It has become clear that we are facing a citizen development generation, and in fact, many programmers feel that these developers could be a threat to their jobs. That said, citizen developers are trying to carve out their own space.
Why programmers are concerned
We can understand the concern of programmers, who show some caution about this movement where “anyone can develop an application.” But contrary to expectations, citizen developers aren’t trying to replace programmers—they’re trying to help them.
This need for support has a reason behind it. The tech industry changes too fast; what’s cutting-edge today may be outdated tomorrow, and because of this, programmers carry the weight of the company’s digital transformation, bearing the pressure to stay agile and reduce time to market.
What a citizen developer does
Let’s imagine a fictional citizen developer who isn’t a new hire, but rather the head of a department. No-code development is the tool this employee has chosen, since this type of platform allows them to develop solutions that benefit not only themselves but also their department, thereby easing the pressure on programmers.
Essentially, they are creating applications that respond to business needs, helping to reduce the burden on the IT department’s backlog so that programmers can focus on larger, more complex projects.
This doesn’t mean that coding has disappeared or that programmers will be out of work—just that software demand is exploding, and we need more options.
Programmers and citizen developers: a partnership
Indeed, when programmers team up with citizen developers, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. The key point here is the ease of use of no-code platforms, which—like Masterlink—allow the product to be developed together with customers.
In this case, customers can provide feedback directly, since they are better equipped to understand the mechanics behind their project. So no-code is actually a communication tool that connects the customer to the development process. What could take months to build ends up taking just a few hours of work.
Gaining allies in this era of digital transformation can be an advantage for your own growth and that of your organization. This is a historic milestone in technological innovation.
