The No Code or Low Code movement is a digital philosophy that allows anyone to create applications and programs without needing to know how to code. This is known as “programming without code” or “visual programming.” In other words, it’s a development approach that eliminates the need for coding languages, making creation a simpler and more intuitive process. No Code and Low Code technologies are becoming increasingly important within the field of artificial intelligence, a trend that will enable more people to use and understand AI.
Low Code
The No Code movement is a digital philosophy with the goal of enabling anyone to create apps and software without needing to know how to program.
For nearly two decades, platforms like WordPress have allowed anyone to start a blog or create a website without any programming knowledge. These open-source tools paved the way for making web design more accessible to the average user. In a society with an ever-increasing digital activity and greater dependence on mobile applications, Low Code represents a significant and irreversible step forward in this regard. Low Code development and No Code programming address the need for many citizens, entrepreneurs, and employees to autonomously place their content in various environments without requiring a significant investment of time and money.
What is Low Code?
The concept of Low Code was coined around 2014 by the market research agency Forrester Research in a report on new application development platforms geared toward users. The rise of No Code development was driven by the gradual simplification of technological tools, the growing demand for cheaper web solutions, and the limited supply of qualified programmers with specific digital skills.
Low Code allows users to create, develop, and maintain applications on a variety of devices and digital media in the most efficient way possible: automatically. Most of these No Code tools are online platforms, meaning there’s no need to install any programs on your devices to use them—simply access them through a web browser. Additionally, Low Code allows for constant updates to the application, ensuring it meets the changing demands of consumers.
These tools typically feature highly visual and intuitive interfaces. They are based on a modular principle, where entire structures can be dragged and dropped with the mouse—a technique known as “drag and drop”—and come with pre-built components in the form of templates. This simplifies the construction of information flows, the presentation of data in an appealing way, or the automation of actions.
Advantages and Benefits of Low Code
While traditional computing is and will continue to be essential for global digital transformation and economic and social progress, the gradual access to development for non-specialized users through Low Code offers countless advantages and benefits. Despite offering limited levels of customization and flexibility, these tools democratize computing and have an additional positive aspect: bringing Artificial Intelligence closer to more people.
- Agility:
Low/No Code tools significantly reduce the time needed to bring small and medium-sized web products to market. By saving the entire code development phase, platforms like Shopify can save entire days of work and develop an e-commerce site in less than a week. Similarly, maintenance and application update times are also reduced. - Autonomy:
A key benefit of using these platforms is that users don’t require an IT expert or programmer to produce a quality product. Low Code includes predefined and standardized functionalities and models that previously required the intervention of development personnel, granting autonomy to the user and freeing up developers to focus on other tasks, such as enhancing software or designing new web solutions. - Cost Savings:
Because users are independent of web development experts, working with Low Code and No Code tools entails minimal initial investment in configuration, training, and implementation. Different pricing plans are available for these online platforms depending on the client’s needs and the volume of data and information required. However, many offer a free trial period or even a basic free plan. - Collaboration:
The accessibility of Low Code platforms for employees in any department of a company facilitates their participation in the creation of a web application that meets everyone’s needs. These tools, therefore, lead to substantial improvements in collaboration, agility, and team productivity, ideally always guided or supported by traditional programming professionals.
Differences Between Traditional Programming vs. Low Code
SEE INFOGRAPHIC: Differences Between Traditional Programming vs. Low Code [PDF]
Differences Between Low Code and No Code
Low Code and No Code platforms share a common philosophy: reducing custom code to make programming more accessible. However, depending on the option chosen, the level of customization, complexity, and autonomy in developing an application varies.
- No Code:
These platforms are designed for users who have no programming knowledge, so they require no coding at all. They are useful for creating applications with a short lifespan, in simple business cases, or for manual processes that don’t require connections to third-party systems, among other uses. - Low Code:
These platforms contain low levels of code, allowing for some customization of functionalities, models, and preconfigured templates with basic manual programming knowledge. They are used to generate applications with a longer lifecycle, solutions that need to integrate with more complex corporate systems, or the creation of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), for example.
The Most Well-Known Low Code Platforms
We highlight five Low Code platforms that can facilitate the digital transformation of any organization by offering a DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to coding-free solutions and web applications.
- WordPress:
Launched in 2003, WordPress is a content management system that gained popularity for creating blogs and later became one of the main tools for creating commercial websites. According to Simplifier, one in three websites is currently managed through WordPress. - Honeycode:
Amazon launched its Low Code platform in 2020, allowing users to design and build applications for up to 20 users for free by assembling various types of modules. - Appsheet:
Google provides this No Code platform for application software development, enabling users to create mobile, tablet, and web applications using data sources like Google Drive, DropBox, Office 365, and other cloud-based platforms. - PowerApps:
Microsoft has created a development environment to quickly create business applications tailored to the needs of each organization. With Power Apps, applications can be created that connect to business data stored on the underlying data platform (Microsoft Dataverse) or various local and online data sources. - Figma:
In 2015, this start-up aimed to launch the first design tool that combined the accessibility of the web with the functionality of a native application. A free tool for anyone to start and foster collaborative work.