For a long time, business software was perceived as unintuitive, complex and inflexible, generating frustration and apprehension among its users. However, the rise of the web giants has profoundly transformed our relationship with technology. We are now accustomed to having a catalog of fluid, intuitive digital services at our fingertips. These new standards have redefined our professional expectations, placing the user experience at the heart of our concerns. A new technology has emerged to meet this challenge: low code.
A solution designed by experts, for experts
Low code is transforming the business world by making application creation accessible to business teams. This is all the more important as the market is facing a shortage of technical profiles. Business users can now take advantage of a wide range of functionalities to design customized, fluid solutions, perfectly adapted to their specific needs, which they are best placed to understand. What's more, these tools enable significant savings to be made by outsourcing the costs associated with platform infrastructure, maintenance and security.
Agility for innovation
The use of a logical, intuitive and standardized interface makes it easier for users to integrate new functionalities into their applications. This flexibility enables companies to quickly adapt their solutions to changing market requirements, ensuring long-term competitiveness.
Low-code tools also act as true drivers of innovation. Their responsiveness considerably reduces the time it takes to put various functionalities into production. In particular, this enables companies to accelerate the creation of Proof Of Concept (POC) projects, thereby reducing time to market. As a result, users can concentrate on the strategic value of their applications, and see the return on investment first-hand.
A tenfold capacity for analysis
The responsiveness of low-code platforms facilitates their optimization by enabling instant adjustments and the rapid creation of multiple versions of the same solution. This paves the way for "test and learn" approaches, where user behavior can be compared across different iterations, enabling you to select the best-performing version suited to your needs.
What's more, companies can go even further in optimizing user experience by adopting a "design by data" approach . This strategy integrates the analysis of user behavior right from the design stage, enabling the shaping of solutions perfectly aligned with end-users' expectations, while maximizing their efficiency.
Design and data: a subtle synergy
Although low code opens the way to programming for business users, it doesn't guarantee the kind of ergonomics that will enable employees to adopt the application.
Optimizing the design therefore remains a major challenge. The aim is to create a solution that enables all employees, whatever their familiarity with previous solutions, to find their way around, while offering an experience in keeping with the brand's identity.
Achieving this balance requires in-depth expertise, as technical performance, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) must be harmonized. When such a combination is mastered, it generates considerable performance gains. However, these synergies can only emerge in an organization that guarantees close, ongoing collaboration between the design and data teams. A mutual understanding of respective needs, expectations and constraints is essential to exploit the full potential of this association.
Choosing the right partner to design and support the branding of a low-code solution is therefore of crucial importance. It will determine the level of success of your solution, revealing the synergy between design and data.
A unique design with many virtues
Beyond improving ergonomics and operational efficiency, the design of a solution plays a key role in reinforcing employees' sense of belonging to the brand. By integrating a proprietary, personalized and distinctive design, the brand appears powerful and prestigious, as it is able to assert its identity and vision.
Offering a user-friendly application that reflects the company's values and visual identity is a sign of special attention to employees. The latter, proud to use a practical tool that is true to the brand's colors, will be more inclined to promote its use. The most convinced will act as true ambassadors for the solution, encouraging global adoption within the organization.
In addition, a well-designed tool that is pleasant to use on a daily basis is essential to maintain employee commitment. It also reduces the risk of them turning to other companies more attuned to their needs. This job satisfaction also reinforces the brand's image outside its walls, thanks in particular to informal discussions at business meetings.
In this way, design transcends the limits of traditional communication, promoting a company's identity both internally and externally. It becomes a powerful competitive asset, acting as a vector of differentiation. What's more, this form of indirect communication contributes to the creation of a genuine brand universe, drawing a picture in the collective imagination of a company that is trustworthy, coherent and true to its values.
Low code, which is growing rapidly in the face of a shortage of technical experts, offers greater agility, accessibility and lightness, and reduces infrastructure and cybersecurity costs. However, these advantages can only be fully realized with effective design, based on the analysis of user behavior. In this sense, "design by data", combining ergonomics and data in a collaborative approach, optimizes the user experience. Moreover, the addition of artificial intelligence expands the possibilities of low code, reinforcing the gap between companies that take advantage of this synergy and those that continue to neglect the importance of user adoption.
So if you want to stay one step ahead of your competitors, don't wait any longer to exploit the full potential of low code.
Mohamed BSIKRI, Microsoft Power Platform Tech Lead
Robin THOMAS, Head of Design
