5 Myths About Low-Code App Development

According to Forrester, more and more companies are embracing low-code development platforms to significantly speed up application delivery. Besides the “need for speed”, there are also other advantages to low-code development, but many companies are still skeptical. This skepticism rests on five myths about low-code development. In this blog we'll address the myths one by one and explain why they aren't true.

Myth 1: Low-code platforms are only for 'Citizen Developers'

Many software engineers are still skeptical about low-code development and believe this type of development is only suitable for so-called 'Citizen Developers'. But

nothing could be further from the truth — quickly building a scalable, enterprise-ready application requires a team of developers. What's more, that team also needs to be cross-functional so that everyone can take part in every aspect of the development process. A software engineer is therefore an important part of the success.

This myth seems to have arisen from confusion about these platforms. Low-code platforms use a visual way of developing that allows users with little programming skill to also create mobile and web applications. However, that doesn't mean advanced developers can't get to work with low-code platforms too. Within platforms like Mendix, you can add your own pieces of script alongside visual development. This means the platform offers options for everyone to collaborate on applications and portals.

Because development happens visually, valuable feedback can also be given much earlier in the design process. This contributes to the speed of the development process and overall accuracy. It's this enterprise-wide collaboration that's the crucial ingredient in rapidly developing valuable apps with low-code platforms.

Myth 2: Low-code development is only suitable for small applications

It's still commonly believed that low-code is equivalent to small-scale development. However, research by Forrester shows that enterprise applications are in fact complex, large, and business-critical. And that these are often built with low-code platforms.

Nearly all the customers who took part in the research indicated that most of the applications built on low-code platforms were used company-wide. Almost all Citizen Developer respondents also indicated that at least two departments in their company had adopted low-code platforms, and about a third of them reported that the entire enterprise had adopted the platform.

Myth 3: Low-code development is only for the development phase

Despite the name, low-code development platforms don't focus solely on the development phase. For example, the low-code platform

Mendix supports the entire 'app lifecycle', since the complete process from idea and development to testing and management exists within the platform. This gives companies a time-to-market advantage, letting them respond and innovate faster than their competitors. In addition, low-code platforms like Mendix offer visual development tools, social collaboration tools, end-user feedback loops, and support the Scrum way of working. All of this naturally results in a fast development phase, but also speed in testing new ideas, responding to feedback, and rolling out applications and portals.

Myth 4: Low-code platforms create a new form of Shadow IT

The rise of low-code platforms has fueled the growth of a new kind of developer: the citizen developer. But there are also skeptics who believe these platforms are simply another form of 'user productivity tools' that will lead to even more Shadow IT.

The reality is that low-code platforms actually discourage the one-sided approach of traditional development and create an environment where Citizen Developers and the IT department collaborate. Mendix was even conceived with this idea in mind! In this collaboration, Citizen Developers are involved in the projects, but the IT department retains ultimate control over development. Low-code platforms can protect Citizen Developers from unnecessary complexity while at the same time offering DevOps teams and professional developers the full transparency, openness, governance, and control they need.

When choosing a low-code platform to use, it's important to pick one that offers governance capabilities without compressing time-to-value. The platform should also have tools for automated testing and for monitoring quality and performance. Some low-code platforms also come with “logging” and “controls out-of-the-box” to ensure quality compliance is safeguarded across the entire portfolio of apps.

All in all, the right low-code platform will support both the professional developer and the Citizen Developer with tailored environments for every user. Think, for example, of Mendix's Studio and Mendix Studio Pro, which integrate together and can give each other real-time feedback.

Myth 5: You can't manually write code with low-code platforms

The idea behind low-code development is to be able to develop as much as possible without code, but that doesn't mean software engineers can't extend an app's functionality with code if they want to.

By properly leveraging client- and server-side APIs, engineers can build, package, and distribute new functionality such as connectors to external services, machine learning and AI, integrations with internal systems and archives, native mobile widgets, and reusable UI components. These capabilities allow software engineers to expand the reach of every developer on the team. This makes it possible for them to push the boundaries of the core platform, letting them build better solutions faster by enriching the platform's standard features with code.

Sometimes it can also happen that a company needs something that isn't possible within a low-code platform by default. But that doesn't mean everything grinds to a halt and the entire process comes to a standstill. Software engineers can also use code to develop reusable code extensions.

The reality of low-code platforms

Hopefully, after reading this blog, you've seen that these 5 myths about low-code app development platforms aren't true, and you now know more about the possibilities of these innovative platforms. The reality of platforms like Mendix is that they offer the necessary tools for both business and IT to collaborate and thereby build full-fledged apps at high speed, even for enterprises. Want to know more about the possibilities of low-code for your organization? Then schedule an introductory meeting with us or request a free 'App in a Day' session!