How to Build a Low Code Mobile App: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

• By Stella Murugesan
• 30-12-2022
• Mobile App Development

Low code is the future of mobile app development. It has simplified features to facilitate application development in that it moves towards visual modeling, deviating from traditional textual coding practices. Little hand-coding is required to build your fully-functional app. Users can quickly develop their enterprise applications using a drag-and-drop graphical user interface. Therefore, gone are the days when you needed advanced programming skills to create your enterprise app.

However, if you're a beginner, you may feel nervous and unsure about how to start building your low-code mobile application. From selecting the right low-code development platform to the final deployment of the app, this article presents a detailed review of the steps to help you build your first low-code mobile app like a pro.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your First Low-Code Application

The general logic of building low-code applications is similar to conventional hand-coding. However, the process differs significantly, with lesser bureaucracy and fewer steps. Let's have a look at the steps involved.

1. Determine Your Requirements and Goals

Like traditional hand-coding, the first step to building your first low-code mobile app is knowing your objectives and requirements. These two elements are the foundation and guardrails of creating any functional app.

                       Also Read about: Top Mobile App Development Companies

Ensure you clearly understand what you plan to develop and its key functionalities. If you're working with a team, make sure that every member is aware of the purpose of the application. Also, set solid requirements and expectations, including the features needed, the type of data used, the load the app will handle, the targeted user, and more. Doing so helps ensures that the application remains within the scope, preventing unnecessary confusion and scope creep during the development.

2. Select a Low-Code Development Platform

Gartner projected that more than 50 percent of large and medium-sized companies will use low-code development platforms by 2023. This implies that low-code platforms will skyrocket over time, making this step crucial.

The choice of the low-code development platform impacts the overall results you get from the app. Different platforms offer varying features, and some may not be suitable for specific application requirements. What's more, once you pick and start working with a particular platform, it will be expensive and challenging to switch to a different platform. Therefore, taking your time and choosing wisely, considering all your outlined requirements and goals is crucial

So, how do you make the correct call regarding the development platform? Don't worry – we'll get to that in our next part. For now, let's assume you have selected your preferred low-code app development platform. What next?

3. Select a Subscription Plan

Most low-code development platforms offer several subscription plans, enabling you to choose the one that best suits your needs. To make the right decision about the subscription plan, you need to plan the application features required and determine their estimated budget.

Also, consider examining your future mobile app development plans. For instance, if you're planning to create several applications, you should subscribe to a higher subscription plan, as it will be economical in the long run. Moreover, you need to consider the expected users per application per month. However, if you cannot find a preferable pricing plan, you can simply contact the chosen platform to get a quote.

4. Select a Template

Once you've subscribed to your preferred plan, select a template that matches your needs. Most advanced low-code mobile application development platforms, such as Mendix, come with many customizable templates to facilitate faster and smooth app development.

With templates at hand, you have a starting point, despite having limited coding skills. Choose a template that matches your business aspect as they come with features based on the business type. Therefore, you won't need to do much editing.

5. Draw Business Processes and Workflows

Of course, you'd want to add extra features to the template to make your app unique. Low-code app development platforms provide a visual environment to help you create workflows and processes using the drag-and-drop visual feature.

You only need to set the variables involved in a particular business process and configure the appropriate user interface (UI) blocks. The platform will visualize the future layout of your application interface and its corresponding internal logic as a diagram.

Also, you can exchange ideas between developers and business users in real-time, courtesy of the built-in collaboration tools. Prototype and experiment application features to reach a consensus in just a few days rather than weeks, as before low-code development emerged. What's more, the low-code platform automatically synchronizes any changes, and team members can visualize the outcomes of their work immediately (which is not the case with the conventional hand-coding development approach).

6. Test, Deploy, & Maintain

Low-code development platforms let you test your application in just a few clicks. If you did minimal manual coding, little to no testing is required. Deployment is even easier, thanks to features like one-click cloud deployment and other standard tools offered by the low-code platforms. Minimal standard maintenance is required and is covered under the subscription plan you signed up for.

How to Select the Right Low-Code Development Platform

As a beginner, you'll have uncountable low-code development platforms available on the internet. But how do you select the right platform? The following are some tips you should consider:

• Reputation. Examine the case studies and customer reviews to know how it feels to work with that platform. Also, you can download apps developed on that low-code platform to test their performance.
• Cost. Carefully assess the low-code platform's pricing options. Check what happens when you go beyond the plan's limits and whether lower tiers' storage and technical limitations are acceptable.
• Customization options. Are Android and iOS apps generated automatically? Do the low-code platform support web and desktop development?
• UI and coding requirements. Have a quick tour around the platform to check its intuitiveness and usability. Also, assess its coding needs to determine whether you can handle it.

Final Thoughts

Creating your first low-code mobile may seem a daunting task. However, it's straightforward when you follow the correct procedure defined above. So, what are you waiting for? Start building your first low-code mobile app today!
At Mendix, we're ready to support you through the low-code mobile app development process. With advanced features, like AI-assisted development, integrated into our platform, we guarantee the best low-code mobile app development experience and result. Contact us for more details.