Nowadays, we’re witnessing an unprecedented level of growing digitalization in many industries worldwide. One of the technological drivers that revamps business activities is the low-code approach in software development. As of 2022, the expansion of low-code/no-code tools is a major trend that allows citizen developers to create apps, launch startups, and solve problems at many operational levels.

What’s it all about

Low-code tools came as a real game changer for businesses of all sizes. Its benefits stand on three pillars: speed, convenience, and saving costs. Let’s dissect each of them. 

1. Guess what: projects that used to take two or three years to kick off can be completed in months or even weeks. For instance, businesses can quickly develop an MVP (minimum viable product) at a modest price, launch it on the market, gather user feedback and develop a full-fledged product in the future.

2. Secondly, low-code platforms change the paradigm that software development is expensive. In fact, it’s expensive if you employ software engineers, sure. However, you can start with lesser budgets if you are ready to work with low-code tools. 

3. Finally, the low-code approach is quite often the only option available to startups and small businesses. Well, you have to start with something, considering the growing demand for new applications, especially Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).

No wonder Gartner's research claims that spending on low-code development technologies will grow to an astonishing $30 billion in 2023.

As of 2023, the need for low-code interfaces is bigger than ever before. But why? 

Factors

Let’s see what factors contribute to the current state of things. 

Downturn

In regard to the current downturn in the economy, businesses (especially startups) should react fast. Any slowness (i.e, recklessness) will be really costly for companies that can't adapt to the current economic situation. Low code allows people to do projects fast and with little expense. 

Saving costs

In the scenario above, cost optimization is possible owing to the use of low-code/no-code solutions that help non-techies (or so-called citizen developers) meet their business needs. Today, such tools may be integrated way deeper into company processes and, accordingly, save more and more.

Upskilling

Another essential factor to mention is upskilling and professional development of the workforce. Modern workers are looking for more opportunities to gain experience working with low-code or no-code platforms. About 80% of users of low-code platforms report that they would be more wanting to work for a business that invests in their technical upskilling.

Busting the myth 

Now let’s touch upon the main idea. Well, it’s easy: people shouldn’t perceive both no-code and low-code platforms as purely software engineer's tools. Instead, a low-code builder is rather a tool for a doer of any nature, a person with ideas to implement. 

However, it’s not that easy. Don’t get me wrong: you still need to have some basic skills and understanding. Don’t believe the hype either: an average Joe from the accountant department won’t create an internal accounting tool from scratch any time soon. At least, it won't happen overnight, as the ads may suggest. 

Despite this, low-code platforms are tools targeted at non-techies who can create internal tools that solve their particular problem. I mean, the major factor is having an idea, and only the second is coding skills per se. It’s especially important in today’s circumstances when venture capitalists are more careful when planning to invest. 

The rules of today’s game

In the current scenario, the optimization of costs is possible owing to the greater use of low-code/no-code solutions that allow saving resources while still fulfilling development needs.

Three years ago, Gartner predicted that 80% of programming tasks would be delivered with little coding by 2024. Considering the points above, it’s a no-brainer to claim that this figure may grow way bigger. This economy may lead to changing the software development paradigm, especially for startups.  

With low-code/no-code builders, startup founders depend in lesser measure on programmers when developing their prototypes. The global startup scene is changing as more startups adopt low-code platforms to survive the storm. I guess hybrid teams will become commonplace in the industry.

Summing it all up

Sure, technical restrictions exist. Any low-code platform isn't a silver bullet. But the thing is, they don't have to be so. No-code and low-code tools are the first steps toward a completed project. In other words, you create a working prototype and then contact developers with something like: "Hey! We've got a prototype, but we need to do better."

So, I think low-code tools are tools for doers and people with ideas, and that's cool. Their first and foremost purpose is to unlock creative potential. But again: low coding requires a basic understanding of software development concepts, and its mastering can't happen overnight. Summing it all up: while low-code tools come with cost-savings, time-to-market improvements, and error reduction, one still needs some technical skills to scale the apps, integrate them with other platforms, and provide maintenance.

One way or another, it seems like low-code platforms have already changed the software development paradigm for good. By allowing anyone to build software, these tools have made a big difference in the IT world.

Low-code platforms for you

With that being said, what about getting familiar with some of the options in the market? Take a closer look at this list of platforms: 

• Retool
• Budibase 
• Appsmith

Powered by such low-code platforms, thousands of doers have a chance to implement their ideas with little coding while developers can spend more time on non-trivial tasks. 

Low-code experts

Ideas rule the world, sometimes even bad ones. Jokes aside, more often than not, you need a technological partner to fulfill your ideas in full measure.

What about partnering with low code/no code development experts? With more than 8+ years of low-code development experience, we help companies develop robust applications that cater to specific business needs. Our seasoned consultant team provides advice on low-code platforms for companies willing to innovate. Besides, we’ll help you implement an elaborated low-code strategy from day one.

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