www.cmswire.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700:20::6819:9b1e  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

<form style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;gap:16px;width:100%"><input type="email" style="border:1px solid #D6D5D5;border-radius:4px;padding:6px 16px 4px 16px;flex:1" placeholder="Email address"><button class="button secondary"
    type="submit">Join us</button></form>

<form style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;gap:16px;width:100%"><input type="email" style="border:1px solid #D6D5D5;border-radius:4px;padding:6px 16px 4px 16px;flex:1" placeholder="Email address"><button class="button secondary"
    type="submit">Join us</button></form>

Text Content

Read
Customer Experience
Call Centers
Digital Experience
Ecommerce
Voice of the Customer
Digital Marketing
Customer Data Platforms
AI in Customer Experience
Marketing Automation
Digital Experience Platforms
View All Topics

Investigate
Research Reports
Market Guides
White Papers
View All

Attend
Webinars
Workshops
Conferences
View All

 * About Us
 * Editorial Calendar
 * CONNECT Conference
 * IMPACT Awards
 * CX Decoded Podcast
 * CMSWire Mobile App
 * Press Releases
 * Product Directory
 * Advertise Here
 * Become a Contributor
   Join us


CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

CMSWire's customer experience (CXM) channel gathers the latest news, advice and
analysis about the evolving landscape of customer-first marketing, commerce and
digital experience design.

SPONSORED BY
Editorial



CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


ENOUGH ALREADY WITH CUSTOMER FEEDBACK. MAKE YOUR MOVE

Read now
Editorial



DIGITAL EXPERIENCE


8 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR BRAND'S PRODUCT EXPERIENCE

Read now
Feature



DIGITAL EXPERIENCE


MASTERING BRAND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE

Read now

Customer Experience


4 WAYS FINANCIAL SERVICES PROVIDE NEXT-LEVEL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


Customer Experience


DESIGN PRODUCTS WITH EYE FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD


Customer Experience


ARE YOU GHOSTING YOUR CUSTOMERS?


Customer Experience


A DECADE OF DRAMATIC CHANGE IN DIGITAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


Customer Experience


CUSTOMER DATA MANAGEMENT IS THE KEY TO CONSUMER TRUST, PROFITABILITY


Digital Marketing


DEFINING YOUR MARKETING TECHNOLOGY PHILOSOPHY

Explore Customer Experience
About usEditorial calendarAdvertise here
Join us


Feature


THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S FATE IN LOW-CODE/NO-CODE WORLD

11 minute read
By Jennifer Torres

October 12, 2022

Digital Marketing
ShareSave
What does the emergence of no-code/low-code tools mean for the savvy developer?

With no-code/low-code tech, the skills of an average everyday worker are imbued
with abilities only software developers and IT professionals once possessed,
like building webpages, applications, data analysis and more.

Collectively, by expanding your abilities and turning you into a “citizen”
designer and developer, they bestow you with “marketing superpowers, able to
launch apps and workflows in a single click,” said Scott Brinker, author of the
Chief Marketing Technologist blog and VP of platform ecosystem at HubSpot.

Great news for many — but what about the highly-trained tech professional or
developer? Should they worry that tasks once requiring a squad of software
specialists are now drag and drop, creating an opportunity for anyone to become
a “citizen” developer? Or will they enhance the field and free up tech
professionals for more substantial, meaningful work?




WHAT EXACTLY IS NO-CODE/LOW-CODE?

The next time your teen is tasked with a school presentation, you might remind
them there once was a time when only a technically trained pro could do such a
thing. For those of us growing up in the early '80’s, presentations consisted of
standing at the head of the class, awkwardly thumbing through hand-written
notecards — but the release of PowerPoint in 1987 made us all more creatively
capable.

While PowerPoint isn’t technically no-code — it’s basically the same idea at the
heart of no-code and low-code platforms that empower non-technical professionals
with the ability to create websites, workflows, apps and more — without the
skill and training of a program developer.

