How to recognize a Nocode tool

For some years now, the concept of Nocode has been much talked about in the media and the technology world. However, if we look at its definition, Nocode appeared in the 1980s and its use has been truly democratised since 2003 - with the creation of Wordpress.

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So why does the Nocode phenomenon seem so recent and did it not make more noise a decade ago?

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Wordpress has effectively launched the subject but its positioning only covers part of the technical use cases that tech companies face: that of building static pages, a showcase page, a blog, etc.

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It is only in the last few years that the tools have matured sufficiently to allow people to bring their ideas to life and build their own applications. The emergence of the cloud and API The emergence of the cloud and the web have clearly encouraged the development and adoption of these tools at scale.

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Faced with a ever-increasing shortage of developersNocode is clearly a paradigm shift and offers undeniable benefits.

Nocode vs Low-code vs Code

The concept of Nocode is often associated with that of low-code. And it is true that it is not always easy to understand the subject. Sometimes you will find tools that have both labels.

Nocode

Nocode, or rather the Nocode tools, allow non-technical people to create all kinds of applications and automation without having to write a line of code.

These tools allow anyone to transform their ideas into a digital product and avoid allocating too much financial resources to technical profiles - whether internal or external. No programming skills or knowledge are required.

This is where the line is drawn between Nocode and low-code.

Low-code

Low-code is less accessible than Nocode and is not aimed at the same end-users. These tools will be of more interest to developers. They will allow them to go much faster in their development while having a minimum of freedom to add layers of code and customise the project in a complex way.

The code in all of this?

Nocode, low-code and code are totally complementary and do not address the same users or company typologies.

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Nocode is the most accessible and will bring out a category of amateur developers in Nocode called "citizen makers" to allow any project owner to get started while reducing production costs and Time-to-Market. Lots of Anglicisms... we know 👀.

These tools also appeal to business teams in already well-structured groups to give them more autonomy and create their own technical solutions without going through IT. Processes are smoother for everyone and the company gains in agility.

However, creating in Nocode is a profession that requires a certain amount of knowledge, both theoretical and practical: mastering the tools is one thing, but you also need a methodology and a solutions approach to develop products in Nocode (from simple landing pages to more elaborate CRM or performance tools). Thus, the Nocode Makers are profiles that are increasingly sought after and for which professional training is essential.

These are the Nocode Makers who enable SMEs or teams of large groups to accelerate theirdigital transformation and become more independent from engineers dedicated to larger projects with custom development in code. 

Low-code will be aimed at developers who are seasoned or limited by Nocode features and who wish to accelerate and develop relatively young projects under construction.

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The code will be essential for developing very specific business functionality or a novel situation - which is sometimes essential when the project has reached a certain level of maturity.

Three categories of Nocode tools

👷♂️ Visual Building Tools

Here we will find tools such as Zapier, Integromat or n8n - which allow us to create workflows consisting of triggers and actions.

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These are very powerful tools that are accessible to all depending on the level of complexity of the workflow.

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You can imagine sending a notification on Slack and an e-mail when someone fills in a form on a site. Or automate the creation and sending of an invoice to a customer when a product is purchased on your e-commerce site.

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These are now essential tools in organisations to automate processes as much as possible and to place the human element where it really has value.

👩🎨 Visual Design Tools

Webflow, Softr, Stacker, Dorik, Carrd... just to name a few. They are all tools that allow you to create websites, landing pages or blogs relatively quickly. Moreover, it is rather simple and quick to learn.

👨💻 Visual Programming Tools

This time more complex, these tools are aimed at more experienced users who have a good technical knowledge - particularly in database logic. They are your perfect allies for creating complex products with both customer and administrator areas, for example. They are also widely used to build ERP systems, i.e. internal applications for a company.

Bubble and Power Apps are two examples of Visual Programming Tools.

Nocode tools by need

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We have seen that Nocode has begun to be democratised with the need to create showcase sites and blogs. This is one of the twelve use cases we have identified at Alegria.

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1. Web apps & E-commerce: Webflow, Bubble, Retool, Appian, Elliot, DronaHQ, Sheet2site, Strikingly
   
2. Mobile apps : Glide, DronaHQ, Draftbit, Shoutem, Creolabs, Shots
   
3. Testing: Percy, Autify, Reflect, Perfecto (Ex-TestCraft)
   
4. Workflow automation: Zapier, n8n, Make (Ex-Integromat), Phantombuster, Alloy, IFTTT, Standard Library, Shortcuts
   
5. Spreadsheets & Databases: Airtable, Actiondesk, Dashdash, Clay
   
6. Voice : Voiceflow, Vuix
   
7. Community: Marketpad, NoCode, NuCode
   
8. Superdocs: Notion, Coda, Craft
   
9. Data Science: Obviously.ai, Lobe
   
10. AR/3D: Scapic, Blippar
    
11. Monetization: Glow, Memberspace, Buy Me a Coffee, Memberstack
    
12. Gaming : Koji, Dreamcraft, Flowlab

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To date, our team has mastered more than 120 major Nocode tools and we have identified more than 600 in our pool of available tools. 🚀

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Whether you work in a start-up, an SME, a large corporation or are a citizen maker, Nocode has become essential for creating, innovating and testing ideas quickly at costs far lower than what would otherwise be done in code.

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