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The future of app development is two words: low code
The future of app development is two words: low code

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It’s a revolution. (Bloodless and welcomed at that). Who can recall the early days of computing when we used to function solely on the basis of the MS-DOS command prompt? 

When the mouse didn’t even exist. When computers were the size of soda machines. Then came that magical thing — graphical user interfaces.

Commonly referred to as GUIs (guys), these took the computing world by storm. The rapid boom in digitization that followed these was absolutely astounding and unprecedented.

The only major change that a GUI effectively brought about was that it made the experience of interacting with a computer more visual in nature.

Computers weren’t very popular earlier because the only way to communicate with those funny little boxes was through the keyboard, using mile-long commands.

Then GUIs changed everything to the point and click approach. Before them, only people with industry knowledge had the skills to use a computer.

After GUIs, anyone with a primary school education could do almost the same amount of things. GUIs made computers fun.

Well, surprise, surprise - history is repeating itself.  Up until now, the only people who could design and maintain applications were programmers with hefty degrees.

These represent the keyboard input method. Low code platforms are the modern-day GUIs — they are bringing a more visual, fun approach to designing apps.

The way a low code platform work is by providing templates to the user, which the user can then utilize to build his/her application.

Think of it like being an artist, without a lot of time on your hands. You have been asked to make a painting, and as always, the client needs it pronto.

Using the traditional methods, you would first make a sketch and then fill in the paint right? Well, low code platforms provide you with a ready-made sketch.

Now all you’ve got to do is color within the lines — something even non - artists can do. And that is low code platforms in a nutshell.

You get templates of app pieces which you can then “color in”, even if you’re not an “artist” per se.

Everyone likes lists, therefore we have compiled a list of reasons why low code app development platforms are the future. 

  1. They Speed Up The Development Process.

Yes, like, a lot. Consider this scenario: You have been hired by a big e-commerce business to build an app for them.

Normally, you would need a large team of IT professionals, each specializing in various aspects of coding such as front-end, CSS, AI, Machine Learning, etc. 

These professionals don’t have very good communication skills, but they are fantastic at their jobs. In any team this large, there are bound to be delays, hiccups, and other issues that slow down the process of developing your app.

These people effectively act as middlemen between you and your goal (the app). Also, like all middlemen, they charge their commission. 

Suppose you needed to hire 5 programmers to help out with a particular section of your app. You’d have to pay them each about $5000.

Whereas if you could find a low code development platform with a template of that same section, you could literally fractionalize the cost of making your app.

Not only that, but you would also slash the time it would take for those programmers to write you a bespoke piece of code, meaning that the overall time it takes you to build the app would also be reduced.

So, if normal apps work with a budget of $250,000, you could potentially finish your app off within $50,000 using low-code platforms.

Sure, with low code platforms you make less money overall from companies, but when you consider that most of it is yours to keep unlike with the traditional model, you will realize that you have actually made a larger profit in the long run.

 

Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/23/14/45/coding-1853305_1280.jpg

  1. Fewer Bugs and Glitches.

This logic is super easy to follow: shorter road, fewer accidents.

If the overall amount of coding is lesser than the old way of doing things, there are likely to be fewer bugs than the old model too.

The shortest path is to go straight, as they say. The longer the code, the more scope there is for hidden bugs to creep in; and this is where low code platforms come in (performing the role of bug repellants). 

Using low code platforms, you are using pre-built templates to construct your app. 

The plus side of this is that there are other people using the same template for different things — meaning that any bugs will be spotted far quicker than, say, the bug testing phase of modern app development.

Such is the power of low code platforms that they actually make a difference on your return on investments (ROIs).

 

Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/05/29/13/20/development-5235091_1280.jpg

  1. Access and Inclusivity Are Increased, Thereby Lowering costs.

This may seem trivial to single users, but strength lies in numbers. When measured in terms of individuals, one would hardly notice the change, especially on high-end devices.

Lesser code means faster parsing times, resulting in overall faster performance. The lesser code you use to make your app, the faster it’ll run because it won’t have to verify and cross verify too many statements before outputting a result.

This translates to the fact that people in rural areas or the global south and third world countries need to use less bandwidth to download and run the application.

It also means that you do not require a dedicated IT team whose only job is to comb through the millions of lines of code that make up your app looking for bugs. 

All you’ve got to do is monitor the forums of your platform and when a bug is found, you’ll know immediately.

This works both ways: if YOU find a bug, let the community know! In many ways, low code development platforms have taken quite a few leaves from the book that makes up the sharing economy.

Those are the three main points on why low code or no code app development platforms are disrupting the industry, but here is another somewhat unrelated nugget as to why these are so popular and useful for app developers.

Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/03/23/09/34/artificial-intelligence-2167835_1280.jpg

Artificial Intelligence.

The nifty thing about this section of the IT industry is its automation. Computers never tire of doing mundane tasks even when on extreme repeat mode.

This is because they do not allow their attention to wander like humans are liable to do.

 I feel that the time is just around the corner when AI will become a standard part of low code app development.

The markets are tipping the scales in favor of these low cost app development platforms, so do not let the boat leave without you on it. 

 


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Techie by heart, marketer by profession, Akhilesh has more than a decade experience in elevating different SaaS and technology services companies.

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