With the lure of fast results and a minimal learning curve, tech leaders are
being inundated by providers offering low/no-code tools that enable citizen
developers to bypass the IT department and produce their own business apps and
automations.

According to “Harness the Disruptive Powers of Low-Code: A Gartner Trend Insight
Report” by Gartner Analyst Jason Wong, by 2025, spending on low-code development
technologies is expected to grow to almost $30 billion with 70% of new
applications developed by enterprises using no-code/low-code.


NO-CODE IS SIMPLY AN EVOLUTION

Rather than comparing these no-code/low-code tools to PowerPoint, Wong said a
better precursor to the no-code movement would be spreadsheets. “Before, if you
wanted to do any type of data formatting you needed a computer scientist to
construct it,” Wong told CMSWire. “Then along came Lotus and Excel and opened it
up to business users.”

But he warns that no-code does not necessarily mean no skill — and low-code
often requires the skillset of a professional developer to assure a proper
integration with current tech. Despite the name, he reiterates that all software
runs on code, and with no-code, any alteration from a non-expert can cause
irrevocable damage.

“We don’t see this replacing the need for development programming engineers, and
we don’t see these tools replacing business subject matter expertise," Wong
said. "These are tools to draw higher efficiency and productivity from data
engineers, designers and the businesspeople who want to contribute to these
roles. We are seeing a blending of teams, so it’s not just designers, architects
and database administrators — now you see sales managers, marketing and human
resources working together once they learn the low-code and no-code tools.”

Related Article: No-Code/Low-Code Solutions Could Be Answer to Better Customer
Experience


WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NO-CODE AND LOW-CODE?

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Wong
explains that “low-code” tools support some small level of coding and the option
to add custom functions, therefore some basic coding skill is necessary to
cultivate and incorporate complex applications “No-code,” meanwhile, is
essentially a marketing term that implies the tool is for non-professional
developers.

Brinker says no-code is best for specific types of work, including tasks that
are:

 * Relatively simple.
 * Mainly for internal use (or well-defined external use cases).
 * Only going to be used by one (or just a few) users.
 * Relatively short-lived, like a simple campaign for a webinar.
 * Very low risk (e.g., not working sensitive data). 


WILL NO-CODE/LOW-CODE HELP BELEAGUERED TECH INDUSTRY?

Promising a faster, easier, less expensive and more inclusive path — the advent
of no-code and low-code tools and platforms could potentially cause further
disruption to the already embattled tech sector.

Last year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Summary, approximately 47.4 million people quit their jobs in what has
been called The Great Resignation. In August alone another 4.2 million more
people quit. And according to an analysis by Harvard Business Review of more
than 9 million employee records from more than 4,000 companies, the highest
amount of resignations came from the tech and healthcare industries, likely due
to increases in demand, increased workloads and burnout.

Then there’s the talent shortage. A survey of IT executives from Gartner
revealed that 64% consider the current gap in talent as the most significant
adoption barrier to emerging technologies, compared with just 4% in 2020.

“The ongoing push toward remote work and the acceleration of hiring plans in
2021 has exacerbated IT talent scarcity, especially for sourcing skills that
enable cloud and edge, automation and continuous delivery,” Yinuo Geng, research
vice president at Gartner, said in a statement. “As one example, of all the IT
automation technologies profiled in the survey, only 20% of them have moved
ahead in the adoption cycle since 2020. The issue of talent is to blame here.”

Under the banner of decentralized delivery where anyone in the business can
build ops for themselves and others, Wong said low-code/no-code will certainly
affect IT departments.

“But it could be a good thing because IT can’t do everything,” Wong said. “These
tools will simply allow them to change priorities and work with citizen
developers to enhance productivity.”


DO WE STILL NEED CODERS AND DEVELOPERS?

While these tools may be a great boon for citizen developers — will DIY apps
fill a space once inhabited only by trained professionals?

