A no-code revolution could unlock the UK’s technology capabilities, see its tech industry rival Silicon Valley and drive the nation’s economic recovery, predicts Zandra Moore, CEO of Leeds-based business intelligence and data analytics software developer, Panintelligence.
Recently named Mentor of the Year at the Northern Power Women Awards, Moore is calling on both national policymakers and the UK tech industry to recognise the potential of no-code, and place it higher up the agenda in order to achieve this goal.
Currently, there isn’t a widely acknowledged understanding of the benefits of no-code and how it can be used to accelerate change. With 90 of the world’s leading economists predicting that the UK economy will be one of the last to recover from pandemic, no-code could be the shot in the arm the country needs.
“No-code has the potential to revolutionise the UK tech industry, drive our economic recovery and even see us square up to Silicon Valley. Imagine taking away the time, cost and complexity of coding new solutions, and giving everyone the ability to create an application that solves the problems most critical to them. That’s exactly what no-code does.” explains Moore.
“From young entrepreneurs and charities operating on tight budgets to large enterprises and even within the government itself – solutions can be efficiently created by the people who know how and why they should work, not coders. We can do away with drawn-out and costly procurement processes and unlock the power of data for everyone. Currently, there isn’t a widely acknowledged understanding of the benefits of no-code solutions and how they can be used to accelerate change” she added.
Moore believes that no-code should be widely taught in schools to help establish a generation of ‘no-coders’.
“We need policymakers to recognise the use of no-code in creating equal opportunities for everyone. It must be taught earlier and incorporated into the school curriculum. No-code solutions offer a better starting point for learning due to their visual format, which helps students get to terms with the basis of building solutions before moving on to more complex forms of coding, that focus more on customisation. We must build a generation of ‘no-coders’ who can make their dreams a reality without major investment or having to learn to code, as well as inspire a more diverse cohort to go on and study coding. 94% of employers believe there is a skills shortage in the UK tech industry, with coding being one of the highest skills in demand”.
No-code could also help to make a fairer society. “When the people that understand the problem are the ones to solve it, you get a better solution. They understand the interventions that would change an outcome, how people need to engage with it, and are aware of the groups that it might exclude if it’s designed in a certain way. Inclusivity is improved when the frontline workers are the developers.” Zandra extrapolates.
For companies, no-code can help them to grow and recover quickly from the impact of the pandemic. “One of the biggest opportunities of no-code is to harness the power of data and make everyone a data scientist. Almost all companies now generate vast amounts of data which they often fail to utilise and monetise. Most of these companies do not have the capacity to hire huge teams of developers to harness and analyse the data held within their organisations, as data science expertise is rare and therefore costly.
“With no-code, however, ready-made tools using simple data science techniques can drive huge value. For example, many firms may have simple requirements such as reporting, data alerts, automated decision making, giving insight into data patterns; all of which are available pre-made by experts in no-code solutions which can then be personalised. This means users can utilise and derive value from the data quickly and effectively. ” Moore goes on to explain.
