A category of products and tools that enable users to create things that previously required developers to do. Examples include business websites (Webflow), chat bots (Landbot), surveys (Typeform), native apps (Thunkable), voice apps, email marketing, etc.
No-code is a business model similar to Naval Ravikant’s take on making things that were previously only for rich people available to everyone (Uber is just a black car service that anyone can have).
Links to this note
-
A term of art describing a non-developer that takes the initiative to solve a business problem, often hacking together a set of tools to make it work. Citizen developers are the market targeted by no-code services.
-
Building tools to help users that are not experts in the thing they are using the tool to do presents unique design challenges. You can’t assume prior knowledge. You must provide a sense of progress towards mastery even though the subject matter might be unfamiliar. You need to simplify without being overly reductive. You need to identify the unknown-unknowns without being overwhelming.