As the world adapts to massive digital transformation, being oblivious takes you further away from growth and efficiency. Digitalization not only helped individuals ease their day-to-day challenges but manifested a positive change in the business industry, as well.
One of the leading examples of this transformation is through the integration and further improvements of customer-centric digital tools such as applications and software and online websites. Through advanced digitalization, businesses can now offer more convenient and valuable services that improve their customer experience journeys.
Having said that, looking for qualified and skilled developers that can adhere to the demands of the industry can be crucial, particularly with a recent study that says “..according to U.S. Labor Statistics, the global talent shortage is expected to reach 85.2 million by 2030, and hence companies around the world risk losing the US $8.4 trillion in revenue.”
With such shortage, how will businesses continue to suffice their needs to realize their objectives in the long run? This is how No-Code enters the scene.
No-code application development is a digital revolution that helps many businesses deliver outputs without the complexities of coding.
Join me as we delve deeper into the how’s and why’s of No-code.
What is No-Code?
According to Kevin Ferguson’s “What is No-Code? Everything You Need to Know”, No-code is a “software development approach that requires few programming skills.” To elaborate further, Ferguson explained that this approach helps businesses to still create software applications even without a full grasp of the programming language and/or coding skills.
To maintain the businesses’ competitive advantage, particularly to those small and/or startup businesses that lack the ability to hire developers, no-code can give them the power to build advanced applications without coding with just a drag-and-drop and pre-configured blocks features.
No-code is an excellent choice for business owners as it promotes customization and allows non-programmers to work things out easily, removing the familiar barrier between ideas and solutions – programming.
Why use no-code: Benefits of No-code
For most businesses, it is undeniably true that no-code is prominent for its worthy and favorable use. Below are just some of the major benefits it provides:
- Reduced cost
As we discussed above, no-code can be very beneficial for those small businesses that are not fortunate enough to hire software developers. No-code cuts you off with all the expenses that come with hiring skilled and talented developers. Although you can still do so for a better and more accurate output, the idea alone that you have an alternative choice is what you’ll be grateful for.
Let us all agree that in this generation, developers are expensive. Hence, having a viable option is a great way to bargain your budget with.
- Efficiency and productivity
Since no-code comes with a drag and drop interface and prebuilt modules and does not require much coding, works such as app building can be done at a relatively faster pace, saving you more time, effort, and ultimately, resources.
Leveraging technology is one of the smartest ways not only to improve productivity but also for humans to foster innovation and creativity.
- Lesser training
No-code is an easy and convenient tool to use, to the point where users can just easily layer things up to build a high-grade application. Although it may still require some basic pieces of training to understand its requirements, complex coding can be bypassed.
Features of No-Code
No-code wasn’t given the spotlight for nothing. It has competitive features such as:
- NoCode API Wrappers
- Drag-and-drop interface
The level of user-friendliness (ease of use) of no-code is one feature that largely contributed to its proliferation and one of the many reasons why it was given broad recognition by many. With this feature, users can easily drag and drop elements in just a few clicks making it their go-to software development platform.
- Data connections
Most of the time, no-code systems either come with a pre-configured database or offer a simple user interface for connecting to your chosen database.
- User interface builder and visual modeling
Most of the time, no-code systems already have an interface that allows users to assemble pre-configured components easily. Through this platform, scripting is no anymore needed – just drag, drop, assemble, and see results.
How to build a no-code business
Just as we embrace digitalization, the boom of new ideas involving no-code seems to escalate as well. Considering that procuring a simple website or a web application will no longer cost you a fortune, a no-code business becomes one of the solid options for business-minded individuals.
Say that you already have the ounce of dedication, dimes, and one good idea, take note that you still need to:
- Focus on value
When you start thinking about venturing into the no-code business, always bear in mind how to deliver real value to your customers. It is important that you know how to help your customers solve their problems and issues and pay attention to the things that are giving them constant inconvenience.
- Stick to slow growth
In most cases, those companies with big names dominating industries all came from humble beginnings and learned the hard ways. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Most of the time, it is the businesses’ aspiration to suffice their customers’ needs that matter most than trying to grow rapidly regardless if they’re satisfying or not their customers’ demands.
If you’re a first-timer trying to establish your no-code business, go on a slower pace of growth. Not only will it help you produce a quality product but it will also open different opportunities for you to venture into.
- Always run a test
In the no-code business, quality assurance is considered a big deal. Do not roll out apps without even having a pilot testing of all of its functionality. This will not only allow you to determine if ever, there are bugs that need to be addressed but also to have the opportunity to experiment and grasp the process.
- Allow guidance from IT professionals
We’ve mentioned earlier that no-code is an approach that does not need complex coding skills, however, at some point, it was a misnomer.
To further improve and heighten security, you still need a pinch of coding and IT professionals who will serve as liaisons to those working with your no-code tools. You might be quite confused but it is for the sake of providing oversight to business app developers and establishing regular business communications as they are more experienced in managing security, integration, and user adoption challenges.
- Trust your people
As you start to develop your own business, the general rule of thumb is to always ‘trust your people’. They are not there to sabotage your hard-earned business, but to help you realize your goals instead.
A good team leader shall allow their employees to be creative in building applications and giving them the opportunity to be more productive all while maintaining autonomy.