Steve Jennis, principal at Jennis Consulting Group LLC and a founding partner of
Founder's Compass, said the most valuable developers were always those with both
domain and coding skills because understanding a problem in detail is essential
to developing the best solution for it. As such, he believes that
no-code/low-code tools do nothing to reduce dependence on domain experts but do
mean more people can code efficiently.

“For employers, this means fewer and thus lower costs for IT specialists, so
more money available to pay domain experts their true worth,” Jennis said. “It’s
not the hammer, it’s how you use it.”

Brinker looks at no-code/low-code on a spectrum.

“On one end, no-code tools are letting non-experts do a lot of the things that,
quite frankly, experts do not want to do," Brinker said. "If you are an expert
web developer, you do not want to spend your days building landing pages for the
marketing department, so actually, in those scenarios, you find IT folks and
software developers are happy in that there's a whole set of stuff that's being
taken off their plate."

According to Brinker, as these tools get better and better, we'll likely see
experts adopt them and accelerate the implementation and delivery of what they
do. Expertise in this arena isn't always about code, he added.


LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Webinar

Oct
18
Solving Server Supply Chain Issues
It's a dangerous world out there — find out how to keep your infrastructure safe

Webinar

Oct
20
Cyber Resilience In The Cloud Is Not Optional
In today’s age of ransomware and widespread cyber attacks, your cloud data needs
to be protected.

Webinar

Oct
25
Are You Blocking Your Internal Comms Team Without Knowing It
Best practices & tips to help IC teams thrive

Conference

Oct
26
Digital Experience Summit - Q4 2022
Future CX - Blending Physical & Digital Experiences

Webinar

Oct
26
[EIS Webinar] How Successful B2B Brands Deliver Next-Level Digital Experiences
Join us for a lively, engaging, and information packed conversation with two
industry experts

Webinar

Nov
1
The Evolution of Employee Recognition
Leveraging the power of appreciation to improve the employee experience

Webinar

Oct
18
Solving Server Supply Chain Issues
It's a dangerous world out there — find out how to keep your infrastructure safe

Webinar

Oct
20
Cyber Resilience In The Cloud Is Not Optional
In today’s age of ransomware and widespread cyber attacks, your cloud data needs
to be protected.


Webinar

Oct
18
Solving Server Supply Chain Issues
It's a dangerous world out there — find out how to keep your infrastructure safe

Webinar

Oct
20
Cyber Resilience In The Cloud Is Not Optional
In today’s age of ransomware and widespread cyber attacks, your cloud data needs
to be protected.

Webinar

Oct
25
Are You Blocking Your Internal Comms Team Without Knowing It
Best practices & tips to help IC teams thrive

Webinar

Oct
18
Solving Server Supply Chain Issues
It's a dangerous world out there — find out how to keep your infrastructure safe


View all


"There's a certain amount of that," Brinker added, "but a lot of the expertise
in software development is thinking about the logic, the concepts, how these
things are going to flow, which if you're doing a complicated app, even if
you're going to build it with a no-code tool, there's still a fair amount of
expertise that is required in order to create it and create it well."

So, will anyone’s job be affected? Brinker acknowledged there is also a middle
ground — and it’s a place of personal reckoning.

“There are probably some developers and IT people who aren't particularly
experts with skills and what they’re able to do with code is relatively
limited,” Brinker said. “I think as you see these no-code tools get better and
better, it probably will encroach upon roles in which people who aren’t
particularly good may be pushed out to find some other calling that better fits
their talents.”

Related Article: How Low-Code/No-Code Are Changing CX Design


TIPS FOR SELECTING THE RIGHT TOOLS

According to Wong, the terms low-code and no-code are “overused” and end up
creating confusion for leaders who are uncertain which tools would best serve
their organization.

