Great piece, continuing to consider
Will No-Code Crack the Code?
By Samuel Greengard, Commissioned by CACM Staff, March 1, 2022
The history of computing is rife with advances that have made things easier for the common user. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs), the computer mouse, drag-and-drop functionality, and Web browsers are just a few examples of how complex processes have been simplified. Yet for decades, software development has remained largely outside the mainstream. Because most people lack the knowledge and ability to write computer code in C++, Python, Java, or other languages, they typically find themselves locked out—or they must hire someone to create the desired functionality.
That is beginning to change. No-code platforms are on the rise, including in areas such as automation and artificial intelligence (AI). The appeal is not difficult to understand. "No-code democratizes software development. It provides value in many areas where custom code is too expensive, slow to develop, and hard to maintain," says Isaac Sacolick, author of Driving Digital and CEO of business consulting firm Star CIO.
Behind the Lines
The idea of using visual elements to generate code is not particularly new. In 2003, WordPress introduced a drag-and-drop interface for building Websites. Not surprisingly, the concept has continued to evolve and expand. Today, no-code platforms such as Google's AppSheet make it possible to build Web and mobile apps in hours or days without any prior coding knowledge. Of course, coding continues to take place, though the process happens in an automated way behind the scenes. While the need to understand data structures and how to generate a useful app have not gone away, there is no longer a need to wear a data scientist hat. No-code platforms can grab data, classify and encode data, and use machine learning to spot relationships.
"No-code changes the game. With the popularity of smartphones and the Internet, there is a need to develop mobile apps and Websites quickly," says Ruben Martins, an assistant research professor at Carnegie Mellon University. "No-code frameworks aid individuals, but also help businesses build applications that can increase customer satisfaction and lower the cost of development."
Today, people are turning to these platforms to manage a wide array of tasks, including scheduling, claims and paperwork, tracking deliveries, viewing sales prospects, and checking job boards. No-code applications can handle text classification from unstructured data and scan financial transactions for fraud. In addition, "No-0code can do things like data cleaning and data transformation," Martins says.
