App Development Platform Eases Creation For All Coders
Introduction
The popularity of app development platforms has skyrocketed over the past few years. With the rising demand for mobile and web apps across countless industries and demographics, these platforms have made app creation accessible to coders of all skill levels. Whether you're a professional developer, business analyst, marketer, or complete beginner, app development platforms provide intuitive tools to build fully-functional apps faster than ever before.
In this post, we'll dive into the capabilities of the leading app development platform, including its drag-and-drop interface, pre-built components, and ability to publish apps across platforms. We'll see how it enables accelerated development times compared to traditional coding. Real-world examples and tips will showcase how businesses like DHL, Red Bull, and Schneider Electric have leveraged the platform to digitize processes, engage customers, and empower employees. By the end, you'll have a firm understanding of how this innovative platform makes app creation efficient and easy for developers at any stage of their journey.
Defining App Development Platforms
App development platforms empower building apps through visual, drag-and-drop interfaces instead of traditional coding. They provide pre-built components that speed up app development by handling much of the underlying logic out-of-the-box. The platforms output native mobile apps for iOS and Android, along with progressive web apps, from a single codebase. Some examples of popular app development platforms include Appian, Mendix, OutSystems, Appy Pie, and AppSheet.
Growth of App Development Platforms
Demand for business apps continues rising across every industry as companies race towards digitization. Teams want to build and iterate apps faster but with fewer technical resources required. This is where low-code and no-code app development platforms come in - they enable faster app delivery by abstracting the complexities of coding from the process. Now "citizen developers" with no coding expertise can build lightweight apps. Platforms also facilitate more collaboration in app development across business units.
Benefits of the App Development Platform
The app development platform delivers an intuitive, visual interface enabling coders of all abilities to build apps efficiently. Its drag-and-drop editor and pre-fabricated components allow for rapid prototyping. Apps output for multiple platforms from a single project and benefit from accelerated development cycles.
Intuitive Visual Interface
The platform provides a drag-and-drop canvas familiar to anyone who's used building blocks or design software. Visual UI editors enable designing complete app frontends without typing code. Live previews support quick iterations and user testing. The extensive library of over 200 pre-built components - like forms, charts, lists, buttons - speeds up development time. The WYSIWYG approach also avoids syntax errors that can slow down coders.
Develop Apps Faster
Apps can be developed 3-10x faster compared to traditional coding. Pre-built components handle much of the common logic like connecting to databases or displaying charts out-of-the-box. Business analysts can reconfigure application logic without changing underlying code. Automated DevOps workflows take care of repetitive processes like building, testing and deploying apps. Updates made on one platform propagate automatically across outputted versions.
For All Developer Skill Levels
The platform's low-code approach enables business users and citizen developers to start building apps themselves without intensive training. Novices can start coding apps faster with a lower learning curve. Experienced developers retain the flexibility to extend app capabilities by writing JavaScript, Python, or other custom code. Workflow automations can be mapped visually by business analysts without engineering resources. Marketers can quickly build lightweight apps for campaigns or events.
Use Cases and Applications
The app development platform's flexibility enables building diverse apps and use cases limited only by imagination. Companies utilize it to digitize processes across departments like IT, marketing, operations, sales and HR. Here are some examples of the apps built.
Common App Types
- Internal business apps - sales tracking, inventory management, procurement, etc.
- Customer-facing apps - account portals, ecommerce, self-service, etc.
- Industry-specific apps - tailored to unique needs of healthcare, finance, etc.
- IoT apps - connect devices, visualize telemetry data
- Campaign apps - for conferences, contests, marketing campaigns
Use Cases by Department
- IT: workflow automation, data collection, legacy modernization
- Marketing: build campaign microapps, collect feedback
- Operations: digitize processes, track assets, manage service requests
- Sales: customer portals, self-service, configure-price-quote
- HR: streamline onboarding, training, employee self-service
Case Studies
- DHL built an app to digitize their delivery workflow resulting in 70% time savings
- Red Bull uses the platform to manage events and gather visitor feedback
- Schneider Electric created self-audit apps to improve operations compliance
- Company A saw 40% faster development cycles
- Company B enabled non-coders to easily prototype apps
Getting Started with the Platform
Getting started building apps is straightforward. Here is an overview of signing up, building your first app, leveraging pre-built tools and deploying completed apps.
Signing Up
The platform offers affordable monthly and annual subscription plans including free tiers. Head to the pricing page and signup form to create your account. Trial periods are available to experience building apps firsthand.
Building Your First App
- Create a new app project and name it
- Drag and drop components like forms, tables, buttons onto canvas
- Connect components to create workflow logic
- Customize styling like colors and branding
- Preview on device emulators and iterate
Leveraging Pre-Built Tools
Browse the extensive component library for commonly used UI elements, data connectors, plugins and more. Choose from template apps tailored for different use cases to accelerate development. Import sample data flows for common logic patterns. Extend functionality by writing custom code in JavaScript, Python, etc. Connect to databases, APIs and more using pre-built integrations.
Deploying Your App
Use the one-click publish to generate ready-to-use iOS, Android and web apps. Choose to deploy privately or submit to app stores. Configure monitoring and analytics to gather user insights. Set up version control and connect CI/CD pipelines via GitHub, Azure DevOps etc. for automated delivery. Manage and analyze app distribution and updates.
Maximizing the App Development Platform
Adopting the platform at scale requires some best practices around governance, enhancements, integrations and customizations.
Scaling Usage Across the Organization
Start with small, low-risk pilot projects to demonstrate value. Build up internal expertise via training programs and mentoring. Develop governance policies for security, testing, support. Leverage reusable components and templates to ensure consistency. Automate build pipelines to streamline iteration. Consider creating an internal community of citizen developers and power users to share best practices.
Enhancing and Maintaining Apps
Continuously gather user feedback via in-app surveys, NPS etc. to refine apps after launching. Monitor usage trends and evolve apps alongside changing business needs. Update branding and components through configuration vs. code changes. Proactively monitor performance and stability. Conduct A/B testing of different versions incorporating user feedback.
Extending Integrations
Connect to databases, cloud services, APIs and more using pre-built connectors. Build custom plugins to interface with other systems lacking connectors. Expose app capabilities via API for reuse across organization. Embed predictive analytics by integrating with data science platforms and AI/ML models. Manage security permissions to connected data sources.
The Future is Low-Code
This innovative app development platform delivers powerful benefits to coders at any skill level. Demand for business apps will continue rising, and low-code solutions represent the future of app development. With intuitive visual tools, pre-built components and accelerated timelines, innovators can turn ideas into reality faster than ever. The time is now to start building the apps of tomorrow.