The improved agility enabled by low-code or no-code development allows organizations to accelerate time to market, increase productivity, reduce costs, and drive innovation.
Today's companies must move quickly or be left behind. Companies have found many ways to become more agile, and one of them is to allow non-IT professionals to create their own applications. The technology that makes this process possible is known as low-code/no-code (LC/NC) design.
While the process may require some help from IT team members, their involvement can be much less intensive, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks, such as digital transformation projects.
The improved agility enabled by LC/NC development allows organizations to accelerate time to market, increase productivity, reduce costs and drive innovation. In addition to helping teams respond to what's happening in their markets now, it helps companies make sure they're prepared to respond to future changes without making potentially unnecessary development and implementation investments.
So what are some use cases for LC/NC development? Is this something your company should consider? Below we answer these questions and more. But first, let's take a closer look at what exactly LC/NC development is.
Low-code and no-code defined
LC/NC development allows users to engage in visual programming interfaces instead of writing code. Low-code tools are appropriate for those who know a little code, while no-code options are better for those with no coding experience.
These methods are known for creating a way for non-IT professionals to develop applications, but IT professionals can also use them, especially when they need to build quickly. The following video explains more about the differences between low-code and no-code:
The idea of LC/NC is to make development accessible to those with no prior programming experience. It's similar to how Excel brought database functionality to everyday users when it was first introduced.
Industry Examples
Many industries can use LC/NC tools to create customer-facing applications that coordinate with complex back-end systems. Here are some examples.
Education. LC/NC development can be used to create applications that measure learning outcomes, especially in different educational environments, such as classes of varying sizes or — as has become much more relevant in recent years — online versus in-person classes.
It can also be used to integrate digital platforms such as enrollment management and learning management. Additionally, it can be deployed to create applications and websites for specific purposes, such as contact tracing.
Finance. Financial services companies can use LC/NC development to create customer-facing applications that integrate with back-end systems, running across multiple platforms. These apps can support a variety of functions, such as allowing customers to check their balances.
Health care. Similar to financial companies, healthcare providers can use LC/NC development to create applications that integrate with back-end systems and give patients access to their own information or allow them to provide information such as symptoms. The building blocks of LC/NC platforms can be crafted to be HIPAA compliant.
Logistics. Transportation companies can use LC/NC applications to support activities such as inventory management, barcode scanning, and delivery notifications.
Retail. In addition to customer-facing applications like those mentioned above, retailers can use LCNC tools to create systems to perform operational tasks such as inventory management or order processing.
Are Low-Code or No-Code Right for Your Business?
While LC/NC solutions bring benefits, they also present some challenges. Companies should be aware of these considerations before beginning LC/NC development.
Data security. LC/NC development provides building blocks that include security-conscious code, but the level of security cannot be guaranteed. For applications with stringent requirements in this area, companies must turn to qualified developers who write every line of code with security in mind.
Performance. Similar to the security issue, applications that require a certain level of performance are best written from scratch by an experienced developer, as code generated from an LC/NC source may not achieve desired performance goals.
Accessibility. Applications created using LC/NC development may also be deficient in terms of accessibility needs such as screen reading. Coding from scratch or optimizing developed code using LC/NC development may be a better approach for companies serving end users with accessibility requirements.
ROI. Using LC/NC application development may be less expensive initially, but may cost more in the long run because it is less efficient and uses more resources. On the other hand, code written from scratch is more expensive up front, but can offer a better return on investment as the application is deployed over time.
What to watch out for
In the coming years, LC/NC development will be used to create more applications for collaborating and configuring data collection in specific ways that are useful for specific company and team needs. Additionally, development teams, traditionally comprised solely of IT professionals, will also incorporate non-IT professionals, working together to solve business problems.
These trends will likely contribute to big benefits for companies, especially smaller ones, who can't always hire developers to bring their visions to life. As the divide between operations and IT diminishes, companies will be better and more quickly able to implement new strategies without IT limitations or delays that may have stalled progress in the past.
Flexibility is the key
The rise of LC/NC comes at the perfect time to alleviate some tasks for IT professionals, whose workloads have increased considerably as a result of the pandemic. Still, developing LC/NC applications is not always the right choice.
The important thing to remember when considering the use of LC/NC development is that it doesn't have to be a yes or no decision. Companies can deploy these tools to develop applications when considerations such as security, performance, and accessibility are not as critical, and expertly generated code when they are. The ability to move in any direction gives organizations greater flexibility and — therefore — greater power to create, innovate and serve customers well.
