Low-code development platforms have never been more useful for devs in many industries. As the world shifts towards more technological approaches — small and medium-sized businesses using SaaS, governments digitizing processes, and the general population becoming increasingly online and owning smartphones — the demand for developers skyrockets. Yet, McKinsey recently reported that the talent shortage continues to be a major issue for skills like Python, DevOps, Amazon Web Services, databases, and many more.
The growth in tech usage is so unprecedented that the industry can’t fill crucial developer roles at the same speed as they’re needed. Consequently, as many as 83% of developers report feeling burned out. In a hurry to solve this work overload, devs have turned to technologies that support their work by adding useful features that streamline work, allowing them to maintain or increase their output without burning out.
One example is low-code, which enables professional developers to replace traditional coding in certain instances with simpler formats, such as block coding, to build apps faster without compromising their quality.
So, why exactly are the pros flocking to low-code platforms to help them code mobile and desktop apps? Let’s take a look at these three prominent reasons.
Strict Compliance Requirements with Low-Code Tools
Working in highly regulated fields means developers must implement certain security measures and guardrails to build compliant software programs for use in healthcare, government, law, education, and other industries. Otherwise, costly fines and penalties could ensue, depending on the jurisdiction — financial, reputational, and legal ramifications due to poor compliance can deeply impact a company.
Low-code development platforms have taken this into account and have evolved to bake compliance into their features, making life easier for developers. As such, professionals no longer need to rely entirely on traditional coding to make these apps, which often requires spending more time than usual ensuring the program adheres to regulatory requirements.
For instance, there are specific low-code platforms to develop HIPAA-compliant apps, while others focus on education, and so on. This is also beneficial for independent developers who work in many industries and need to keep up with diverse regulatory requirements, as low-code platforms will take care of the compliance aspects for them.
In that regard, Appli uses LiveCloud storage, which is HIPAA-compliant. It has authentication and user guardrails for stricter access control, ensures data is backed up in the cloud, encrypts data locally, in the cloud, and in transit to make it unreadable even if intercepted, and is transmitted through secure communication channels.
Easy AI Integration Capabilities For In-House and Independent Developers
AI is the gift that keeps on giving, especially when paired with low-code development platforms — developers know this. A recent survey revealed that over 50% of professional developers use AI tools daily. And it’s easy to see why: most developers use the technology to ask work-related questions, generate synthetic data, assist in the documentation process, and even debug or fix code.
Low-code development platforms have also begun integrating AI to make app development even easier for devs, offering a two-for-one package to improve efficiency in prototyping and coding. This way, professionals don’t have to use multiple programs to blend their AI tools with low-code tools; they can simply streamline their development processes by finding everything in one place.
For instance, with Appli, devs can ask the Appli Bot, which is trained and constantly updated with our documentation, to offer its expertise on all things Appli mechanisms. The platform also includes an AI feature that lets devs embed generative AI within their user-facing applications.
Quizli, our edtech app #MadeWithAppli, is a great example of this feature. Teachers can generate test questions by asking Quizli AI, which can create them based on subject, grade level, complexity, type of question, and more.
Self-Documenting Capabilities In Low-Code Development Platforms
Documentation is notoriously a tiresome task for many developers. Some have even taken to expressing their frustration online, making blogs stating, “Writing documentation is hard because developers aren’t writers, and you need to be able to do both to write good documentation.” And, if writing isn’t your cup of tea, your documentation might be confusing for yourself or others in the future.
The nature of low-code platforms can be a saving grace for those who aren’t keen on writing. The block-coding layout of low-code development platforms means documentation is almost intuitive, as the actions and elements outlined in blocks are quite self-explanatory.
Once developers have gotten the hang of their preferred low-code tool, understanding previous block code should be easy, and writing it more so because it doesn’t need to be as complex as the text written for traditional coding.
Second-guessing whether you should get started using low-code development platforms for your professional work? Give Appli a try by downloading it for free today! Our platform is free during the soft-launch phase.
