By Attila Ambrus, COO of Lowcono Inc.

Low-code platforms are transforming the way businesses develop and deploy software. For startups, taking advantage of low-code can be a game changer, giving them a faster, more cost-effective and more flexible way to build launch new technology solutions.

While it is true for every business, it is uniquely advantageous for startups to have quick, agile and efficient development methods. Low-code platforms offer visual tools that allow users to plan, manage and create applications using easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interfaces. No need to write code from scratch, they can create and maintain software by using and customizing pre-built modules. This not only reduces the amount of code required to build an application, but also allows non-technical staff to create applications without extensive software developer training, eliminating the need for highly skilled development teams, freeing up resources and assets, saving money. Faster development and lower cost mean a longer runway for startups.

Low-code platforms also enable leadership teams and investors to remain in the driver’s seat as they have a visual, simple-to-understand roadmap to plan and track the development process, stay in control of what is being built.

Furthermore, by building Minimum Viable Products (MVP) in a quick, cost-effective way startups can quickly validate new ideas, test them with customers and stakeholders, and iterate through changes much quicker, if necessary.

What are the main advantages of using low code?

Quicker and more agile planning

Planning in low-code is an easy, visual process. System Maps, Logical Data Models and Workflows are all simple to understand, both for technical users and regular staff, and can be easily changed before or even during execution. It is a significantly quicker and more flexible way to design a product than writing and re-writing countless pages of technical documents that only developers understand.

Faster prototyping to reach MVP

It is well–known among professional developers that most applications simply do not need to be written from scratch. Repurposing existing libraries, functions, assets – building blocks, in other words, are a huge time saver. A low-code platform takes this advantage to the regular user: pre-existing building blocks come built-in to low-code platforms and these modules can be further customized to match product specifications based on specific needs. Using low-code significantly cuts down time that is traditionally required between an idea and reaching MVP. Industry data show using low-code software can reduce development time by as much as 90 percent.

Cost effective

Startups typically run on finite capital; they need to operate with minimal expenses to maintain their burn rate. Using low-code allows startups to develop enterprise-grade applications much faster than traditional development, while providing additional cost savings by reducing the need to hire experienced and costly software developers.

Easy to modify

Change happens. All the time. Not just during building an MVP, but also later, while building an enterprise-grade application, or even after a product was handed over to a client. Using low-code, not only building but also modifying or replacing these pre-existing modules is possible without affecting the whole product. Using low-code is like building something from LEGO blocks.

Cheaper to maintain

Software maintenance typically represents 75 percent of the total cost of ownership (TCO). Most low-code systems provide self-testing functionality out of the box, which runs in the background and notifies if a process is failing or broken. Since the root cause is flagged this way, fixing broken features, functions or their connections requires only a basic skillset. These “Citizen Developers” can be trained quickly, even in-house, and they can further develop the application on their own, using built-in platform tools.

Higher customer engagement and customer satisfaction

An engaged customer is a happy customer. In the case of a startup, these “customers” are the leadership team and the investors, who are rarely experts in technology. The visual nature of planning and building will make them feel involved, stay in control, and gives them the ability to change direction based on the needs of the business, based on what they want or what they can sell.

Do you want to learn more about low code and understand more of its benefits? Read What Is Low-Code and How Is it Still Not on Everybody’s Agenda?

Startups are always looking for ways to gain and maintain a competitive advantage and low-code provides all of that. Using low-code startups can bring new products and services to market faster, respond more quickly to changes in the market, and outpace their competition. Low-code also helps to improve productivity, increase collaboration, and greatly reduces the time-to-market window.

In conclusion, low-code is a valuable technology choice for any startup because it provides a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective way to build, launch and support software products

Does your organization have a software project that’s too complicated to manage, running behind schedule and costing too much to build? Reach out to us at Contact Us – Lowcono