Low-Code Development: Democratizing Software Development
A recent trend that seems to be bridging the gap between business and technology is low code development. Low code development is a visual approach to software development that enables a user to create and customize software applications with little knowledge of coding. These platforms offer users drag-and-drop features with pre-built components to build and configure different applications. If a developer is trying to develop a form to collect customer feedback on the website, they won’t have to build the form from scratch. Instead, they can drag and drop elements from the platform’s toolbox. Different elements can be arranged and actions can be connected (‘save’ & ‘submit’ the form) through this drag-and-drop feature. According to Gartner, the global market for low-code development technologies is expected to increase by 22.6%, reaching USD 13.8 billion, in 2021. Then, by 2023, they anticipate that over 50% of medium to large companies will adopt a low code application platform.
Low Code Development: What It Means
As opposed to traditional programming, which requires hours of hard coding and knowledge of multiple programming languages, low code development involves less dependency on programming. It is opposed to no code in the sense that low code still requires some degree of knowledge of programming language. While this might be a little bit more complicated than no code development, it allows more room for customization.
Low code development can be defined as a visual approach to development. This allows a user to build/customize software applications using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) where users can use drag and drop features to combine different components and third party Application Program Interfaces (APIs). It’s very much like the process of drafting a flowchart for a process, with minimal knowledge of relevant programming languages, users can drag-and-drop to create and customize different applications.
Low code principally focuses on solving some of tech’s most crucial problems like digitizing workflows, enhancing the experience of both the customers and employees and increasing the efficiency of the business process (Forbes).The primary target users are largely ‘citizen developers’, business professionals with little coding experience, for example business analysts and project managers. Businesses mostly use low code platforms for information management, taking ownership of workflow management and business process management (BPM) worksheets. Numerous companies around the world are using their own low code development platforms for internal business usage such as: Power Platform from Microsoft, Apex by Oracle, and Flow by Salesforce.
Benefits of Low Code Development
Low code development comes with many benefits. Other than making it much easier to develop a software application, low code development results in:
- Increase in Productivity and Efficiency: Traditionally, developers have to hard code most components of a software which takes up ample time. With low code, it brings down the time required to develop or configure a new application. What would have taken days, now can be achieved in hours. This eventually results in increased productivity and higher efficiency.
- More Agility: By making it easier to build and update applications, businesses can be more agile and responsive to change. Low-code platforms free up IT resources to focus on other strategic initiatives. An organization can quickly build the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and incorporate feedback and modify it gradually.
- Smoother Workflow: Some low code platforms used for internal use in organizations, like Corteza, Flow, Apex allow the users to create workflows and automate them. Different tasks and projects can be assigned to people and automated updates are sent depending on the work status to respective stakeholders. This feature makes the whole workflow of the organization smoother and much more efficient.
- Reduction in Cost: Low code development platforms directly contribute to cost reduction in business. Hiring highly skilled developers can be expensive. As it to some degree reduces the need for highly skilled developers, it can curtail some expenditure on that front.
Challenges of Low Code Development
Like everything new in the tech world, low code development also comes with its challenges. Since it is a comparatively new phenomenon, there are some challenges that some users might face.
- Lack of Flexibility and Customizability: Some low code platforms can be limiting in terms of the types of applications that can be built. They may not be able to accommodate complex requirements or customizations. For example, some platforms often provide pre-built templates and components that can be easily assembled to create applications. It may restrict the level of customization that developers can achieve. Customizing certain elements beyond the platform’s capabilities may require manual coding or even switching to a traditional development approach.
- Vendor Lock-in: If somebody chooses a low code platform, they may be locked into using that platform in the future. Some platforms tie developers to a specific vendor’s ecosystem. Once an application is built using a particular low-code platform, it might be challenging to switch to a different platform or integrate external components not supported by the vendor, leading to a lack of flexibility in choosing technology stacks.
- Lack of Control: Some low code platforms can give less control over the final application. More often than not, this comes in terms of design and layout of the interfaces. A user can use the drag-and-drop feature to arrange different UI elements like buttons, texts and images. But when there is a need to build a highly customized template, some platforms might not be able to allow that.
Despite these challenges, low code development platforms can be a valuable tool for businesses that need to build applications quickly and easily. However, it is important to be aware of the challenges before one chooses a low code platform.
