Using no-code technology instead of dedicated code programmers could become the future of software development in the retail marketing and related software-manufacturing industries. But it is not a one-size-fits-all solution for all use cases.

No-code, a method of creating software applications that requires little to no programming skills, lets workers within an occupation build an application without formal programming knowledge or training in a particular programming language.

In essence, the no-code platform enables users to create software applications such as online forms or even fully functional websites, or to add functionality to an existing site or app.

It’s important to clarify that many different applications of no-code platforms exist, according to Christian Brink Fredriksson, CEO of Leapworks, a global provider of automation software.

No-code platforms are fairly new. Therefore companies planning to adopt a no-code approach should thoroughly examine and test the no-code tools on the market to ensure that the selected products live up to their claims.

“There are a lot of platforms today that claim to be, but there are actually no codes, or they lack the power needed to do what they say they would do without additional coding,” he told TechNewsWorld.

Leapworks has developed a test automation product that is accessible and easy to maintain. Its secret sauce is providing faster results at a lower cost, requiring fewer specialist resources than traditional test automation approaches.

“At Leapworks, we have democratized automation with our fully visual, no-code test automation platform that enables testers and everyday business users to create, maintain and scale automated software tests in any kind of technology. Makes it easier to do,” Frederickson said. This enables enterprises to rapidly adopt and scale automation.

Security remains top concern

An explicit inquiry about no-code platforms should consider how no-code technology addresses the security problems that affect both proprietary and open-source programming.

If designed well, no-code platforms can be safe and secure, Fredrickson said. When coding manually from scratch, it is easy to introduce bugs and vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

“Since no-code platforms are designed to automate the creation of apps or to perform functions in an automated manner, they are inherently more consistent,” he explained.

Of course, the no-code platform itself has to be secure. Before choosing a solution, organizations should conduct a thorough security audit and select a solution that is ISO-27001 and SOC-2 compliant, he recommended.

Coding Pros and Non-Pros alike

No-code platforms are primarily meant only for programmers or IT coders to use in-house instead of outsourced software developers. Both use cases come into play successfully.

No-code platforms are certainly useful for IT coders and programmers, but the primary value of no-code test platforms is to expand the ability to build and test applications for people who are not trained as software developers. , offered Fredriksen.

For example, Leapworks makes it easy for testers and everyday business users to set up and maintain large-scale test automation. This empowers quality assurance teams to experience shorter test cycles and an immediate return on investment.

Benefits for DevOps

Speeding up testing is a huge advantage, noted Fredriksen, because hand-coding poses a huge bottleneck, even for an experienced DevOps team. While testers are extremely skilled at designing tests and understanding the inherent complexity of software, they are not traditionally trained to code.

He set a good example.

Leapworks co-founder and chief product officer Klaus Topholt worked at an investment bank before joining Fredriksen to found Leapworks in 2015. The test was important as the bank relied on rapid trading at high volumes. If the quality of the software was poor, it could literally lead to the bankruptcy of the institution.

“Klaus decided to create a simplified programming language for creating tests so that testers could install them, speeding up the process. But he quickly found that testing and programming are completely different domains, and, frankly, It’s not fair to force testers, who are already highly skilled, to learn extremely complex programming skills,” Fredrickson explained.

During discussions with the testing team, Klaus and his colleagues began using a whiteboard to create a flowchart. Everyone immediately understood what this meant.

lesson learned

Flow charts were such a simple, clear way to express something complex. So, it was clear that this was the way forward to enable model testers to create their own sophisticated tests without coding.

“The lesson was, if you give testers something as intuitive as a flow chart to create automated tests, you’ll save a lot of time and remove bottlenecks, because you’re not relying on the developers’ time and expertise. are,” Frederickson said.

Klaus left the investment bank to found Leapworks and became a no-code platform. They built a visual language that enables business users to automate testing using a flowchart model.

Leapworks CPO and Co-Founder Klaus Topholt (L) | Christian Brink Fredriksson, CEO and co-founder of Leapworks (Image Credit: Leapworks)

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“It democratizes automation because it is so easy for non-coders to use and maintain, which in turn empowers businesses to scale up their automation efforts and accelerate the development process,” Fredrickson said.

No-code Q&A

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, last year Leapworks raised $62 million in the largest Series B funding round ever in Danish history. The round was led by KKR and Salesforce Ventures.

Leapworks is used by Global 2000 companies – including NASA, Mercedes-Benz and PayPal – for robotic process automation, test automation, and application monitoring.

We asked Fredriksen to reveal more details about the inner workings of the no-code solution.

TechNewsWorld: How can companies add automation to their testing processes?

Christian Brink Fredrickson: Release is a way to include automated tests as an integral part of moving from one stage of the process to another.

For example, when a developer tests code in a development server, a series of automated tests must be triggered as part of the same process that generates the build.

These regression tests can identify large bugs early, so the developer can fix them quickly, while the code is still fresh in the developer’s mind.

Then, as the code progresses to testing and, eventually, production, again, a series of automated tests must be launched: extensive regression testing, verification of its visual appearance, performance, and so on.

It is important that business users – such as a business analyst or a tester in a QA department – have the ability to implement this automation. That’s where no-code is so important.

How does no-code differ from low-code solutions?

Fredriksen: No-code doesn’t really involve any code. If you want non-developers to use the platform, you have to no-code it. Less code may speed up development, but you’ll still need someone with developer skills to use it.

Which is more beneficial for Enterprise and DevOps, no-code or low-code?

Fredriksen: No-code empowers enterprises and DevOps teams to implement automation at scale, ultimately enhancing software delivery performance. Low-code solutions still require you to know how to code to maintain the software.

No-code allows anyone to automate a workflow. Using no-code, developers and technically skilled workers can focus on high-value tasks, and QA professionals such as testers can maintain testing automatically and easily.

Surveys have shown that testing is the one that slows down the development process the most. If you want to make a serious impact on DevOps, you really should consider using a no-code platform.

Is no-code a threat to software and website developers?

Fredriksen: I would argue the exact opposite. No-code has the potential to open up new opportunities for developers. More software is being created and optimized than ever before, and yet we are in the midst of a serious developer shortage, with 64% of companies experiencing a software engineer shortage.

Instead of relying on code-based approaches and forcing businesses to search for talent externally, no-code allows companies to use their existing resources to build and test software. Technological resources are then free to focus on more complete, higher-value tasks, such as accelerating innovation and digital transformation.

Where do you see no-code technology going?

Fredriksen: AI is a powerful technology, but its short-term effects are a bit high. We believe that the challenge to limit the capabilities of artificial intelligence today is human-to-AI communication.

It should be possible to tell the computer what you want it to do, without any technical details on how to do it. Essentially, we need to be able to give requirements to the AI ​​for a task, and then the AI ​​can handle the rest.

We at Leapwork have made great strides on this problem. There is still much more work to be done.