Building software or apps can be done in one of two ways. What's the kicker, though? Depending on what you desire and your business needs, both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. You might think that app development is app development. You are correct, but do you know which type is best for you? Businesses are weighing the benefits of no-code/low-code app development vs traditional development in order to expedite digital transformation. App development with low-code and no-code requires little to no coding.
Traditional App Development
From start to finish, traditional development (also known as custom software development) is 100% code. This method of app development needs the use of an experienced programming team. You'll undoubtedly need to know at least one programming language, if not several. Traditional development is also a team effort, with numerous developers working together to translate your concept into thousands of lines of code. Keep in mind that this is a "start from scratch" procedure.
You or your developers will need to get their hands dirty writing lines of code to custom build an application utilizing the standard development approach. Requirements for Traditional app development:
- Need skilled app developers
- Specifications of software requirements
- Need appropriate tech stack (databases, programming languages, etc.)
- Need right software tools for writing and managing code
Of course, you can now buy off-the-shelf code or use open-source libraries and other code pieces to speed up the development of your application. Still, the bottom line with traditional development is that you'll need developers to build code and then shape it into a usable app.
Low-code App Development
Low-code development platforms allow the developers to create applications using a drag-and-drop visual interface. The modules are pre-maid and communicate with one another by default. Is this to say that low-code doesn't require any coding at all? Not at all. At first appearance, it appears that you can develop your entire project without having to perform much manual programming. However, some modifying or fine-tuning may be required, which will require some coding. Even if they don't consider themselves low-code developers, most enterprise developers have used low-code methodologies in various areas of their workflows for a long time.
Low-code/no-code development, which is increasingly being employed in the marketing of a wide range of software products, is causing major disruption in the software business today. Gartner predicts that by 2024, low-code/no-code application platforms will account for about 65% of all app development. This effectively indicates that in 2024, the majority of apps will be generated utilizing platforms and tools that allow for simple (or no-code) programming.
Features of Low-code App Development
Here are some common features where low-code approaches offer the most value:
Integrations: Low-code tools can make integrating an app you've built with external tools or platforms a lot easier.
Simple websites: For a small website with primarily static information, low-code app development is rarely the right solution to hand-write HTML, PHP, and CSS code.
Business analytics: Many ERP and business process management (BPM) solutions include integrated low-code tools, making a low-code approach perfect for building dashboards or reporting tools to assist business analytics.
Business processes: Low-code development is also a good fit for apps that support simple business processes like customer data collecting or vendor contract approvals. Low-code integrations in BPM platforms make it simple to create these apps even for non-programmers.
Advantages of Low-code App Development
Low-code development platform allowing citizen development and reducing time-to-market by up to 10x. It's usually cloud-based, which means that this platform is maintained externally, and that includes all upgrades, security patches, and other issues that your team doesn't have to deal with. Low-code customization requires genuine coding by real developers. Because low-code apps are typically built on a platform, there is often vendor lock-in. If you've gone through the low code explanation above, you're already aware of the advantages. So let’s just sum it up:
- Non-coders will find it rather simple to pick up
- Time to market is shortened with quick development
- It's a lot less expensive than a traditional app development
- It's possible to use it to offload development resources
- Make use of existing resources rather than employing more coders
- You can make a prototype on your own
When to use Low-code App Development?
Drive Agile Transformation: Business users from departments such as HR, Marketing, Operations, and others in most organizations desire to apply ideas to improve their department's performance. Traditional development may not be appropriate in this situation because it is less adaptable to constant change. Low code can be a viable choice in these situations for developing applications that foster agile transformations within a company. It permits modifications to be made fast, and if they don't work, they can be undone just as quickly.
Quick Application Development for Business: Business users are often the ones that initiate innovation within a firm, but they are hampered by their incapacity to put these ideas into action. Traditional development requires heavy coding skills that are exclusively possessed by IT specialists. Low-code platforms enable business users with little or no coding experience to create apps that meet their needs. This leads to quicker app development and deployment, as well as fewer missed opportunities.
Customized App Development: Every company has its own set of requirements that require customized solutions. Traditional development is expensive, time-consuming, and needs a certain skill set. As a result, most companies/organizations do not want to be in this situation. Low-code provides organizations with the tools they need to develop applications. It increases an organization's overall efficiency, morale, and productivity.
Takeaways:
After going over the features of low code and the contexts in which it should be used, it's clear that it's not meant to totally replace traditional development.
Instead, your company should use a minimal code development platform like Microsoft Power Apps to enhance the typical application development that IT currently performs. It has the potential to outperform traditional development in many aspects, allowing for quicker and more effective application development. It cannot, however, totally replace the flexibility of traditional development.
Low code and traditional development should be utilized in tandem to increase IT team productivity, reduce workload, and retain employees by eliminating backlogs. Your business users can benefit from this collaboration as well, gaining authority over the development of their own apps without having to rely on IT.
Recognizing the value of low code for your company and discovering the best opportunities to adopt it can help you gain a competitive edge in a fast-changing industry. It has the potential to alter your company's operations and help you capitalize on growth opportunities fast and effectively.
