Overcoming Digital Friction - The Futurity of Low-Code App Development

A recent study found that 49% of tech leaders believe that when IT and business departments work in separate silos, it results in higher digital friction. This scenario makes developers and IT employees exert redundant efforts in order to test technological advancements.

The advent of low-code platforms is highly beneficial for both business users and developers since it allows them to focus on their area of expertise and reduce friction. Without robust business-IT alignment, CTOs and CIOs have to ask their developers to modify their products numerous times, until they suffice the business needs. Whereas with low-code platforms, IT managers may maintain a close relationship with business leaders and the development associates have better access to end-users' requirements. One of the premises of low-code development is that organizations create an environment of close business-IT collaboration and deliver a product much faster.

Low-Code Platforms for Shaping Digital Transformation

With the implementation of low-code platforms in an enterprise infrastructure, CTOs /CIOs might catalyze transformation change by equipping non-technical users to build applications and solutions without exhaustive coding. They shorten development processes, enabling organizations to innovate quickly and efficiently. These platforms connect the gap between technical and non-technical departments, nurturing collaboration and accelerating project delivery. Overall, low-code app development helps in the democratization and adoption of the digital landscape.

6 Trends that Contribute to Massive Low-Code Adoption

Incorporating AI/ML-Powered Solutions

Any enterprise application that wants to achieve lasting success in the market must certainly be integrated with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It is evident that there is a huge competition happening between Bing and Google to integrate AI and make information searches smarter.

There is a trend towards low-code platforms fortified with advanced technologies such as AI, ML, and the Internet of Things. Such platforms help in several ways by delivering advanced automation and intelligence capabilities. For instance, an AI-infused low-code platform is useful in enhancing the development process by offering intelligent code recommendations/completion, automated testing, and other programming modules that fast-track development and augment the quality of enterprise applications. Similarly, applications with AI/ML capabilities enable tech leaders to optimize workflows, make better decisions, and increase efficiency.

Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms

There may be a trend towards establishing low-code platforms exclusively tailored for specific industries or real-time use cases. These platforms will be personalized to the requirements of a commercial industries industry or use case and may include dedicated features and add-ons related to the workflows or processes.

For instance, we may see the development of low-code platforms explicitly for the healthcare sector, encompassing features such as EHR (Electronic Health Records) integration and HIPAA compliance tools. Likewise, enterprises can expect the development of platforms for building low-coded eCommerce applications, which would offer drag-and-drop templates for payment gateway integration and shopping cart integration. Having access to specialized low-code platforms helps organizations in specific industries or with particular needs more easily build custom solutions without extensive programming knowledge. Tech leaders in manufacturing, healthcare, and retail organizations believe that the industry-specific platforms meet custom development needs and increase delivery time 5x faster than traditional approaches.

The Power of Low-Code Data Analysis

81% of business leaders agree that data should be at the heart of every technological advancement. Prior to the arrival of low-code platforms, data analysis was executed by analysts with a specific skill set that involved time-intensive coding practices. With the rising significance and dependence on data, it became obvious that the ability to evaluate data should be shared more comprehensively than just the dedicated few. This eventually led to the development of low-code platforms that allowed professionals of all experience levels to perform data cleansing, visualization, and transformation tasks without the need for coding skills.

Small, medium, and large-sized organizations might use low-code data analysis platforms to access profound insights rapidly and easily while fulfilling security standards throughout the process. Besides, these platforms are interoperable with standard third-party applications. This allows teams to introduce more effective workflows while keeping up with varying business requirements. Customer segmentation, predictive maintenance, and fraud detection are simplified with low-code data analysis platforms.

Let’s look at a popular use case of low-code data analysis:

Work4 Labs is a leading market research company headquartered in the US. They were looking for an ETL (Extract, Transfer, and Load) platform that could manage massive volumes of data without errors and experienced programmers. Their former ETL platform involved complex programming that needed recurrent maintenance and manual effort.

As a result, they turned to OutSystems for an easy-to-use, low-code ETL solution. OutSystems supports data migration in a few simple clicks rather than several days of effort.

“We were able to save around 90% of our resources and our developers can focus on product development and inconsistencies”, says Martin, Chief Analyst.

Augmented Reality-Led MVP Development

Providing an AR experience during MVP launches will help the end-users get a better knowledge of the product. It will help them understand how to work with the product, what solutions it delivers, and whether they need it. Low-code platforms with AR/VR capabilities help technical members build experiential prototypes through a virtual interface. These platforms typically have a digital, drag-and-drop interface that makes it simple for business users to build virtual prototypes and MVPs without extensive programming efforts.

Using low-code platforms for virtual prototyping and MVP development helps enterprises validate concepts, collect feedback more instantly, and minimize the time and resources needed to launch a new product or service in the market. PlugXR is an effective low-code Cloud-based AR platform to assess the feasibility of a project before investing significant resources to accomplish development.

Integration with Traditional Software Development Tools

Interconnecting low-code platforms with traditional IDEs, version control systems, and other software development tools is another highly anticipated trend. This approach fosters a more collaborative and versatile development process. For instance, a programmer may use a low-code platform to instantly prototype a new functionality and then use conventional tools to upgrade and refine the application. In simple terms, integrating traditional software development tools with low-code application development platforms helps organizations take advantage of the benefits of both approaches. This makes it easier for developers with different skill sets to work together effectively.

Emphasis on Automation

For citizen programmers, launching workflows- particularly automating them is not an easy task. To perform this, they must depend on technical specialists. Fortunately, low-code platforms have started leveraging the strength of AI and RPA to aid citizen developers in creating and automating workflows without coding complications. Power Apps’ AI builder is one such example of a low-code platform equipped with AI capabilities. These platforms contribute to revolutionizing the domain of app development.

Will Low-Code Replace Existing Development Teams?

Low-Code is unlikely to swap existing developers or development teams entirely. While low-code tools empower professionals to build functional applications with minimal coding inputs, skilled programmers will always need to work on complicated and progressive projects. Low-code platforms excel at resolving predominant problems and streamlining development tasks, but developers bring in-depth technical expertise, design app architecture, and tackle complex programming requests that may go beyond the competencies of low-code tools.

How Minimal Programming Drives ROI?

Low-code platforms are quicker, more efficient, and are known to optimize user satisfaction

But is that it? There’s more!

Low-code rapid application development platforms drive innovation, which is the need of the hour at the moment. Organizations that don’t innovate constantly tend to fall back. It’s because innovation accelerates the development of new products or services and drives 95% higher ROI. Tech leaders in organizations can adopt low-code trends and enable their organizations to redefine and innovate.

Closing Thoughts

Undoubtedly, the low-code landscape is growing rapidly, and trialing the recent trends is important for organizations to get the most out of these platforms. The incorporation of AI and Machine Learning, in mobile applications, strengthening security and compliance, and customization are some key trends to watch. With these trends, tech leaders can modernize the application development process, optimize costs, and stay ahead in the competitive market.