3 minutes on… No-code

The world (at least for those of us who work in the technology sector) is increasingly divided into those of us who can code, and those of us who can't. At least it certainly feels like that sometimes... 

Technical talent is in great demand, and a lack of software engineering capability puts many organisations' ambitions on ice. With every company now a technology company, how can modern, digital products and services be built if it's a struggle to access the right expertise?

What is no code?

This is where no code comes in. No code development platforms are tools which enable those with no knowledge of programming languages to build applications. It's a growing trend which simplifies and democratises the software development process, giving rise to the so-called “citizen developer”.

No code development platforms typically offer drag and drop functionalities, meaning that they are simple to use, but aren't always suitable for building highly customised or complex applications (although this is changing as the tools evolve). They're also secure, as their services are hosted via the large cloud providers. There are no code tools for automation, data migration, and data sharing, amongst a range of other capabilities.

Closely related to no code is low code, which makes it possible to quickly build more complex applications, but does require some software engineering expertise.

No code is a growing trend, as more organisations release digital products and services, and technical talent remains scarce. That said, even when businesses do have available software engineering expertise, they still might choose no-code tools to build simple applications, as their developers' time could be better spent elsewhere. There's also the increasing possibility for AI to automate more and more aspects of the coding process over the coming years.