code takes ten times as long as building with code. In just three weeks, you can create a typical app. The simplicity of use is a significant plus, with templates and documentation already in place to make learning easier and faster. Drag-and-drop is also so simple to use that you can get started right away.
2. Cost savings
Because of the simplicity and speed of no code, you save not only time and effort, and also resources, as fewer development hours are necessary. This is especially useful if you’re a startup or merely pursuing a concept if Startup fundings are tight and you can’t afford a full development staff just yet. Even larger startups or corporations may benefit from this since it allows them to produce a finished product with less effort.
3. Easily interchangeable
Because you’re using a platform that doesn’t need any coding, transferring ownership is simple — all you have to do is alter the email address. Data is also stored on the cloud by no-code systems, so there’s no need to worry about hosting.
The role of no-code in transformation
Many organisations were obliged to adapt to distant work and future digital tools and processes almost overnight as a result of COVID-19. Now, about a year later, most employees are dealing with remote problems beyond just working with noisy kids or establishing up a home office.
The actual issue for organisations is that many of the new digital technologies they’ve installed aren’t cutting it or tackling the challenges they were supposed to solve. Frequently, the technologies are overly complicated, with no pre-made templates or “building blocks” to guide business users through the process of addressing collaborative challenges. In fact, according to IDG, 70% of employees don’t have access to the technology they need to solve complicated problems creatively or modify company procedures on the fly. And remote working has just added to the problem.
The truth is that digital change isn’t supposed to happen suddenly. It’s a lengthy procedure that involves forethought, preparation, and training. It’s not as easy as introducing a slew of new technologies; it’s about looking through the most pressing challenges your company confronts and selecting the finest solutions to address them whilst making your workers’ lives simpler and assisting them in doing their jobs more effectively.
During the pandemic, no-code technologies have shown to be the most effective means of assisting businesses in achieving these objectives and bringing them up to speed. Even while they need no training and make even just the least technically capable people feel like coding experts, digital transformation requires careful planning and attention. If, for example, your aim is to simplify internal procedures, using a no-code solution to construct a better website won’t help you address your problem. However, deploying no-code technologies brings up endless possibilities for your company and its Startup fundings where its workers tackle bigger business concerns quickly and effectively, whether at work or at home.
- Providing opportunities for a new workforce and entrepreneurs
Anyone may become a citizen developer using no-code tools, which opens up new business and career prospects. No-code operations, builders, and automation specialists have already been produced by companies like Visualize Value. Luhhu and other no-code consultants and firms have popped up to assist customers to automate their operations.
No-code community and education systems like Makerpad and Apps Without Code are teaching the future generation of entrepreneurs and builders, much like the coding school explosion of the 2000s. To establish a firm, entrepreneurs no longer need to look for a technical co-founder. Scribly, a content marketing firm, was developed nearly entirely with no-code solutions such as Airtable, Zapier, and Webflow.
2. Assisting larger companies in being agile
Larger firms who have struggled to enhance their workflow procedures since the commencement of the coronavirus pandemic have benefited from software solutions like ours, as well as others like Asana and Zapier. They’ve also helped them stay nimble by making things simpler for personnel with no programming experience to automate processes without having to write sophisticated code.
3. A platform for freelancers and small business entrepreneurs
As employment and economic instability increased, an increasing number of people began to look into Startup fundings to encourage their creative endeavours using no-code technologies. They utilised Squarespace to create their own websites, or Shopify to put up an online store in hours rather than months. People used to have to invest a lot of money to establish their own business. Before even considering opening a store, they would have needed to hire site designers.
However, thanks to the no-code revolution, freelancers and small company owners can now make decisions like the ones above without relying on others, allowing them to not only stay afloat but also produce something they can be proud of.
The disadvantages
1. Building requirements and constraints
Before you begin, make sure you understand whatever you want to construct, especially if it’s anything large. Because of limited information storage as well as the drag-and-drop aspect of no coding, what can be produced is limited, thus you may need to add plug-ins for more capabilities. Because each tool and platform has various features, it’s crucial to know whatever you need before you get halfway through your project and find a snag.
2. You’ll have less control over your app.
Because you’re using these platforms to construct your app, you have much less control over it and no ownership of the source code. Prices may rise, and you will have no choice but to pay since you are stranded at the station. Owning your own code is vital since it mainly consists of your intellectual property and allows you to provide more customization to your clients. Owning your code allows you to sell your firm in the future, and it should be a part of its own technology stack. Overall, you should prepare to obtain Startup funding, hire developers to create your software, and expand at a particular point.
So, what does this signify in terms of the near future? Of course, present stakeholders in the coding and technology worlds will need to make some modifications.
Because of the huge rise in competition, No-Code is anticipated to put lower pressure on prices for developers. A high-volume flow of low-quality possibilities will be given to Pre-Seed, Seed, and Angel Investors. As a result, they’ll have to devise new procedures. These investors cannot embrace every Next Big Idea that walks past their doors, just as user groups will function as gatekeepers to the flow of new applications and businesses.
By 2022, if No-Code continues to grow at its current rate, we will witness our first No-Code Unicorns. These startups will have attained this position twice as rapidly as their ‘coded’ counterparts because of reduced development, time, and financial hurdles.