How No-Code is changing the way companies develop web and mobile apps
Having a digital presence for business is essential, but most entrepreneurs don’t have the technical skills to build their own web-apps or the funds and time to have one custom built. This is where No-Code tools can help to build and create new apps in weeks, rather than months! No-Code products are tools developed to build websites, applications, chatbots, e-commerce stores, and other online applications without the need to write any code. Pre-built modules allow users to build features using drag and drop, instead of coding each piece from scratch. Building applications with No-Code offers several key benefits for developers and businesses since it is much quicker to build, test, and iterate than with traditional coding.
What is No-Code and how does it work?
No-Code tools are democratising programming by allowing those without developer or coding skills to build and develop online applications quickly and easily. This allows you to quickly design a workable application by dragging and dropping different elements for your app. You build your app visually, instead of writing back-end code. This offers users several key benefits such as speed, control, and costs.
One of many products available on the market is Bubble, which is designed to build different types of web and mobile applications. Bubble has essentially built the main building blocks for your web app, meaning you can drag and drop things like sign-up fields, image galleries, user profiles, etc. It's a bit like building something with pre-made Lego bricks.
The benefits of No-Code
SPEED: The main benefit of No-Code is the speed to deployment. No-Code allows for quick development and with the use of add-ons and templates a working Minimum Viable Product (MVP) can be developed in just a couple of weeks. By building quickly businesses can shorten their product feedback loop considerably. Start-ups looking for their first customers can build a testable product, capture feedback and tweak their product much more quickly. With Bubble, you can test business ideas in weeks rather than months, learn from the tests and iterate at speed.
CONTROL: Using No-Code products allows business and entrepreneurs to have control over their app. Compared to a product that is developed from code, minor changes can be done quickly in No-Code products like Bubble. It’s easy-to-navigate interface allows for quick colour, content, and design changes, instead of having to hire a developer to make changes to the code.
COSTS: Since No-Code doesn’t require extensive programming time and has easy to use building blocks, it reduces the cost to build applications. Updates and tweaks are also made quickly and cheaply, normally only requiring a few clicks. Building in No-Code ranges in cost from free if you do it yourself to about £3,000 for a basic MVP or £10,000 for a full app if you pay an agency. This is in comparison to custom developing an app from scratch which generally costs up to £50,000 with traditional agencies.
These key benefits are critical for start-ups and companies that want to move fast. The relative cost and agility of No-Code helps with bringing something new to market, and being able to make continuous changes helps keep it growing and relevant. Bubble ticks all of these boxes. You can create a simple MVP in 2-3 weeks, launch it and see if it works or not. Then make any changes quickly and go again.
Can Bubble really handle my business needs?
Bubble is a visual programming language that allows applications to be built without the use of traditional coding using a What You See Is What You Get principle. This is a system in which editing software allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when displayed as a finished product (in the same way as a PowerPoint presentation). If you can work in Microsoft Excel comfortably you can learn to work in Bubble. Templates and add-ons also speed up development with pre-built applications that can be customised.
The platform means that web applications can be built quicker, for less costs, and allow for more control than traditional coding. Similar to Shopify, where you can create your store using the Shopify platform and start selling your items straight away, Bubble allows users to develop and deploy their web app quickly and easily.
There are a number of No-Code platforms out there but we choose to use Bubble because it's simple to use and it is probably the most powerful No-Code platform: you can connect with APIs, do payments, have maps, and even build whole platforms like Airbnb and Uber.
Using Bubble means you can grow an audience base, improve your product over time, and add in unique features with the use of overlay coding and APIs. Bubble is easy to start with, but it can also grow with your business overtime.
What do you get with Bubble?
With Bubble, you can build your app without code, while also having the flexibility to use templates, plug-ins, and integrating with third party APIs. The interface is fully customisable making it easy to edit different aspects of the application, such as colours, content, workflows, data, and plug-ins. The Data Tab manages all of your data needs with easy to work with UX. The workflows can be customised to any degree that you want, helping you program your page and work with data. Unlike other tools, you can integrate with things that are outside of Bubble using APIs such as authentication providers, other data sources, payment methods, etc.
What is the Bubble Ecosystem?
One of the benefits of Bubble is the large community built around it including a Marketplace where you can buy themes and templates for your app. You can, for example, purchase a template that is similar to Airbnb then customise it for your own application for, let's say, musicians if you so wish.
Bubble has an extensive range of plug-ins which allow you to quickly integrate with things that Bubble doesn't natively have. So for example if you don't like the standard notifications that Bubble gives you, you can access more options through a number of plug-ins on the Bubble store.
Templates, plug-ins, and support from other developers means that you can test your idea out with a workable app in no time.
