Low code is a platform that allows you to build applications even without any skills in programming. It uses graphical user interfaces, drag-and-drop modules, and other relevant, user-friendly structures for seamless application development.
We have written this page about low code as a review of the low code application development. Low-code application development comes in to condense the application development time and reduce the need for IT skills. Let’s look at some of the key elements of this new app-building technology.
Features of low-code development
Some of the key features of low-code application development include;
- Visual modeling
- Drag-and-drop design and development
- User management and team roles
- Integration with third-party apps
- Built-in workflow
- Reporting and monitoring
- Security
Table of Contents
How Does Low-Code Drive Application Development?
DevOps
Generally, there are two forms of app creation –
- Development, and
- Operations.
Development is the process of building applications. On the other hand, operations include hosting, analysis, recovery, backup, integration, testing, and many more.
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Low code simplifies operation in the following ways;
- Development: It simplifies and makes easier the development process through drag and drops actions. Also, it ensures that the connected code is not negatively impacted.
- Analytics: Low-code integrates analytics as a feedback mechanism.
- Management: The app development process does not end at the development stage. Developers need to track features, handle changes, perform continuous integration and version upgrades.
Rapid Development
The low code app development process is optimized and offers more rapid app building. The world markets are such dynamics with ever-changing business requirements. The growing need keeps innovation rolling and the app development process getting simpler and more rapid.
Besides, low code uses pre-built templates making the process easier. Some of the time-saving features that make low-code faster include:
- Drag and Drop feature: Reduces app-building time by using pre-built UI features, business model, and logic.
- One-click: Low-code supports the development of single-click apps with capabilities to track changes and seamlessly handle database scripts together with deployment processes.
- Third-party: Low code integrates with third-party websites, making it easier to implement APIs and other components.
Automation
Automation features help in building more intuitive ways of engagement and improve user interactions. These integration features can only be empowered by low-code platforms making it the best alternative to traditional hand-coding. Therefore, business users can easily monitor front-end processes while reducing the need to engage IT, experts.
Flexibility
Currently, everybody requires data. These data are, however, accessed from multiple sources and equally stored in multiple places. Applications should be n a position to handle organization data without hick-ups. However, a low code platform supports the building of more flexible software that can be easily scaled for the level of the task required.
Expands Software Delivery Capacity
For a long time, tech experts have been forced to monitor and solve every issue in app development. This has, however, been a problem of manual coding. Low-code can self-manage the platforms. Besides, it can induce guardrails to expand the capacity of software delivery.
Apps With Broad User-Base
As a software development platform to build modern applications rapidly, Low-code does not restrict users to cloud coding. Users can therefore return to traditional coding whenever they desire to. This combination of coding and digital programming means that users are more flexible to use platforms that give them better results.
See More: 6 Features to Consider for Your Next Mobile App
Drivers Of Low-Code Adoption
The following aspects drive the adoption of low-code.
Visual Workflow Management And Planning
Low-code platforms make it easier for citizen developers to plan and manage workflows. With the workflow management features, both developers and business professionals find it a good place to work together and execute projects.
Mobile Friendly
Modern businesses and work happen more remotely than before. Businesses and organizations, therefore, want to build workflows that can enjoy presence beyond office spaces. Low code app development supports the delivery of mobile-friendly applications with intuitive UIs.
The apps are designed for seamless, high-quality visual displays on mobile UIs. Besides, low-code has recorded the highest adoption since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Eliminates The Skill Gap In IT
It makes business persons forget the long dialogs between business teams and IT professionals, the long hand-coding process, and the high costs of appointing tech experts.
How To Create Apps Using Low-Code
Using graphical UIs with point-and-click features to build apps makes it much easier for users with little or no coding knowledge to develop apps using visual code technology. Here are the steps:
Define The Needs Of Your business before you can begin to build low-code apps, you need to understand your needs. Also, it is vital to establish the kind of big data that your institution will most likely need. Besides, you should establish the kinds of big data that will not be essential. By defining your needs, you keep the application focused on your key requirements without bogging it with unnecessary data.
- Use Artificial Intelligence To Scrap Unnecessary Data
They were stuffing an application with the wrong data set bogs down even the best applications. Data scientists, therefore, use artificial intelligence to eliminate big unnecessary data through data filter tools.
- Develop Key APIs
Application Programming Interfaces are similar to small businesses. They need to be designed, produced, marketed, sold and delivered just like any other product. Besides, follow-up is needed to ensure they meet user needs.
