Good question, from one side there are performance limitation with no code but from another side, there are so many projects which brings value to users without beeing too technical.
I can say from our experience: we made more that 2000+ no code projects so far and it really required some customization, some coding and technical understanding from "no code developers".
No code operates together WITH normal developers. At WeLoveNoCode (https://welovenocode.com/) we have mix of no coders who knows design, no code tools but also can dive into code. So it's not like isolated function, no code is an instrument to build something faster with visual editors. Agree?
Also, why see no code as a "competitor" or something completely different? Wix or WordPress was around for a while and only until recently "every" tools decided to call themselves as "no code" :) I mean, it was there for a long time already...
"Also, why see no code as a "competitor" or something completely different?"
Only, solely, and singularly because overexcited no-code proponents are holding it up as such. Otherwise it's no problem.
I actually came up with the insight I posted above while I was typing it. There'll probably some future variant of this post that has it expressed more cleanly, instead of burying what should have been the lede.
I'd say that no-code advocates should be more careful about their messaging; I understand the desire to sell to management, but pissing off "normal" developers is eating your seed corn. There's also architectural ways that manifests in the product itself, where if you think "normal" code is an exception, you'll build it as an exception, and cut yourself off from later growth.
If everyone understood no-code as a follower (and honestly, generally a rather late one... the developer community as a whole needs to process things down to maximum degree before it's ready for the non-developer community), and everyone involved saw it that way, I think we'd end up with a productive harmony. If no-code developers insist on attacking developers (or attacking their job security, or attacking their credibility with their managers, or attacking their work ethic... no-code advertising has done a lot of these sorts of things), it's going to raise hostility and ultimately be self-defeating for the no-code startups.
I've been working in the development space since 2015 and recently joined fast-growth no-code startup (https://welovenocode.com). We just raised $1M and achived $150K MRR. Happy to share my opinion based on my experience of leading "code" and "no code" startup.
No-code is basically the art of creating solutions (native apps, websites, web apps), which could have been written with code but instead using visual methods (without coding). Most no-code tools use a visual drag-and-drop interface. A lot of them have pre-built templates that you can customize. There is also a slight difference between "low-code" and "no code".
With "low code" a lot of things can be done with a drag-and-drop interface, however, some coding is required to for a finished product. So you ANYWAY need some background in coding. This is typically great for people with intermediate technical skill.
What can be built with no-code?
Mobile apps, web apps, websites, workflow and automations, marketing tools, payment systems, and the list goes on. Basically, "typical" products & MVPs benefit the most from no code. So founder can built something in weeks, really fast. For example, WeLoveNoCode (https://welovenocode.com) connects founders with the best no-code developers to build their software and apps without a single line of code in like 10 days. All that is based on a monthly subscription.
Why all the hype?
Well, ho code has A LOT of the advantages:
- will save you money
- You can build and test your ideas quickly
- Anyone can use it > Designers, product managers, marketing managers now have the ability to make their ideas tangible products.
What are the challenges you may face?
Just like new thing, tools have to be learnt and they all have their learning curves. However, it will take you much less time and resources learning how to use no-code tools. Unlike low-code tools, no-code tools have a limit to how much they can be customised. If you want to change every aspect of your product or want to build very complex products, no-code tools may bring some limitation. However, there’s so much innovation and growth with these tools so I expect these barriers to reduces in a few months.
I should add that there’s no limitation with scalability. No-code tools have the capacity for serve increase to allow as many users as possible without breaking. These tools are also very secured.
My framework is focused on 8 simple steps, which you can use for building your community:
1. Give the best learning opportunities for the community.
It can be guides, e-books, podcasts, newsletters, courses. Learning content not only gives you SEO-traffic. It helps to position your brand\startup as thought leaders and industry experts.
So when someone from the community has a question, you already have an answer to that. Firstly, companies nurture community via useful educational content. And you'll see that all companies in the design space do that.
2. Provide (design) resources community might need
If you look at design companies, they provide handy design resources to work faster, right inside the tool. So users have no reason to leave. UI kits, icons, mockups, and fonts — all that is waiting for any user who comes to Sketch, Figma or Marvel.
That additional value keeps the community hooked inside the company brand.
Enable users to talk on behalf of your brand via a company blog, promo-projects, and social media.
Design companies are great in motivating the community to share design tips, articles, assets, designs, and even positive vibes. If you open the research and check visual, you'll see it :)
Some design companies focus on content, inviting opinion leaders to share their knowledge through interviews. Others run community-driven blogs, openly inviting contributors by prominently positioning “submit content” call to actions. Another tactic is to motivate the community to share more of their design work made with specific design tools. The more the community contributes to anything brand-related, the tighter the connection formed between brand and users.
4. Empower the community to build plugins & extensions
this is something specific for the design & development industry, but can be applied to many startups as well.
Plugins enrich the tool capabilities, providing huge value by giving end users the opportunity to build the features they need. At the same time, this forms a loyal community of plugin makers, who can even build their own small businesses on top of it. The main question is how to motivate the creative community to make plugins.
For the last 4 years, I’ve been working with community building in design & development industry while running my startup.
We used many community-building techniques by ourselves and learn from great companies in our space — from Sketch, InVision, Figma, Marvel.
Based on our learnings and things we noted form other companies, I made a community-building framework. You can see it in the research (https://flawlessapp.io/designcommunities) I shared with many visual examples.
