No-Code Platforms – Keeping things accessible

If you want to make impactful digital business solutions but you don’t know your C# from your Java, you’ve got no chance. Or do you? With no-code platforms, anyone with a bright idea can contribute directly to creating digital wizardry.

What is a no-code platform?

A no-code platform is one that enables business users to create digital solutions using a graphical user interface (GUI) rather than traditional computer programming. While much software development happens in GUIs these days, no-code platforms are designed to take care of the whole coding aspect behind the scenes.

In place of writing code, users can configure the various elements that go into the digital solution they’re designing in the front-end of the no-code platform. Then, the platform translates that configuration into the lines of code needed to realise the user’s vision.

How does it differ from a Low-code approach?

A low-code platform is exactly what it sounds like. As with no-code, much of the development of business solutions is done within a GUI, but they require more training and expertise than a no-code platform.

To make use of a low-code platform, you still need to know the principles of ER Diagrams, of objects and instances, of screen design, and layouts, and styling… and source code is generated. With no-code all of that is taken care of for you. As the name suggests, low-code does mean some code; just not as much as traditional programming.

What are the benefits of a no-code platform?

A no-code platform enables even technological novices to get involved in creating digital solutions. With an intuitive user interface and the right support, anyone can get involved. That means the development of the next big thing within your business can really come from anywhere.

This is the realisation of something we talked about last week in our introduction to lean methodology article; kaizen. Kaizen loosely translates to “continuous improvement”, but it’s more than just that. The idea behind kaizen is that this ‘continuous improvement’ can come from anywhere; from the freshest intern to the CEO.

No-code platforms answer some of the biggest issues that face companies trying to achieve digital innovation on a daily basis.

• They enable companies to take new ideas and products to market quickly
• They allow for the efficient automation of company operations
• They help digitalise customer experience
• They are flexible where monolithic IT systems are not
• They give more complete control over development
• They speed up the meeting of business requirements

With a no-code platform, business requirements can be met efficiently. You can do away with lengthy development cycles that might ultimately produce a solution that’s outdated by the time it’s released. Instead, you can identify problems and begin solving them in the moment. From there you can retest, recreate and iterate, making solutions that improve as time goes on.

With the power of no-code at your company’s collective fingertips, solutions to problems you might not even have known about can spring up from anywhere. Moreover, opportunities to innovate can be found in the last place you might think to look for them.

Are there drawbacks to no-code platforms?

That’s really a question of perspective, though there are things that no-code platforms can’t do. There’s functionality that you might never be able to build into a business solution using a no-code platform. But these aren’t necessarily drawbacks, or even missed opportunities.

Traditional computer programming is and always will be the most versatile tool available when it comes to creating digital solutions. From a single coding language in the early days to hundreds today, there’s a language or a platform or a framework for almost any problem.

However, each one requires months and years of training and use to master. While the possibilities aren’t quite endless with no-code and low-code platforms, the opportunity to be an operator of one are. Everyone from the most experienced programmer to the least tech savvy professional can get involved.

Is Atlas Play a no-code platform?

It is! And we’re very proud of that. We’ve worked hard to develop a platform that anyone can get involved in and we continue to develop powerful new features for it. Every new element that we add is designed to make the solutions you craft in Atlas Play even more impactful in your business.

We always wanted our software to be inclusive, accessible, and impactful. At every point in our development journey, from design through to release, we always put the end-user first and we keep in mind that that end-user could be anybody.

Atlas Play is a SaaS application that uses a no-code approach to allow anyone, in any business, of any size, to map business processes that make a difference. What the user is doing is creating a business process that can be executed by a BPMN process engine. They do this in an intuitive environment using the visual building blocks that make up BPMN2.0.

Without a single line of code, these processes can be integrated into the systems that make up the digital landscape of their business. They can be automated, repeated, iterated and improved. They’re infinitely scalable and always impactful. And the best part, anyone can create them. With a little help and support from us, everyone can map their own way to digital transformation.