Become more flexible and competitive with low-code no-code software

In the previous episode of the Citizen Development Now newsletter I discussed 5 myths about citizen development, the real benefits for your company, and the best way to manage citizen development. This week I will discuss:

1. Who can use no-code low-code platforms (NCLC),?
2. What kind of applications you can build with NCLC,
3. And how you can become more competitive with NCLC.?

Who can use no-code low-code platforms?

Using a NCLC platform is as easy as building with blocks. This means that almost anyone can use it, without having any coding experience at all.This is why NCLC platforms are becoming so popular in businesses today. NCLC platforms offer problem-solving capabilities to non-IT professionals, allowing them to quickly create apps (both web and mobile) that provide value for their business. This lowers the barrier to entry, time to deployment, and cost. Simply because there is no need for expensive expert developers, who don’t always understand the problem of the business.

NCLC software can be integrated into all types of organizations. From the biggest enterprises to small businesses, and even individual professionals. NCLC applications easily integrate with other applications used in your company (like Slack, Twitter, or Ideal). This also speeds up development as well as possibilities.

Citizen developers

Citizen Developers are the answer to today’s explosive demand for the software and developer shortage. Organizations need to find more developers and that’s where the word ‘citizen’ comes in. ‘Citizen Developer’ simply means someone who is not an experienced professional in the discipline in question – in this case, application development. So, citizen development not only expands your pool of developers, it also brings other insights and expertise into the software development process.

According to Gartner “A citizen developer is an employee who creates application capabilities for consumption by themselves or others, using tools that are not actively forbidden by IT or business units. A citizen developer is a persona, not a title or targeted role. They report to a business unit or function other than IT.”

What can you build with no-code low-code platforms?

In short, anything can be built with no-code low-code. There are 3 types of applications that cover most of an organization's needs:

1. Back-office applications

Back-office applications are the driving force that makes all your processes and services run smoothly and successfully. The reason why organizations are using back-office applications is to streamline processes, drive innovation, increase revenue, and cut costs. Here are 10 areas in which organizations are using back-office applications:?

1. Accounting and invoice processing?

2. Compliance?

3. Human Resources?

4. KPI monitoring?

5. Sales forecasting?

6. Business reporting?

7. Workflow management?

8. Inventory?

9. Shipping

10. Marketing

2. Web applications

To interact with your customers it’s very important to have a good and fast working web application . The goal is the same for all kinds of web applications: create the best customer experience possible.?

Here are just a few use cases for web applications that we’re probably all familiar with:?

• Online shopping (products and services)?
• Appointment scheduling?
• Photo and video editing?
• Banking?
• Email?
• Word processing?
• Movie and music streaming

There are two things that are very important when designing a web application: customizability and functionality. Every organization wants to create an online space that represents its brand, service, and product effectiveness.?

3. Mobile applications

According to Statista , mobile accounts for approximately half of the web traffic worldwide. In the fourth quarter of 2021, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 54.4 percent of global website traffic, consistently hovering around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017 before consistently surpassing it in 2020.

Using mobile applications is more popular than ever. But what does that mean for your organization? It’s all about customer expectations. As the use of mobile applications grows, as they become more and more an essential part of our daily lives, we simply come to expect a customer service experience that tallies with what we’re used to.

Increase your organizations' competitiveness with NCLC

WEF states that by 2025, 85 million jobs will be lost to automation. This statistic will surely concern a lot of skilled workers, but on the other hand automation is expected to create close to 100 million tech jobs within the same period, allowing employers to offer opportunities they never thought about. These new tech jobs include NCLC app development for people without highly technical training or strong expertise. Innovative, easy-to-use technology allows citizen developers to fill roles without forcing employers to look elsewhere for talent. This sounds nice, but how is this giving you a competitive advantage?

Unlocking creativity promotes ideas and strategies that optimize a company’s operations and boost productivity. NCLC development possesses these attributes for two reasons:?

1. NCLC allows business users to begin to think about technical solutions to business problems. By giving business users more development power, they can use app development to solve daily problems. NCLC development creates citizen developers in many departments across the industry and allows IT to focus on high-value technical needs for the organization.
2. NCLC takes a lot of the time and effort out of the coding process, speeds up development time, and creates more productivity among employees and their respective departments. This ensures that your experiences, services, and digital products are more engaging than ever before.

Wrapping up

NCLC platforms can boost competitiveness as they have the simplist development environment. These platforms often use a visual-based, drag-and-drop format to help users create both basic and advanced? fully functional apps. These solutions allow people with limited to no coding experience to develop apps for companies that have a growing demand for software. NCLC solutions are the way for organizations to improve productivity and transform the world of business with technology, providing countless job opportunities for interested parties. The fact that everyone can use it and that there are endless possibilities with NCLC gets me very excited every day!

As mentioned in the previous episodes, citizen development is here to stay and the technology is ready for it. I’m so excited to see what the NCLC future will bring us.?

Subscribe and stay tuned for the next newsletter to learn more about citizen development, low-code no-code platforms, and digital transformation.