So, rather than focusing on the terminology, he advises a thorough evaluation of
what’s available and then selecting only the tools that fit your particular use
cases and skill sets. In addition, he says, make sure the tool supports your
existing integration, automation, and software development life cycle (SDLC)
stacks.

Gavin Hupp, vice president of information technology for SeaWorld Parks &
Entertainment, said that prior to his position with SeaWorld, he used a low-code
platform with success.

“I used OptimumHQ, which is an excellent platform, headquartered in Arizona and
highly recommended but not all platforms are created equally. It depends on your
strategic plans for the platform,” Huff said. “Stay within the intended use,
don’t get too fancy with customizations, and you’ll be OK. Otherwise, low-code
can be a ball of spaghetti just like custom code.”

According to Jennis, when evaluating no-code and low-code development tools, go
beyond the vendor’s marketing message to assess the underlying approach to their
development tools or platforms.

“Just because a vendor is marketing ‘low-code’ may not mean it’s for
professional developers, and another marketing ‘no-code’ doesn’t always mean
it’s for citizen developers,” he said. “Determine how code is abstracted and
added because this will ultimately determine the extensibility and flexibility
of their approach, and how easy the tool is to connect with other technologies.”

Related Article: What Do Low-Code and No-Code Mean to the C-Suite?


IS LOW-CODE/NO-CODE RISKY FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Michael J. Montgomery, a senior software engineer at ServiceNow, said he’s
enthusiastic about the prospects of low/no-code but tempers it with caution.

“While I am excited about the applications that no/low-code platforms empower
those who are not engineers to build and interact with, the importance of
factors like security and efficiency cannot be overstated and must not be
overlooked,” Montgomery said. “There are a lot of moving parts to a well-built
application, and I’m all for ‘working smarter and not harder,' so long as
corners are not being cut.”

Brinker said there are hundreds and hundreds of no-code tools out there, and a
lot of them weren't really created for large companies. "They were created," he
said, "in many cases for these individuals, these creators. There's a bunch of
these no-code tools that are really empowering for creators who don't yet have
to worry about things like corporate governance.”

Dark Reading’s 2022 Secure Applications Survey of IT and cybersecurity leaders,
found that while more than half of the respondents said their company had
implemented some amount of low-code/no-code within their organization, 32% were
worried there was no governance over how the applications were accessing and
using their data; 26% admitted they don't even know how to check for
vulnerabilities in the low-code/no-code applications.

“You probably do want to empower people in your organization for a certain
amount of self-service capability, but you want to make sure of the data they're
working with, the services they have access to, and control over when things can
be deployed publicly to the outside world,” Brinker said. “These things need
checks and balances in place, and I think you'll see more tools in no-code get
better at supporting good governance because that is absolutely crucial in order
for these capabilities to ultimately be adopted by enterprises.”

While there is a lot of enthusiasm and adoption behind these tools because they
can often solve problems independent of IT, create solvent solutions and are
more adaptive to market conditions, Wong said there is a downside. And it’s
important to understand what the “lock-in” is.

“With some of these tools, you are locked in, and can’t see or inspect the code
as you improve in complexity or if something changes in security,” Wong said.
“People need to remember that not everything is magical, and there is a
tradeoff, but it doesn’t mean you have to run on them indefinitely. There is
value in starting with these tools to prove out a concept and then move it into
a different tool.”




















TAGS

low code developmentcodecodingcxmdigital experiencedxmdigital marketing


FEATURED RESEARCH

Research Report
CX Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities
Understanding the Urgency of Customer Centricity
Read now

Research Report
Verint Experience Index: Banking
CSAT, NPS and Customer Behavior Insights
Read now

White Paper
The more personalized the customer experience, the higher the ROI
The value of getting personalization right – or wrong – is growing
Read now

Guide
The Inner Circle Guide to Agent Engagement & Empowerment
Speak your customer’s language
Read now
White Paper
Your Business Shortcut to Digital Transformation
The Right Development Platform Makes a Difference
Read now

