The Future of Application Development with Low-Code: Market Trends and Best Practices
Low-code development, a burgeoning segment in the technology industry, offers a wealth of advantages to businesses. By enabling the creation of applications with minimal hand-coding, it expedites development time, democratizes application development by empowering non-developers, and helps to reduce costs. The market for low-code development is on an upward trajectory, anticipated to reach a whopping $187 billion by 2030.
The impact of low-code tools on application development is substantial, with projections indicating that they will account for over 65% of application development activity by 2024. Additionally, the rise of cloud-native approaches is facilitating the development of a vast array of apps and services, with over 500 million expected to be developed using these methods by the end of 2023.
The efficiency of low-code platforms is another significant draw, with the potential to reduce app development time by 90%. Additionally, the low-code/no-code revolution is slated to transform business applications, with 70% expected to employ these technologies by 2025. This wave of change is even expected to reach non-IT professionals, 80% of whom will be developing IT products and services by 2024, with over 65% of them utilizing low-code/no-code tools.
Contrasted with traditional app-building platforms, no-code solutions are resource-efficient, consuming 70% fewer resources. Consequently, it is fair to say that low-code development is the future of application development, promising to assist businesses in creating superior, faster, and more cost-effective applications.
While the benefits are clear, low-code development adoption does face some challenges. These include integration with legacy systems and a general lack of awareness about low-code possibilities. However, a combination of industry best practices and the growing low-code community can help address these issues.
For instance, it's important to recognize that while low-code development can be easily adopted, it does require a certain degree of technical knowledge. As such, investing time in understanding the platform and its nuances is a worthwhile endeavor.
One of the chief advantages of low-code platforms is the availability of ready-made apps and components, which can significantly speed up the development process. Developers can leverage these resources, focusing on creating unique application features rather than starting from scratch. This approach is not only more time-efficient but also cost-effective.
Another best practice is to release applications often and with minimal functionality to get feedback faster. This strategy allows for consistent, incremental improvements based on real user feedback, enhancing the overall quality and usability of the application over time. Choosing a low-code platform with solid UI/UX design best practices can also expedite the development process. These platforms provide pre-prepared UI libraries with consistent components, reducing the time and resources spent on creating unique UI/UX designs.
The low-code community and user feedback are invaluable resources. By maintaining open lines of communication with these groups, developers can learn from shared experiences and challenges, and make necessary adjustments based on user input.
Even with the ease of use that low-code platforms provide, there's still a place for experienced developers. Bringing in specialized developers to design your low-code apps can help identify and resolve potential issues, ensuring a smoother and more successful development process.
Planning is crucial in low-code development. Operating a few iterations of the application in advance can prepare the team for unexpected issues, facilitate smoother scaling, and ensure the continued success of the application.
Lastly, security and governance should be woven into the application's value. Not all low-code platforms or applications provide the same kind of internal controls, so it's important to choose a platform that offers a good balance between application value and data control.
As the low-code development market continues to grow, so does the importance of understanding and leveraging this technology. By staying abreast of industry trends and best practices, businesses can harness the power of low-code development to create efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly applications.