Rapid application development - The benefits of low-code solutions

Traditional manual coding has become an outdated software development approach as it is slow, error-prone, timewasting, costly and rigid. Fortunately there are much better ways to create a favorable environment for an organization to respond quickly to global events. In our newest blog article we present the top 6 benefits of low-coding.

Organizations face quite a few development challenges that make it difficult to diversify their offers or create an excellent customer experience. The IT environment is changing rapidly. Every week a new technological solution appears the capabilities of which exceed those already used by organizations. 

These technological challenges are compounded by rapidly changing customer and market demands and, since the pandemic, user and customer expectations for faster and better results and outstanding customer service.

The company that is most adaptable will succeed in a neck-to-neck competition against other organizations for the market leader position.

Traditional manual coding has become an outdated software development approach, as it is slow, error-prone, time-consuming, costly and rigid. Fortunately, there are much better ways to create a favorable environment for an organization to respond quickly to global events.

What are low-code solutions?

Low-code platforms are pre-built, modular systems that allow developers to build mobile or web applications from a module library. These technologies have a visual workflow builder enabling the business side to take a more active part in the planning of the new software. 

These tools eliminate IT knowledge differences between IT staff, as they do not require deep coding know-how while allowing enough space for customization. Thanks to low-code platforms, companies can build systems using templates to meet business goals, seamlessly connecting to each other and delivering a continuing customer experience.

The benefits of low-code solutions

1. Reusable modules

One of the best advantages of low-code platforms is their modularity. Users can choose from a wide range of modules from the built-in library, that they can connect to other templates and customize to their liking. The best thing about this is that these customized modules can be saved and reused when it is time to update the app or create a new one.

2. Rapid prototyping

Thanks to the visual workflow-planning and drag-and-drop builder feature of low-code applications, prototyping has become faster than ever before. Building a prototype is possible within weeks or even days instead of months, which makes the whole process much quicker.

3. Fast feedback from the business side

Rapid prototyping and a visual workflow-builder allow the IT team to communicate transparently with the business side without using complicated IT terms. Thanks to this method, executives and managers will understand the operation of the new software in a matter of minutes and can easily add their opinion and provide feedback to the developer team.

4. Better involvement and communication

As we can see from the point above, low-code solutions enhance the quality of communication between the business and the developer side, which is frequently a bottleneck in the life of organizations. By removing the complicated IT terms and concentrating only on the transparent, visually represented system capabilities, non-IT team members can become more involved in software development and planning.

5. Leveling the playing field within the IT team

Low-code platforms require no knowledge of different programming languages or senior experience. It is much easier to find new candidates when an organization operates with coding. Junior, mid-level, and senior colleagues can work together on a project when an organization operates with coding. This methodology not only boosts productivity but strengthens team spirit too.

6. Faster go-to-market

All of the reasons mentioned above lead to one result. Faster go-to-market. Streamlined processes, better involvement, faster prototyping, development, and feedback are all essential to achieve results quickly without any compromise on quality.

Who can benefit from low-code?

Low-code is a software development solution that is basically beneficial to every organization that is involved in the development of any IT infrastructure. Whether it's software for sale or an in-house application that supports day-to-day operations.

Here is a list of use cases where low-code platforms do wonders.

• Component-based applications, such as micro-services

• Critical, complex systems

• Applications that perform the basic operational functions of the company

• Any workflow

• Applications based on sophisticated business logic and individual needs

• Long-lasting applications
  
  

About BlackBelt and low-code

BlackBelt is an independent software development organization based in Hungary, specializing in low-code development and team augmentation. We have two solutions that help organizations seek better adaptability and flexibility to prepare systems ready for the unexpected future.

One of our solutions is JUDO, a low-coding platform for empowering business domain experts and software professionals to work together efficiently in order to innovate high-value enterprise software products.

The other one is Mendix, the world’s leading corporate low-code development platform, according to Gartner. It can guarantee business-centered, high-quality, and lightning-fast application development at an optimal cost to any enterprise.