The biggest challenge of low-code: coding a great experience

The explosion of low-code development platforms promised a revolution in software creation. By cobbling together pre-built units of code, people with little to no programming chops could quickly build simple apps without having to wait for a developer. 

With the demand for software at an all-time high and the supply of software engineers at historic lows, low-code looks like the right solution at the right time. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of low-code projects will be built by people outside traditional IT departments. 

Here’s the dirty secret of the trend: A low-code app isn’t necessarily a good app. A well-designed low-code app can streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and improve productivity. But done poorly, it can create new bottlenecks and add to the apps already filling peoples’ hard drives.

80% of low-code projects to be built by people outside of IT by 2026. A forthcoming 2023 Freshworks survey found the average number of apps available to U.S. workers climbed from 13 to 27 over the last year and that 3 out of 4 of these apps are rarely used. Technology pros estimate they could slash their IT budgets by nearly 40% simply by eliminating unnecessary software. 

How can companies capitalize on the benefits of low-code without sacrificing great customer or employee experience? Here are some basic strategies to consider.

Pick the right projects

A big reason why many low-code apps go unused is that they either try to do too much or they don't bring real value to the business, says Jason Beres, SVP of developer tools for Infragistics, a provider of UX and UI toolkits for developers.

"The sweet spot for most low-code tools is forms-over-data applications aimed at internal users when you need something relatively simple and are unable or don't want to get a developer involved," Beres says. "It's like, 'Let me add input controls or a data grid over my database, and then deploy the app out to folks in the enterprise.'" 

They're ideal for mundane, error-prone tasks that can consume up to half of a developer's time, such as screen design, layout, and hand-crafting HTML and CSS code, he adds.

Low-code platforms are great for building simple form-based applications or automated ways to extract and display data, says Matthew Reid, co-founder and CTO of PriceWell, a tool that helps integrate the Stripe payment platform with no-code applications. 

"They're really good for connecting a spreadsheet of data and filtering it to show certain bits of information," says Reid. "You don't want to use them to build complicated apps with lots of moving parts or complex animations."

But the biggest mistake people make with low-code is not understanding the business value of the app or what users truly need from it, notes Beres. “If you want to find success with low-code tools, focus on the business problem that needs to be solved.”

Recruit the right stakeholders

Many times, a low-code app is built for an audience of one—its creator—and may not necessarily meet the needs of anyone else in the organization. Or it's been assembled by committee and turned into a collection of feature requests. 

The key is to involve the right stakeholders from the outset—but not too many, says Kevin Shuler, CEO of Quandary Consulting Group, which specializes in helping enterprises implement low-code solutions. 

"A core group of six is a really solid number to start with," he says. "We've gone as high as 10 and as low as two and been successful. Otherwise, you get scope creep, or you have people who won't use it because their input was not included." 

You also need to think about how useful the app will be a year or two from now, Shuler adds. Find out decision-makers' longer-term goals and how the app might address them.

"If you use it as a growth opportunity instead of a one-off solution, adoption will flow naturally from that," he says. "People might say, 'We can deal with some of the nuances today because it's also going to solve these three problems tomorrow.’" 

Understand your target users

You'll need to start with a solid understanding of your end users’ goals, preferences, and needs, notes Lindsay Sayre, director of marketing for Pandium, an app integration platform. 

"If you're building a workflow management tool, you need to understand the tolerance and experience level of the person who will be using this thing," says Sayre. "If you throw an accountant at that tool, that's very different than if you're giving it to a marketing ops person who's used HubSpot a billion times, who is very different from an engineer. So who's your user, and what are you going to optimize it for?"

It may help to survey potential users to identify their pain points and rank features according to preference. Later, after the tool is in use, you'll want to gather feedback about what works and what doesn't, how well it performs, and what features you may want to eliminate or add in the future. 

The key is finding the right balance between complexity, flexibility, and ease of use, adds Sayre. "Otherwise, you end up with either a system that's easy to use but doesn't do everything your customers need it to do, or one that's flexible but with a really steep learning curve, so they still end up needing someone with a computer science background to make it work."

Keep it simple, stupid

It's easy to get seduced by all the bells and whistles that a low-code development platform can offer. But if you add features simply because you can, you'll soon be looking at a cluttered screen and a confusing user experience, warns Beres. 

"Do you really need to display your data in a PDF and an Excel spreadsheet on the same screen with a data grid and a bunch of buttons?" he asks. "You start piling UI components on because it's so easy to do. This is where a lot of people fall down the rabbit hole." 

Simplicity is the key to an effective user interface. Even professional designers often struggle to create interfaces that are both elegant and useful. Rather than build a UI from scratch, Reid suggests that app builders rely on libraries of predesigned templates available from the platform vendor, or on third-party plugins.

Understanding application schema and data structures is important, especially when building an app that pulls data from relational databases, adds Shuler. Working backward from the desired result will tell you what reports or data sources are needed. 

"Once the structure is in place, you need to determine how the data fields are aligned on the form or views," he says. "This will be the make-or-break for end users because if it doesn’t flow, they won’t want to use it—period."

Get ready for a low-code future

Learning how to build low-code apps the right way now will help ensure you have the tools your business needs to succeed in the future. 

Low-code tools and platforms won't solve every business or IT problem—or replace the need for professional coders or sophisticated custom software, notes Beres. But if you don't master them now, you risk falling behind.

"In 2023, low-code will become a requirement for business," he adds. "It's the only way organizations will be able to accelerate app delivery and achieve their strategic goals without overburdening their development teams."

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