Future of Low Code Development
Low-code development is a rapidly growing field, and there are a number of trends that are expected to shape the future of this technology. Here are a few of the most notable trends:
- Increased Adoption by Large Enterprises: Large enterprises are rapidly adopting this trends, as shown by in-house low code development platforms by firms like Oracle, Microsoft. This will result in smoother workflow and increased productivity in the firms.
- Integration with AI and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning are being integrated with low-code platforms to automate more tasks and improve the quality of applications. AI can assist in automatically generating code snippets or even entire modules based on high-level specifications or natural language descriptions. This feature, known as “AI-assisted development,” allows developers to quickly build complex functionalities by simply describing the desired behavior, reducing the need for manual coding.
- Expansion to Complex Applications: As these platforms are becoming more and more versatile, they are being used to build comparatively complex applications. Low code platforms can be used to build ERP systems that integrate various business processes like finance, human capital, workflow management. These platforms are employed to develop sophisticated CRM applications that streamline sales, marketing, and customer service processes. CRM applications often require extensive data integration, workflow automation, and customizable user interfaces, all of which can be achieved efficiently using low-code development.
- Increased Collaboration and Integration: Through its visual interface that allows developers, managers and other stakeholders to collaborate, these platforms provide more room for collaboration and integration within an organization.
These are just a few of the trends that are expected to shape the future of low-code development. As this technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative and powerful applications being developed.
SELISE: Transforming Business with Low Code Development
SELISE has partnered with a leading platform to create an innovative collaboration to transform the software development landscape.This collaboration can provide customers with customized low-code solutions to help them streamline workflow management, enhance information management, and offer additional functionalities. With better efficiency and automated processes, businesses can achieve significant cost reductions and increased productivity. Organizations can swiftly deploy and customize applications to meet their specific needs, resulting in highly effective software development with minimal effort. Through this formidable partnership, SELISE and its collaborator empower businesses to achieve exceptional outcomes while optimizing their resources.
Using this collaboration, SELISE can provide multiple benefits to its customers in their operations by leveraging low code development solution:
An information management system relies on CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations to handle data effectively. With the assistance of a low code platform, performing these actions becomes remarkably quick and efficient.
A low code platform offers the ability to create data visualization charts that are highly customizable. This feature enhances collaboration among users from different functions of an organization and allows them to identify crucial insights and process inefficiencies from complex datasets.
Additionally, migrating old data from various systems becomes a seamless process with low code, significantly reducing the time required for data import. To further streamline project tasks, workflow builders come into play. These builders enable the automation of different tasks, including the use of conditional fields and formulas, making project management in an organization more automated and efficient.
SELISE’s team of expert developers excels in leveraging the power of low code to accelerate application development while ensuring user-friendliness for a diverse range of users. Our skilled developers make use of a wide array of essential features, including a visual integrated development environment (IDE), pre-built data connectors, APIs, and code templates. These tools empower us to create highly functional low code applications tailored to our client’s specific needs. With the comprehensive set of low-code tools at their disposal, the entire DevOps process can be streamlined, reducing development time and effort.. This efficiency allows our clients to devote more time to innovation and creative problem-solving. As the software development landscape continues to evolve, the significance of low code grows. At SELISE, we provide support to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to harness the benefits of low code and achieve their goals efficiently and effectively.
Boosting Business with Low Code Development
In conclusion, low-code development platforms have emerged as a game-changer in the software development industry. The trends showcased here reveal a rapidly growing market with immense potential for innovation and disruption. The numerous benefits of low-code, from accelerated development to cost savings and enhanced collaboration, have proven their worth in empowering businesses. Fortune Business Insights predict that the worldwide low code platform will grow at a CAGR of 32%, taking it from a $14 billion dollar industry in 2021 to a $98 billion dollar industry by 2028 (Forbes). However, it is crucial to acknowledge the challenges, like security concerns and vendor lock-in, that require diligent consideration during implementation. As technology evolves, low-code development will undoubtedly continue to evolve, revolutionizing the way we build and deploy applications, and becoming an indispensable tool for businesses seeking rapid digital transformation.
To harness this power of low code and drive your business forward, SELISE is here to assist you. Our commitment to providing the best technological solutions has led us to embrace low-code development as an integral part of our services. We specialize in empowering businesses to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and achieve rapid digital transformation through tailored low-code solutions. Contact SELISE today to learn more about how our expertise in low code can propel your business to new heights.