The business world is changing so fast that an idea that came into your mind yesterday may no longer be relevant today. In a perpetual race, companies are constantly looking for and making decisions, optimizing processes and improving themselves. This is where digitalization and technological innovations come to the rescue. Businesses no longer need to spend huge time and financial resources to bring a new product to market or apply it internally, because Low-Code/No-Code platforms have already entered the stage.
What are Low-Code/No-Code tools?
Low-code is an approach to software development that allows you to build applications with minimal use of manual coding.
No-code is an approach that allows you to develop applications and websites without writing even a single line of code. Instead, visual interfaces are used where elements are dragged and dropped and customized to create application functionality.
Advantages of Low-Code/No-Code tools
Low-Code/No-Code platforms have revolutionized the software development industry. Their key advantage is a significant acceleration and simplification of the application making process.
The platforms allow to “program” visually: instead of writing long lines of code, developers can build the desired product by simply dragging and dropping visual elements on the screen. This makes the process intuitive even for those who do not have deep programming knowledge.
Ready-made components and templates significantly speed up development. Many platforms provide extensive libraries of ready-made blocks for various needs: forms, tables, charts and more.
Let's compare Low-Code/No-Code “programming” with traditional development. Imagine we want to create a simple mobile app for ordering food. Using the Low-Code platform, we can visually design the app interface by adding fields for address entry, meal selection, and payment. Then, using off-the-shelf components for integration with cards and payment systems, we can quickly set up a functional app. Traditional development of such an application would take much longer, as it would require writing a large amount of code for each function.
Thanks to these features, Low-Code/No-Code platforms allow you to:
- Reduce time-to-market: quickly produce prototypes and MVPs to test ideas.
- Increase iteration speed: rapidly make changes and improvements to the application in response to user feedback.
- Increase developer productivity: automating routine operations, developers can focus on more complex tasks.
- Reduce development costs: by minimizing development time and hiring less experienced developers, the cost of creating applications is significantly reduced.
- Increase business agility: quickly adapt to changing market requirements and conceive new applications for different business processes.
Use Cases and Useful Tools
Low-Code/No-Code platforms have proven effective in many companies, enabling them to speed up development, reduce costs, and increase business agility. Here are some examples of their use:
1. Mobile Application Development
Many companies use Low-Code platforms to quickly build mobile apps that expand their market presence and improve customer interactions.
Zapier is one of the most popular tools. It uses Low-Code tools that allow the user to automate routine tasks by connecting different apps and services. We can say that Zapier is a bridge between the necessary applications.
2. Business Process Automation
Low-Code platforms are ideal for automating everyday business processes such as application processing, document approval and project management.
Airtable is a product designed to let you create databases and applications without writing code. Users can easily customize the database structure, add different types of fields and create linked tables. Many companies use it to manage projects, track tasks, and develop internal tools.
3. Creating web applications
Low-Code's services allow you to quickly create web applications for a variety of purposes, from simple web pages to complex corporate portals.
The Bubble platform allows you to build complex web applications, including social networks, marketplaces, and SaaS services. For example, many startups use Bubble to quickly prototype and test their ideas.
4. Data analytics
It is also possible to make apps to analyze data and visualize the results.
Looker Studio tool helps you create interactive dashboards and reports based on data from various sources. It can also be used to quickly generate beautiful and informative graphs, charts, and reports to help you better understand statistical information.
5. In-house tools
With Low-Code tools, it's easy to produce enterprise systems to improve operational efficiency without calling on the IT department.
You can use Mendix or OutSystems to build internal tools (and more). They can be used to develop applications for process management, data tracking, and integration with existing systems.
It is worth to mention that Low-Code platforms allow you to make not only simple applications, but also quite complex systems. For example, many companies use them to develop CRM systems, project management systems, e-commerce platforms and other applications.
Limitations of Low-Code/No-Code development
With all these advantages, Low-Code/No-Code tools have their limitations, which should be taken into account when choosing a technology for development. Let's analyze when is it better to use traditional development:
- High performance requirements. If an application needs to process large amounts of data in real time or perform complex calculations, traditional development may be a better option.
- Complex algorithms and integrations. For creating applications with unique logic or integrating with legacy systems, Low-Code/No-Code development will not be suitable.
- High level of security. If the application handles sensitive data, traditional development can provide a higher level of security.
- Customization at the source code level: if deep customization and extension of application functionality is required, traditional development provides more flexibility.
It is important to remember that Low-Code/No-Code tools are not a replacement for traditional development, but rather a complement to it. The choice of technology depends on the requirements of a particular project, budget and available resources.