Research Report
Consumer Attitudes, Expectations, and Preferences for Customer Service
Find out what consumers value most when interacting with customer service
Read now

Research Report
Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) Market Guide
Everything you need to know about the DXP marketplace
Read now
Research Report
CX Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities
Understanding the Urgency of Customer Centricity
Read now

Research Report
Verint Experience Index: Banking
CSAT, NPS and Customer Behavior Insights
Read now

White Paper
The more personalized the customer experience, the higher the ROI
The value of getting personalization right – or wrong – is growing
Read now

Guide
The Inner Circle Guide to Agent Engagement & Empowerment
Speak your customer’s language
Read now

View all RESEARCH



RELATED STORIES

Editorial

Digital Marketing
Defining Your Marketing Technology Philosophy
Feature

Digital Marketing
Chief Marketing Officers Share Priorities Amid Economic Stress
Editorial

Digital Marketing
How AI Can Impact Your Marketing, Customer Experience


RELATED STORIES

Editorial

Digital Marketing
Defining Your Marketing Technology Philosophy
Feature

Digital Marketing
Chief Marketing Officers Share Priorities Amid Economic Stress
Editorial

Digital Marketing
How AI Can Impact Your Marketing, Customer Experience


RELATED STORIES

Editorial

Digital Marketing
Defining Your Marketing Technology Philosophy
Feature

Digital Marketing
Chief Marketing Officers Share Priorities Amid Economic Stress
Editorial

Digital Marketing
How AI Can Impact Your Marketing, Customer Experience


ABOUT CMSWIRE

For nearly two decades CMSWire, produced by Simpler Media Group, has been the
world's leading community of customer experience professionals.

.

Today the CMSWire community consists of over 5 million influential customer
experience and custom service leaders, the majority of whom are based in North
America and employed by medium to large organizations. Our sister community,
Reworked gathers the word's leading employee experience and digital workplace
professionals.


EXPLORE:

CX Decoded PodcastCMSWire IMPACT AwardsCMSWire Insights & ResearchCMSWire
CONNECT ConferenceCMSWire Editorial CalendarBecome a CMSWire ContributorReworked
CONNECT ConferenceThe Wire (Press Releases)CMSWire Advertising & Sponsorship


POPULAR ARTICLES

Agile vs DevOps: What's the Difference?Why Is Starbucks so Successful Despite
Its Mediocre Coffee?How Call Center Analytics Drive Customer Satisfaction10
Marketing Certifications That Can Help You Earn a Better SalaryChief Marketing
Officers Share Priorities Amid Economic Stress


JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Not yet a CMSWire member? We serve over 5 million of the world's top customer
experience practitioners. Join us today — unlock member benefits and accelerate
your career, all for free.

Join us



GET THE CMSWIRE MOBILE APP


CMSWire is published by Simpler Media Group, Inc.


VISIT OUR OTHER BRANDS:


Privacy|Terms|Contact|Advertising


ABOUT CMSWIRE

For nearly two decades CMSWire, produced by Simpler Media Group, has been the
world's leading community of customer experience professionals.

.

Today the CMSWire community consists of over 5 million influential customer
experience and custom service leaders, the majority of whom are based in North
America and employed by medium to large organizations. Our sister community,
Reworked gathers the word's leading employee experience and digital workplace
professionals.


JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us



GET THE CMSWIRE MOBILE APP


Privacy|Terms|Contact|Advertising







By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your
device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our
marketing efforts.

Reject All Accept All Cookies
Cookies Settings




PRIVACY PREFERENCE CENTER

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your
browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you,
your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you
expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can
give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to
privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the
different category headings to find out more and change our default settings.
However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site
and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block
or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.

FUNCTIONAL COOKIES

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some
or all of these services may not function properly.

TARGETING COOKIES

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.

Back Button


PERFORMANCE COOKIES



Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Reject All Confirm My Choices