No-Code as a Force for Good (2): Changing the Work Life

Our previous blog post was about how no-code movement had the potential to democratize software development and change the lives of underprivileged individuals. That’s not all there is to it, though. The democratization of software development through low-code/no-code platforms will have two other major impacts on the business world: i) Changing the organizational culture in enterprises that are going through a digital transformation and ii) mitigating the effects of a very tight job market that makes it difficult for startups and SMBs to attract talented developers. Let’s first start with what is new with the enterprises.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation refers to making processes more efficient and effective through the use of technology. It is a catch phrase, most of the time used in the context of enterprises, and involves taking advantage of technologies such as machine learning, AI, data analytics or cloud computing. It is a way of leveraging technology to better understand customer demand and modify products and processes in a way that satisfies that demand. Digital transformation entails more than just implementing certain technologies, though; it is about building business capabilities that render a company more agile and responsive to the changes taking place in its environment. In this day and age, achieving agility and responsiveness in an organization requires turning employees into decision makers and innovators at their jobs. This is what triggers the change in the corporate culture.

Digital transformation and the accompanying change in corporate culture

Low-code tools might be more suited to the needs of an enterprise compared to no-code tools, but the latter is also making some headway in the enterprise domain at the individual employee level. In an enterprise where thousands of processes run in parallel or in sequence, low-code/no-code tools can be used to automate repetitive tasks and ease the burden on the employees. While digital transformation efforts led by IT department feature low-code platforms, no-code platforms are used to empower employees so that they can diagnose the problems they encounter and devise tools to tackle them. Delegating authority from a central IT department to the frontline employees in this manner ties in well with the democratizing philosophy behind the low-code/no-code tools. In this scenario, the IT department leaves aside its hands-on approach and assumes more of a coordinating role: It sets guardrails, ensures visibility so that confidential data does not get exposed to outsiders, and prevents shadow IT that might stem from individuals developing apps on their own. The result is a workplace where people feel a stronger sense of belonging and are more motivated to contribute.

Startups and SMBs: The recruitment challenge

The no-code tools have a role to play in leveling the playing field for startups and SMBs that do not have the means to hire elite developer talent, and thus risk falling behind against their competitors. In order to understand what low-code/no-code tools bring to the table, we should first have a look at where the current labor market stands. As of 2021, the average salary of a software engineer in the U.S. is $110,000. For senior developers, this figure can easily rise above $200,000. The average salary of a software developer is bound to go up as the number of students graduating every year from departments like computer science is significantly lower than the number of open tech positions. The labor market is so tight and the developers have such a strong hand that companies have to throw in perks such as remote working possibility, six-figure signing bonuses and attractive equity grants to sweeten the pot and lure top talent. It is impossible for startups and SMBs to offer prospective employees comparable terms and this ends up ruling them out of the recruiting game. These companies can rely on no-code platforms to remain competitive. At a couple of hundred dollars per month, they can design and build the no-code tools they need without any professional help from a developer, streamline processes and unlock efficiencies they did not know existed before.

Similar to how it opens up new possibilities for underprivileged individuals, Peaka has a vision to both democratize the workplace for corporate employees and arm the startups and SMBs with the tools that can make them more competitive. With its visual design capability, Peaka caters to the needs of users with no coding knowledge. It is here to render app development - for long thought to be preserve of professionals - achievable for rank-and-file as well.