The Rise of Citizen Developers in the No-Code World

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-related workflow automation technologies advance, a new profession is emerging: the citizen developer. Let’s explore the rise of citizen developers and its implications in the no-code world.

A citizen developer is typically an employee who creates customized applications using no-code or low-code development platforms to enhance company operations.

By 2025, 70% of new business applications will include

no-code/low-code technologies.

Gartner

These developers are not necessarily from the IT department but can come from any department such as HR, finance, or marketing. The key is that they possess domain knowledge and understand their department’s business processes, enabling them to automate repetitive tasks or improve outputs without significant costs.

• Customization: While there are software tools for nearly every task, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and solo entrepreneurs find these tools too powerful and costly. They often do not require all the features offered by these tools but sometimes are handicapped by the lack of features they need for their business. Therefore, they prefer tailored solutions that fit their specific needs.
• Cost Efficiency: Businesses seek customized tools that are cost-effective. No-code and low-code platforms provide a way to develop these tools without significant investment.
• Empowerment: Low-code and no-code tools empower employees to think creatively and develop custom applications that address specific business needs.
• Meeting IT Demand: With the increasing demand for IT talent, many companies struggle to afford fully-fledged IT teams. Citizen developers help bridge this gap by developing applications without extensive IT support.

Citizen developers understand the pain points of their companies or clients, often solo entrepreneurs or SMEs. They use low-code and no-code platforms to create solutions, leveraging pre-built templates and modules that can be customized to meet specific business needs. These platforms require only a basic understanding of technology, with tutorials available for guidance.

• Avoiding Intra-Company Conflicts: Businesses with legacy IT departments must streamline operations to avoid conflicts between the tech department and other departments developing custom programs.
• Maintaining Quality: Ensuring company-wide standards is challenging as domain experts from different departments create applications tailored to their needs, potentially bypassing centralized guidelines on language and user interface.
• Upholding Privacy & Security: Applications must comply with privacy and security regulations, especially when dealing with third parties. These apps must adhere to company and governmental guidelines.

Businesses will continue to find ways to overcome these challenges as low-code and no-code technologies, supported by AI, are here to stay. That is, the rise of citizen developers will continue.

According to Gartner, by 2025, 70% of applications developed by businesses will contain low-code or no-code technologies, up from 25% in 2020.

LinkedIn’s 2023 study indicates that by 2028, the demand for technology-related jobs will reach 150 million, further driving the demand for no-code and low-code platforms.

These platforms will continue to evolve, offering increased ease of use and expanded capabilities and features.

For more insights, check out the LinkedIn article on the rising competition for global technology talent [here](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rising-competition-global-technology-talent-rec-hub).

By optimizing business processes and reducing costs, citizen developers are shaping the future of workflow automation, making technology accessible to all employees, regardless of their technical background.