Low-code features come with APIs. IT teams analyze systems to be assessed by the intended low-code app. The team then finds out if some APIs are missing and codes the missing ones. Successful APIs deliver high value for businesses, such as improved workflow and increased revenue.
- Define The Vision
Once you select the right business strategies, API strategy should follow them based on how best each one of them fits. Ensure every team member understands the benefits of APIs in improving business efficiency.
- Collaborate With A Sponsor
Promoting APIs to the organization requires the presence of the business owner. Besides, they have more to lose or gain with the API, so sponsors ensure product managers have all the attention and resources needed to deliver the project.
- Establish Developer Guidelines
API ecosystems need to be flexible, agile, and easy to manage. Therefore, there is a need for control, improved innovation, and enhanced methodology guidelines for coding, testing, improving security, deployment, and management of the APIs.
- Engage With Developers
Engaging with developers creates a conducive ecosystem for driving the improvement and usage of API. Engagement can be done through newsletter push campaigns, a portal, or even email.
- Determine Whether To Monetize Or Not
You may need to monetize your API to generate revenue. This will be more reasonable if your APIs offer services or provide data to your partners that help them transact with customers.
- Deploy The Right IT Infrastructure
Generally, API is the frontal side that developers and users see. As a result, the back-end, which is the IT infrastructure, may be easily neglected. It should, however, be sufficiently scaled to suit every workload as it helps to create the right infrastructure, especially for scaling when workload goes high.
- Technology Roadmap
Developing a technology roadmap is important as it helps you keep the internal team well trained on emerging API skills. This makes it easier to implement forecasted improvements.
- Promote APIs
It is now easier to make APIs available to developers by listing them on app stores or marketplaces. Also, you can engage a technical evangelist with strong communication, good social media and blogging skills, and one who actively participates in developer forums.
- Identify Key Metrics
Some of the key metrics to look out for include the speed of call requests, number of developers utilizing the APIs, number of calls, and revenue generation where applicable.
- Convert Unstructured Data
Converting data saves employees time and the struggle to understand complex documents while navigating the several hand-written forms. At this step, IT teams select data from unstructured chunks, format them and structure them properly.
- Normalize And Move Data With ETL Tool Into Other Systems
Once you have structured big data, make sure it matches other data records in the other systems that you will need to access. This can be done automatically using ETL (Extract-transform-load) tool. ETL is usually informed by business rules defined by IT.
- Test And Refine
Once the steps are followed carefully, the last step is to test and see if the app can pick up the right data, process it correctly, and relay expected results. The process of converting big data generally consumes more time. However, the business value it generates is more important as reuse time can be much longer with greater business efficiency.
Why Low-Code Platform Is Important
After all the discussion and review of new code development, it is important to mention some reasons making low-code a good platform for app development. Let’s look at the four main reasons.
Eliminates The Skill Gap In IT
Traditional app development required heavy IT skills. However, low-code application development presents a platform with in-built tools that enable app development by any user. Citizen developers, therefore, have the opportunity to develop a fully functional application that is much easier to customize to suit the image of a particular brand. It, therefore, eliminates the IT skills gap and even lowers the cost of application development.
Integration With Other Apps
This is a key feature all businesses need, especially with the ever-changing technologies. By making it easier for the business to link with existing applications, low-code platforms define object models and auto-generate multi-device UIs.
Also,low-code allow corporates to integrate with apps such as email and calendar. This functionality integrates with exchange accounts so that events that are created on the calendar can also reflect on the exchange calendar, making business communications much easier.
Also, You Can Read How to Create Great Zapier Integrations in MemberPress
Mobile Friendly
Entrepreneurs desire to build businesses that can enjoy presence within and beyond the office. This way, responding to customer queries from ever-present clientele is made easier and works to the advantage of entrepreneurs worried about high-end competition.
Therefore, apps are designed for seamless, high-quality visual displays on mobile UIs, and low code makes them more responsive.
Visual Workflow Management And Planning
As a visual platform, low-code makes it easier for citizen developers to plan and manage workflow in line with the application. As opposed to traditional coding, low code platforms need no coding skills making. This makes it a platform where both developers and business professionals can plan and execute projects.
Author’s Bio
The author is a seasoned writer who spends more time researching the IT niche. He is an IT graduate and very passionate about internet marketing. Besides, he runs a blog on the best marketing tools of the 21st century.
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