The Future Is Written In Low-Code, Mobile-First

With the rate at which coding is taught to school children with a sprinkling of adult classes here and there, you would be forgiven for thinking coding is yet another language you need to learn. Coding is – or rather – was a very powerful tool for Gen Z. Knowing how to build a site from scratch with HTML was a highly prized skill. You could, if you wanted to, take those skills on and up your ante. That was until the rise of mobile-first low-code.

Low-code and no-code modular approaches have allowed professional developers to build applications by not writing line-by-line of coding. It has opened new vistas for others who did not learn coding from the ground up by allowing them to work with a much easier-to-learn skill without going through the traditional programming languages. Low code has revolutionised programming, changing the way developers and organisations work.

But where did it all start?

Without going as far back as IBM and its invention of the complex FORTRAN, followed by COBOL, the C, C++ to date, low-code as a term was coined in 2014 by the analyst firm, Forrester. It classified development platforms focusing on simplicity and ease of use. The beauty of low-code is that these platforms allow people of all skill levels to code, without having to know complex coding. Forrester, at the time, said, “Low-code platforms enable rapid delivery of business applications with a minimum of hand-coding and minimal upfront investment in setup, training, and deployment.” Gartner, who helped make low-code popular, described it as “Low-code development both describe platforms that abstract away from code and offer an integrated set of tools to accelerate app delivery.”

The global low-code platform market revenue is valued at almost $13 billion dollars in 2020. Forecasters expect it to hit $65 billion in 2027.

The no-code development allows non-programmers and programmers alike to create software by using a graphical user interface, instead of writing code. It is a movement that believes technology needs to make creativity possible, and not become a barrier to entry. It, like low-code, has democratised spaces previously only occupied by programmers. It means you don’t have to study another language, and that anyone can now come out to play. It gifts creators with the ability to turn their ideas into reality.

This should not come as a surprise considering the past couple of years responsible for accelerated digitisation, as well as a solid ecosystem. The idea is to boost scalability, eliminate skills gaps, and faster customisation. IT leaders are under a great deal of pressure to dramatically accelerate digital transformation. SaaS and hyper-automation are expected to drive the low-code industry. Aside from that, it saves business money while helping it make more of the same, and time makes all the difference when it comes to coding. This raises the inevitability of low-code success.

Operating in tandem is mobile-first design, a term that came into public consciousness in 2020 during the Mobile World Congress. Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, declared that designers should follow the “mobile-first” rule in product design. Mobile-first comes down to responsive web design – think of a website that considers the reader by flowing both on their site as well as on mobile. Content fits different devices allowing for zooming and scrolling.

Mobile-first technology could start with progressive advancement, which builds a version for mobile with basic functions and features upon which tablets and Pcs are layered, where more is added. Or, it could work in reverse where it starts from a desktop that is stripped down to mobile through graceful degradation. So far, progressive advancement has won.

Mobile-first web design considers how attached we are to our smartphones, and just how many people access the internet with their smartphones. Two billion people on the planet access the internet through their smartphones.

This is where our leading mobile-first solution shines. It meets the customers where they are. At CM.com we see the mobile device as the remote control of people’s lives. It is the go-to tool where people plan and orchestrate almost every aspect of their life and where they feel more confident connecting with businesses, accessing services, and making purchases.

Consumers want and expect quick and easy access to the information, goods, and services they need on the communication channel that suits them best. They will always choose businesses that go the extra mile to make their experiences more personalised and efficient, and that’s what drives us.

Our technology addresses this by enabling businesses to better connect and interact with their customers in deeper and more meaningful ways through their preferred channels. This could be via a chatbot or through mobile messaging channels such as WhatsApp and Google’s Business Messages.

Through our conversational commerce suite

Mobile Service Cloud enables initial engagement and interaction, then onto our communications platform to reach customers through their preferred channels, and Conversational AI Cloud to automate and direct conversations, through to our Customer Data Platform, where we can personalise the customer experience through understanding behaviours and preferences. As the loop continues again, levels of engagement deepen through adjustments based on customer data, and can be used intuitively time and time again.

Think global, act local

Our strategy in each country is to ensure that we have a locally sourced and represented presence in current and new geographies where we see the most opportunities and potential. We will continue to bring new innovations to the market so we can enrich connections and ensure that people get the help, support, and experiences they want and expect.

This article has been written by James Bayhack, Director Sub-Saharan Africa, CM.com