In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across sectors have had to pivot to build their online applications and services online faster than ever before. For instance, banks have developed apps and created new web portals to meet increased demand for loans, and meal delivery services are leveraging automation and self service to respond to customers in real time. In order to keep pace with the competition and maintain business velocity, companies need to build solutions immediately that solve their evolving business needs and scale with confidence, all without sacrificing quality.

The future of app development is low code, empowering people across the business to easily build apps that suit their specific needs. Low code enables people with no coding skills to build apps, saving businesses time and resources. Apps that used to take weeks or months to build through traditional development methods can now be built in just a few days with fewer resources, making companies more nimble during a time when the environment around us is changing rapidly.

“As businesses continue to recover from the pandemic and return to growth, the only constant will be change”

Low-code development has grown in prominence over recent years. While companies traditionally relied on hiring computing experts to build apps from scratch, low code enables non-technical employees to build apps from scratch, through a combination of clicks and code. Essentially, it is a 'drag and drop' approach to building applications using prewritten building blocks of code a lot like using Lego blocks, it's easy and fast, and you know that the pieces will connect together. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), between 2018-2023 more than 500 million apps and services will be created. That's more than the previous 40 years combined.

Beyond driving the digital transformation of businesses, low code tools are empowering employees to reskill and prepare for the jobs of the future. For our communities, they're breaking down barriers to careers in the technology industry and success in the digital economy.

Breaking Down Barriers By Democratising Innovation
Clicks, not code, is redefining what it means to be a developer. The accessibility of these tools is empowering nontechnical employees to learn and provide instant solutions for their company and customers. Just as employers are increasingly looking for digital skills, this demand is matched by the workforce's enthusiasm to upskill. According to global Salesforce research, 57 percent of employees wish they had better or more up-to-date skill sets. Beyond providing opportunities for workforce reskilling, low code will continue to democratise innovation and cultivate a culture of continuous learning.

Just as low code tools are opening workforce reskilling opportunities, they are also breaking down barriers for communities to succeed in the digital economy. From helping to boost students' vocabulary skills to enabling them as creators in the digital world, they're equipping people with programming skills which tomorrow will be just as important as the ability to read and write today. In many ways, given the rising availability of low code learning opportunities, development in this area is faster and more accessible than traditional methods of professional development. What's more, apps can be built from anywhere.

Adapting To Customer Behaviour & Bringing New Ideas To Life
As the way and speed at which we do business continues to accelerate, many companies are realizing that traditional development methods must be reconsidered. To introduce new ways of serving customers, they're going to need fast and flexible digital solutions. To ease the burden from stretched IT teams, low-code can and will enable rapid app development.

These tools also grant organisations greater agility to adapt to changing customer needs. By expanding the pool of employees who can build apps, they're removing traditional reliance on designated developers who, in turn, will be freed up to focus on more complex projects. At a time when budgets have to stretch further, with low-code businesses can scale with confidence and without sacrificing quality.

As businesses continue to recover from the pandemic and return to growth the only constant will be change. Low-code technology will increasingly be a key driver in enabling businesses to become more nimble, reimagining careers, and enabling citizen developers. More broadly, this growing trend is transforming the future of work and innovation.