Software development used to be a long process that would take a team of highly trained professionals days or even months to create a fully finished, custom deployment-ready app.
Well, that was all in the past, and today, low-code application development services have become very popular. These platforms give citizen developers the chance to enter the software development market and businesses to create and deploy more stable custom-built apps a lot faster.
In this blog post, we will see what citizen development is and how low-code platforms are helping them democratize application development. Also, learn about The Role of a Power Apps Developer by reading this article.
So, Who are Citizen Developers?
Citizen developers are basically non-IT employees in a company who have no technical or coding skills but still work on building apps for solving business solutions.
But how can a non-coder create fully working custom apps in the first place?
This is all made possible thanks to low-code or no-code platforms. Citizen developers can use these platforms to build fully functioning apps with tons of features with the help of low-code SDKs or platforms.
With low code, you do not need to be a programming wizard to get into application development, and with drag-and-drop-like features, anyone can create a functional application pretty easily.
DID YOU KNOW? According to a recent study, more than 86% of IT firms state that there is a huge shortage of IT professionals. So, to help in digital transformations for businesses, citizen developers fill this gap.
How Low-Code Platforms Support Citizen Developers?
So many businesses are jumping onto the low-code citizen developer bandwagon these days. The adoption of low code can help companies be more agile and meet the needs of the present market at a much cheaper price.
But what makes low-code platforms so good for citizen developers?
Aside from needing no coding skills, here are some of the benefits of using low-code platforms.
Save Time With Pre-Built Components
Low-code platforms give their users access to tons of pre-built components right out of the box. You can easily find the functionality you’re looking for and just add that to your app.
These pre-built modules can save a lot of time and as a citizen developer, you can focus more on making the app better.
Add New Features With Simple Drag-and-Drop
You know, every good low-code platform or service on the market has this feature where you can just drag and drop a feature from a list to the app you’re working on.
This can help citizen developers to build, test and deploy their apps fast. Plus you can also easily combine any functions you need to match your client’s preferences.
No More Coding Needed, Change Things Visually
We all know that app development is a process where you need to make changes constantly. And you can never be sure when your client might ask for a change with the app.
Luckily, any good low-code platform allows developers to quickly generate mockups and prototypes which you can use to get the app evaluated before development can start full swing.
Create Apps With Cross-Platform Compatibility
When you’re building apps, you need to make sure of a lot of things. It’s not just simple bugs and glitches you have to deal with. Developers need to make sure that their apps can run smoothly on different devices too.
A low-code platform gives you the option to make apps that can be used on any known platform out there.
What are the Best Low-Code Platforms for App Development?
Low-code platforms can free up your IT staff and allow you to assign non-tech staff (citizen developers) to make apps for your business processes. But what platform can you use?
Here are some of the most popular zero-code platforms that businesses can use to develop apps.
Microsoft PowerApps: Modernize your apps with AI integration
Appian: Helps automate your business processes
Zoho Creator: Build powerful custom web and mobile apps with ease.
Airtable: Build next-gen apps and reimagine workflows with AI
Salesforce App Cloud: Bring all your enterprise data and management in a single app
Oracle APEX: Build scalable and secure mobile and web apps for businesses
Google AppSheet: Create no-code mobile and desktop apps with your existing data
Mendix: It is the fastest and easiest low-code development platform for businesses.
Benefits of Citizen Development
Many businesses out there are ramping up their efforts in app development to keep up with the competition. This means that there is a shortage of IT professionals and programmers who can build new business applications.
Here are some of the advantages of using citizen development for your business.
Save Up on Developer Costs Using low or no-code platforms for developing apps means that your citizen developers can build and deploy apps very quickly and that too for a very low price. Plus, you can also outsource the development process or simply buy a third-party app template and modify it to your needs.
Speed Up the Development Process Creating an app from scratch can take a lot of time, sometimes weeks or even months, before you have a working prototype in your hands. Low-code platforms cut down on that long time with their fast, pre-built components that you can simply drag and drop into the app.
Free Up Your IT Team Now that you have citizen developers taking charge of all the app development processes, your IT staff can go back to focusing on their main job of taking care of the core digital infrastructure of your company.
What Can Developers Build Using a Low-Code Platform?
With so many pre-built functional components and features, citizen developers can build pretty much any kind of app for any purpose. Here are some of types that help with business processes:
1. Workflow Automation Apps: Automate tasks and improve efficiency and productivity.
2. Business Dashboards: Get a detailed look at real-time data for insights and decision-making.
3. CRM Systems: Make it easier to manage customer interactions.
4. Mobile Apps and E-commerce Sites: Create cross-platform compatible online applications your customers use to browse your products and services.
5. HR and Employee Management: Create systems that keep track of personnel records, attendance records, and employee leaves.
There are so many other kinds of apps that citizen developers can create with the help of low-code platforms.
“The global low-code development platform market is predicted to generate a revenue of $187.0 billion by 2030, rising from $10.3 billion in 2019, and is expected to advance at a fast pace, with 31.1% CAGR, during the forecast period (2020-2030).”
Conclusion
The software market is growing and there is a huge shortage of developers and programmers. Low-code platforms give citizen developers the ability to start making fully functional apps with no experience.
With more and more companies getting into the app development market, low-code platforms are democratizing the field by supporting citizen developers.
