Low code has been one of the most disruptive forces in the software development industry in the last few years. There are many myths, misconceptions, and doubts about low-code application platforms.
This blog looks at some common myths associated with low code among business users and coders.
5 Low Code Myths Among Business Leaders
New technologies are often a mystery to business leaders, who are key decision makers but have little first-hand knowledge of the subject. Here are some myths business leaders have and the reality about low code.
Low Code Is a Fad, a New Trend That Will Die Out Quickly
The term Low Code was coined in 2014 by Forrester. But actually, low code has been around for ages. If you have ever opened an MS Excel spreadsheet or uploaded a page on WordPress, you have already used Low Code.
Even the main low code application platforms (LCAPs) in today’s market are a product of the late ’90s and early ’00s. Low Code evolved out of the need to make software coding faster and easier. Its forerunners were Rapid Application Development tools (RADs).
The launch of the app development market and the need to develop cloud-native applications in the 2010s accelerated the trend.
Today, Gartner is already accepting mainstream maturity for LCAPs, and the Low Code industry is already generating $7.4 billion in revenues. The low code growth for the year is above 25%. Those numbers cannot be called a passing fad!
Low Code Cannot Be Used for Legacy Transformation
This myth seems to have emerged from the idea that you can build only small applications on low code.
Low code is uniquely capable of integrating legacy applications. With its custom APIs and drag-and-drop user interfaces, Low Code combines legacy applications onto a single platform with a layer of modern, cloud-ready, intuitive interfaces.
Low code eliminates the cost of building a new application from scratch while still delivering a modern, customer-friendly interface.
Low Code Locks Down Business With a Single Vendor
In the early days of low code, RAD applications created proprietary backend code that was difficult to integrate with tools from other vendors and harder to manage without the vendor’s support.
This problem has since gone away, and most modern Low Code platforms create code easily integrated with tools from other vendors. Moreover, the backend code is simpler and cleaner, and with a little training, it is easy to maintain.
Adapting to Low Code is an IT Problem
The real challenge in adapting Low Code to a business environment is to help the various stakeholders understand the benefit of LCAP. There are several stakeholders in a low code implementation, including:
- Core IT teams that help make the application
- Users who use the application daily
- Business owners who judge its impact on their bottom line.
To ensure a successful implementation, the most important thing is getting everyone on board and a central champion team to coordinate and make things move smoothly.
Low Code Solutions Are Low-Quality Solutions
Low Code solutions boost productivity and reduce time spent building new applications by providing pre-built modular blocks.
This helps improve quality (because those modules are already well-tested) and increases the time spent making the application’s harder parts.
Another benefit is that customer interfaces built using low code are more standardized, better appealing, and deliver great customer experiences.
Actually, the end product from low code is of better quality.
5 Low Code Myths Among Pro IT Developers
Pro IT developers either look down on low code or fear it as something disrupting their jobs. Here are some Pro developer myths about low code that they should rid themselves of.
Low Code Means No Programming
This myth stems from the confusion between no code and low code. No code is meant entirely for citizen developers creating their small applications. Most of these are smaller, non-scalable applications.
Low code applications are not “No Code.” Underneath the drag-and-drop visuals and API connectors, there is a lot of customization and logic building, which needs a pro developer.
Low Code Is Only Good Enough for Lighter Application
Low Code Application Platforms have evolved much beyond simple citizen developer projects. Today, many LCAPs are full stack development platforms that can build almost any application in the world, even complex ones.
Here are some samples of the complexity and scale of what low code no code companies can build:
- AutoScout24: Biggest marketplace for car sales and purchases in Switzerland
- Qoins – An app built to help users pay off debt. The app has helped users pay off $30mn in debt.
- Think Confluent – An application designed for collecting automated, actionable team feedback. It has generated nearly $150,000 in revenues in the last two years.
- Kotak811 – A customer onboarding app from Kotak Mahindra Bank that saw 8 million bank accounts activated end to end, completely through mobile phones.
Low Code Cannot Be Customized
People think this is true because the stated objective of low code is to reduce the coding required to do certain things. Pro developers tend to correlate the amount of coding with the amount of customization they can provide, hence the myth.
Modern, full stack Low Code application platforms have ample scope for customization beyond what they already offer in terms of ready-to-use modules and components.
Low Code Is Making Developers Obsolete
Developers have seen their innovations disrupt so many industries that a new technology coming and doing exactly that to their industry is not that far-fetched.
But does low code eliminate the need for coding? No. Low code is an advanced tool in the pro coders’ arsenal to develop highly efficient, fast, and well-tuned applications. It can improve the coders’ ability to do their work.
Low Code Is Hard To Maintain
Low Code applications are built on their own platform, not on traditional Java or similar languages. You need to understand the platform completely, and then maintaining the application will be just as easy.
Most low-code platforms come with their guide map on how to maintain applications. In that sense, it is easier than maintaining Java code.
Wrap Up
Like anything new, low code has its naysayers and detractors. But given the pace at which it is growing and how quickly people are adopting it, we are best equipped to deal with low code by understanding the truths and not remaining afraid or dismissive of it because of the myths.