Everything You Need to Know about Low Code Development

MadeinWeb

Today, businesses need to create software faster than ever before. This has led many companies to adopt low code development processes, which are tailor-made for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Instead of spending weeks or months creating detailed code, low-code solutions let you build applications with just a few clicks. However, the market is flooded with so many different options that it’s not always easy to know what’s the best choice for your business.

Do you need another new tool or should you go for one of the established vendors? What are the main advantages of using low-code development tools? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about this new trend in software development!

What is Low Code Development?

Low code development is a software development approach that does not rely on traditional code. Instead, it uses a visual editor to create software applications.

These applications are generated based on a visual model, which is a simplified version of the process that the application will go through. This simplified model consists of interconnected nodes, which can be connected to create a flowchart-like diagram.

In a low code development environment, the user completes the following steps, which are outlined below:

– Define a use case, which outlines the business requirements of the application and how it will be used.

– Create a visual model that represents the functionalities of the use case, linking the business requirements to the application.

– Generate the application based on the visual model.

– Test and deploy the application to users.

Why is low code development gaining traction?

Let’s start with the basics: What is software development, exactly? In its most general definition, software development is the process that transforms a set of requirements into a software application.

It involves many different stages, such as analyzing your business needs, creating a design, writing code, testing the application, and more. At each stage of the process, there are many decisions to be made. For example, you need to understand what your business requirements are and how to translate them into code.

You then need to decide on the programming language you will use and how to optimize the design for your end users. The problem is that each of these decisions can have a significant impact on the rest of the development process.

This can make it difficult for small businesses to take advantage of software development because it requires significant upfront investments.

3 Tools to Try Out

– Blueprism: Blueprism is a popular low-code development solution that helps you create web and mobile applications. Its powerful visual editor allows you to create applications from scratch, or you can customize existing templates to fit your needs.

– AppFuze: AppFuze is a low code solution for creating cross-platform mobile apps. It’s a drag-and-drop approach that makes it easy to create highly customized applications without any coding.

– Squiz: Squiz is a low code platform that helps you create web applications, and mobile apps and even integrates with your business systems. It comes with prebuilt widgets that you can use to build your application without writing any code.

What to Look for in a Low Code Tool

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to low-code development tools. That’s why it’s important to choose the right one for your business. Here are some things to consider before making your decision:

– Business domain: You need to determine what type of business you are in. This will help you identify the type of functionality you need to support your application. For example, if you are in the healthcare sector, you will most likely need to integrate with HIPAA-compliant systems.

– Target audience: You also need to consider the type of users who will interact with your application. For example, if you are creating an application for students, you will want to make sure the interface is simple and easy to use.

– Existing infrastructure: This is an important consideration because you want to make sure you can integrate your application with the rest of your business systems.

Final words: Is low code the answer for your business?

Low code development is a great way to get your application up and running quickly. However, it also comes with a few caveats. One of them is the lack of governance over your application.

Since you don’t have detailed code to refer to, it can be difficult to make changes or extend the functionality of your application if needed. Another issue is that these tools are not suitable for every business.

If you need a highly customized application that can do almost anything, for example, you will have to start from scratch. In these cases, it’s best to stick with classic development practices and use code-based development tools.

Low code development is an approach to software development that does not rely on code. Instead, it uses a visual editor to create software applications.