Over the past couple of years, the no code movement has started to gain traction.
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With that being said, it’s still hard to get people to think of no-code applications as a viable solution for operational problems. A recent deep dive by Hiten Shah (founder of FYI, Product Habits and Crazy Egg) on Coda revealed this:
We asked makers open ended questions about their challenges, what they are doing to alleviate those challenges, and categories of products they are interested in. No-code was mentioned very infrequently in answers to the open ended questions. - Hiten Shah
It's hard to deny that we have come a long way in terms of having no-code tools with the functionality to build websites, databases, automated workflows and mobile apps. However, there are still a lot of gaps when it comes to building the right processes and training so that teams can take advantage of all the no-code tools out there.
Hiring People with a Growth Mindset
Starting from the beginning, there is a clear need to hire people with the right mindset. The beauty about no-code tools is that you no longer need to rely heavily on an individual’s technical skills. The three characteristics that Niklas Göke found to be useful are idea synthesis, rapid learning and adaptability. His research indicated that you probably need at least five hours a week of learning to keep up with your current field. It is far easier to ideate and prototype with no-code tools - really leaving things up to the individual (with the mindset above) to push through and execute.
Encourage Side Projects
At a team level, it is critical to encourage employees to run with side projects - which are far easier to execute with no code tools. Granted, this may require a bit of training so that your team knows what’s possible with no code tools. This is even true at the founder level as shown by Dan Cederholm (co-founder of Dribbble):
"Keep things fresh with side projects. Experiment and learn new things on the side to keep those learning gears moving. My limited attention span has always generated multiple side projects whether I planned them or not, but Im always thankful to keep learning new things while I'm maintaining others.”
Interacting with Maker Communities
Companies also need to do a better job of showing to interact with makers (no code experts). This includes working with people in your team and the broader maker community. Here’s how Ryan Hoover (founder of Product Hunt) describes maker communities:
"The primary interaction on the platform is user-to-user or UGC, where its users are sharing, connecting, or collaborating with other users. Their focus is on making something tangible in tech — an app, logo, DIY project, podcast, etc. — directly or indirectly.”
Some of the user segmentations include:
Vertical: A specific industry or craft (e.g. crypto, DIY hardware, bootstrappers) Role: A job function or skill (e.g. design, engineering, writing)
Demographic: A gender, location, age or identifying trait (e.g. women, POC, high school students)
General: Broadly serving makers of all kinds, not limited to a specific vertical, role, or demographic
From an employee perspective, this presents an incredible opportunity to get feedback from like-minded people in the industry (expanding their network) and potential customers.
The Bottom Up Approach
Lastly, no code tools/companies need to re-orient themselves to better service employees. This includes removing all the friction involved in trying out the product and making sure that they have everything they need to build the ‘internal business case.’ This can involve extending the trial period, providing documentation and customer referrals.
Las Olas VC goes into detail about the ‘bottom up’ movement: "Individuals and teams have become the curators and purchasers of best-in-class, SaaS applications, which they mesh into operating systems that are tailored to their specific needs. Teams within large organizations want flexibility and agility despite the added complexity. As a result the CIO office is shifting focus from procurement to assuring security, compliance, and interoperability across enterprise systems." "In Bottom-Up you provision users within seconds and track usage along with purchasing patterns to gain an asymmetrical understanding of your customer. This enables targeted investment to rapidly increase user value, reduce adoption friction, and expand across organizations."
Conclusion
The rise of no code tools and maker communities is incredibly exciting. This is an opportunity for people (without the technical expertise and training) to finally build solutions for themselves. The most successful companies will be the ones who are able to train their front line people and solve the problems they see directly. This transition goes beyond having the right tools and involves hiring people with a growth mindset, encouraging them to run with side projects and interacting with the maker community. No code companies will also have to adapt and learn how to push their product using the ‘bottom up approach.’
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