- Fasten your seatbelt
Of course, the route that you’re about to embark is a bumpy road. As TechRepublic’s “How to get started with no code” defined, no-code is a learning process. You need to make an application work, do a little tweaking, if necessary, and always make sure that it is up to date.
No-Code tools to use
- NoCodeAPI
If you’re looking for the easiest way to connect with APIs, NoCodeAPI is the best option for you. NoCodeAPI is a globally trusted tool by developers and it was proven by its first-rate benefits which are summarized below:
- No Rate Limits. Your requests are cached letting you skip maximum limits.
- Hassle-free and convenient. Coding is no longer needed! Access your third-party app data without coding.
- Serverless. You’ll no longer have to write server-side code and/or worry about its cost and maintenance. NoCodeAPI allows you to save tons of time focusing on the Front-end only.
- Fast. Your API calls faster with Redis (Remote Dictionary Server) technology and since a layer is put on top of the processes, the response speed is doubled.
- Secured. API endpoints are secured and could be used on the client-side also. Your tokens and input values are also secured and encrypted on a cloud server.
- Logs. Find your history log in your dashboard,
- Click & Click. Your API proxy is ready to use in 2x Clicks.
- Mini Documentation. Each application has focused and on-point documentation.
- Organization. API endpoints are separated into multiple projects.
- Collaboration. You can invite your developer or team members to work simultaneously on a particular project.
- Domain Security. API endpoints work only on authorized domains.
Aside from the abovementioned features, NoCodeAPI also works in evidently easy and simple steps. You just need to Input values (give your API a name, an API key, and click Create) then it will start to process the request, encrypt your keys, and store it on the cloud, and viola, your simple and secure endpoint is ready for use.
Learn more about NoCopeAPI’s incredible offers here.
- AppSheet
AppSheet is a platform that allows you to create a mobile, tablet, and web apps quickly through the data sources like Google Drive, Dropbox, Office365, and other cloud-based spreadsheet and database platforms. AppSheet is a solution made to simplify and automate works and was tailored to customize your business needs. Lastly, it was designed to connect data and software to a unified platform that is fully integrated with Google Workspace. Learn more about AppSheet here.
- Betty Blocks
Betty Blocks describes itself as the number one Citizen Development platform where you can create enterprise-grade applications and develop applications quickly through visual modeling; 100% in the cloud, multi-device, and cross-platform, designed with the flexible UI-builder, all that without any code involved. See more of Betty Blocks here.
- Nintex
Nintex is a workflow automation solution that helps you improve your business processes by leveraging the data created through automated processes. Nintex is a convenient business process management and automation software primarily designed to combat repetitive and manual tasks with clicks, not code. Learn more about Nintex here.
- Outgrow
Outgrow is a no-code platform designed to boost and optimize marketing efforts. You can use its pre-optimized templates to improve your conversion rates, embed on your page as a popup, in chat, exit intent or on your subdomain, and/ or segment your audience and integrate your data. Its content includes calculators, quizzes, assessments, recommendations, polls, chatbots, giveaways, forms, and surveys. Learn more about Outgrow here.
Where to promote No-Code
Product Hunt surfaces the best new products, every day. It is a place for product-loving enthusiasts to share and geek out about the latest mobile apps, websites, hardware projects, and tech creations, hence, one of the best platforms for you to show off your no-code business.
Indie Hacker is a place where the founders of profitable businesses and side projects can share their stories transparently, and where entrepreneurs can come to read and learn from those examples.
It’s also a community where individual “indie hackers” come together to share their experiences, give and receive feedback, and rely on each other for support.
Hacker News (sometimes abbreviated as HN) is a social news website focusing on computer science and entrepreneurship. It is run by the investment fund and startup incubator Y Combinator. In general, content that can be submitted is defined as “anything that gratifies one’s intellectual curiosity.”
StartupBase is a community of makers and early adopters to share and discuss the latest products and ideas. It is a place to discover and get early access to exciting new startups.
Growth Hackers is a place where growth, marketing, and experimentation professionals come to share strategies with the mission to help companies ignite sustainable growth using the cross-functional, value-based approach proven effective by today’s fastest-growing companies.
BetaList is a community of makers and early adopters showcasing their startups and exchanging feedback.
Designer News is a large, global community of people working in design and technology or those interested in the topics. Designer News values open participation, and above all supports inclusion within the community. Their definition of “designer-friendly content” is very broad and they let the community decide by voting on stories.
WebdesignerNews.com was built to provide web designers and developers with a single location to discover the latest and most significant stories on the web.
They search through hundreds of posts on blogs, social media, and news channels, to deliver the most essential stories of the day. Its content covers quality news, fresh tools and apps, case studies, code demos, inspiration posts, videos, and more.
Betapage is a startup directory where you can discover, hunt, and upvote the latest innovative startups. You can easily find and list all types of startups under any stage i.e. under development, public beta/private beta, or Live. Their community includes early adopters, beta testers, Idea hunters, and startup lovers.
Users can submit their startup, for getting feedback, beta subscriptions, early adopters, traffic, and users. In addition, they can also measure visitors’ interest in Betapage.
The Bootstrapped Founders Club is a private members club for founders who are bootstrapping their products to chat and network with like-minded people.
