In the dynamic landscape of contemporary business, staying ahead of the curve requires a proactive approach to digital innovation. This relies on companies’ agility in adopting and integrating advanced technologies, be it in providing customers with seamless experiences or equipping employees with cutting-edge tools.
In light of that, and to help navigate a growing IT talent shortage, many organizations are increasingly bringing their application creation efforts in-house using low-code tools.
Implementing low-code software development helps companies design automation-enabled apps, business solutions, and workflows quickly and cost-effectively. As IT teams’ responsibilities expand, low-code adoption becomes more attractive for business leaders.
According to Gartner, low-code development will account for over 65% of application development efforts by 2024. However, many are still unaware of what low-code development entails, and what benefits it offers. As a result, they are hesitant to dive in. The truth is, it’s advisable to go low-code now rather than later. In this article, we will explore why.
What Is Low-Code Development?
Low-code development accelerates the process of building applications by reducing the amount of manual coding required. It involves the use of visual interfaces, drag-and-drop components, and pre-built templates to design and develop applications, often with minimal traditional coding.
While professional software developers typically need coding expertise, education, and a strong foundation of technical knowledge, low-code development requires none of the above. This means that employees can build functional applications that augment day-to-day business operations with little experience in the field.
Low-code tools make it possible for businesses to build a workforce of citizen developers. While using these tools require some coding skills, there are other platforms which offer much more accessibility than their low-code counterparts.
These are no-code tools, and true to their name, they don’t require any coding experience at all. According to a No-Code Census report, no-code solutions allow for developing that is four times faster, more affordable, and easier to use than traditional coding systems.
Here are a few of G2’s top-rated no-code development platforms:
- ServiceNow App Engine
- Airtable
- Salesforce Platform
- Glide
- Appy Pie
The Limitations of Low-Code Application Development
Efficiencies gained from low-code development come with a trade-off—applications may lack scalability and full customization to unique business needs. Additionally, there are limitations on the types of applications, tasks, and operations that can be designed.
Take a look at the following example use cases for each feature and its limitations:
Select-and-Report:
With select-and-report functionality, a customer relationship management (CRM) application built with low-code allows a user to select customer records that meet specific criteria. The CRM tool will then generate a report showing their contact information and recent interactions.
However, a select-and-report application built with low-code might feature criteria that either selects nothing or generates invalid data as a result of a programming error. The majority of low-code tools lack mechanisms to enforce testing and release practices among developers, and citizen developers may not always comprehend how to independently apply these disciplines.
Summarize-and-Report:
On a low-code sales analytics application, businesses can summarize monthly sales figures by region, calculate total revenue, and generate a report or dashboard. The relevant information will then be displayed in an intuitive and visually appealing way.
Unfortunately, the performance of low-code applications is typically significantly inferior to that of software developed in a conventional programming language.
This issue becomes particularly pronounced when the low-code application needs to manage a substantial volume of records, is executed regularly over an extended period, or both. Consequently, enterprises utilizing low-code applications in the cloud may encounter unexpectedly high charges due to the compromised performance.
Match-and-Process:
This type of application, built on low-code, leverages matching. For example, supply chain management tools enable users to compare inventory data from different warehouses to identify discrepancies. If a discrepancy is found, the low-code platform can initiate a process to reconcile the inventory levels and update the records accordingly.
However, due to the lack of programming language, this application can have limited capabilities and struggle to process data. Additionally, after surpassing the prototyping phase, the complexity of business logic tends to increase. As a project advances, the necessity for an expert team becomes essential.
Five Benefits of Low-Code Application Development
Having unpacked the uses and limitations of building low-code platforms, let’s explore the most significant benefits that these applications offer your business.
- Flexibility
Today’s business landscape is ever-evolving, and organizations need to be able to pivot quickly. Low-code platforms offer unmatched flexibility that enables companies to respond to changing market conditions and requirements with ease.
From compliance with new regulations to addressing customer feedback, low-code tools help you quickly modify existing applications without the need for extensive recoding. This will empower you to align your technology stack with ever-evolving business objectives.
- Rapid Prototyping
Secondly, adopting a low-code approach enables powerful rapid prototyping. Low-code platforms empower your team to bring brilliant ideas to fruition, allowing you to test and gather feedback, refining business solutions that could potentially transform your company.
Team members can easily and quickly start brainstorming and building simple applications with intuitive drag-and-drop tools.
When it comes to getting approval from business executives, low-code is particularly helpful. A prototype serves as proof-of-concept or a minimum viable product that will help leaders, investors, or potential customers understand the vision and make an informed decision regarding the project’s direction.
Once a functional prototype has been developed and approved, your team can showcase it to the development professionals with a visual representation. Those with the necessary expertise to flesh out the idea can then transform the prototype into a polished final product, ultimately expediting the process of application creation.
- Integration Capabilities
The modern business environment is highly distributed—which means a business’s data and systems can reside in a wide variety of locations. With a vast array of connectors and integrations, you can easily link your low-code applications with existing databases, third-party services, and legacy systems.
The integration capability offered by these platforms is therefore highly beneficial, especially for hybrid or remote workforces that rely on multiple tools to run their operations. It streamlines workflows, reduces data silos, and helps you build a more efficient, hassle-free device ecosystem.
- Greater Accessibility
The democratization of application development is one of the most transformative benefits of low-code/no-code platforms, becoming a core driver for the adoption of these tools.
With these methods, application creation is no longer limited to professional developers, and this opens doors for increased collaboration, innovation, and opportunities for upskilling.
Building an application using low-code gives an individual a basic level of understanding that serves as the foundation for continuous learning in software development. Not only does this enhance career development, it also strengthens their organization’s opportunities for growth.
- Reduced Cyber Risk
Low-code’s visual, model-driven approach significantly reduces coding errors and security vulnerabilities in software development. Its graphical user interface empowers users to construct complex processes with ease, eliminating reliance on intricate logic used in hand-coding—which is more susceptible to mistakes.
Additionally, low-code platforms often include pre-built components and templates that have undergone rigorous testing and adhere to best coding practices. This ensures that your developers are working with reliable building blocks, further minimizing the potential for errors.
In terms of security, low-code platforms frequently come equipped with built-in safety features and compliance checks in the development environment, making it easier for developers to adhere to security protocols and best practices from the outset. Additionally, low-code solutions typically receive regular updates and patches, ensuring that security vulnerabilities are addressed promptly.
Leading low-code application platform (LCAP) vendors include:
- Google AppSheet
- Looker 7
- OutSystems
- Wix Editor X
- Zoho Creator
Conclusion
The rapid rise of low-code development is no coincidence. Its transformative advantages are uniquely positioned to address the challenges of today’s fast-paced business world.
By changing the way that organizations perceive and deploy application development, low-code presents an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to drive innovation and business agility.
Its benefits are clear, and while there are plenty of limitations that should be addressed, a proactive stance to low-code adoption is recommended—as it promises to redefine the future of application development in business.
