You don’t have to code to build apps on low-code platforms, right?

As the CTO of a Low-code vendor, I have seen a rise in social posts about the benefits of No-code platforms vs Low-code ones. Claims that you have to be a developer to be able to build and deploy apps on a Low-code platform. But that’s simply not true.

It goes without saying that a number of these claims originate from, you guessed it, no-code platform vendors. Of course they do. It’s a sales pitch to CIO’s with too much to do and not enough resource to do it.

This blog sets out to give you a different perspective on low-code, to help you make a considered platform choice for your business.

Looking to find out more about low-code visit What is low-code?

What makes low-code different from no-code?
Low-code platforms approach the task of developing an app in the same way. We move you from a coding IDE to a browser with a set of simple drag and drop tools. With appropriate training anyone can use those drag and drop tools. You’ll never see an if statement, break point or return function!

Solutions are built on our Liberty Create platform every day without any code being written. Our customer stories page will tell you more. We have the notion of Studio’s within our software; the Build Studio and Code Studio. Plus new and unique to the market, the Test Studio. These studios create a nice line of demarcation between those that can code and those that can’t. If you need to code then that’s done within Code Studio and the new option becomes available for your non-coders in the Build Studio.

When would you need to code? 
We’ve approached coding on our platform as a way you can extend the capabilities of the Build Studio. There’s no getting away from it. It is inevitable that there are some areas that will need coding – integration, user interface and reporting – see John Rymer, Vice President, Principal Analyst at Forrester’s video on Never Say Or Write The Phrase “Low-Code/No-Code” Again — Here’s Why. And having the flexibility to do this is key.  

To put it into context, you’re importing some data and you want to transpose it in some way before storing it in the platform. You can select from the data processors listed in the Build Studio without coding. But let’s say your data comes in a format that the platform doesn’t understand, what do you do?

In Liberty Create you can drop into the Code Studio and create a plugin that reads the data in, transposes it and output it as needed. Once saved it appears in the dropdown that a non-coder can select, no need to worry about the code behind it, other than select it and it does what is required.

The ‘No’ in No-code stands for no way to extend the platform. And that’s a limitation you need to consider when selecting your platform of choice.

So, who makes the best low-code developers?

We’re often asked who makes the best low-code developers / configurators. The simple answer is anyone. Anyone who’s comfortable using a browser and the internet. If you’ve been through formal education in the last 10 years then your school / college will have covered the basics in IT, Business Studies, even English classes. How much course work gets submitted in written English these days?

The best chance of success in digital transformation is when you unite your innovators – both business users and IT – on one system to improve processes and build better customer experiences. Read more about customer experience strategy here.