Low-Code MVP Development: Building Launchable Product Within Hours

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Low-Code MVP Development: Building Launchable Product Within Hours low code mvp

To avoid post-launch risks, application development should be kept as minimal as possible. The best way to get your idea out in the market with minimum effort is to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

But what if I told you you can get your business idea out even faster using low-code development?

With low code MVP development, you can fast-track your development, and the entire process from ideation to launch takes much less time than traditional development practices.

According to a 2019 Forrester Consulting Research, low code has become the most preferred development method for 31% of IT companies for building MVPs.

To understand why low code is so lucrative for IT organizations, let’s learn about the five core reasons you should lean toward common code solutions for MVP development.

5 Reasons Why You Should Build A Low Code MVP

1. You Don’t Need An Extensive Skillset

Gartner says over half of low-code users will be non-technical by 2025. Judging by how much hand-written coding has already been replaced by visual drag-and-drop features of low code, it’s unsurprising.

The simplicity of low code development platforms allows startup owners and industry professionals to enter the application development scenario without an extensive skillset and actively participate in different phases of software development.

Having a lower bar of expectation helps business owners or product owners integrate their ideas into the application just how they see fit without waiting for a developer team to create said functionalities.

2. It’s A Highly Efficient Process

No code and low code development platforms are equipped with pre-built templates and reusable components that the developers can utilize.

When you already have different functions that you can just put together to create an application you need, the process gets streamlined automatically.

This allows the development lifecycle to be more efficient and less time-consuming. The time to market reduces dramatically, and software updates and maintenance are much easier to roll out.

3. Reduces A Lot of Unnecessary Costs

According to Forrester, low code development helps 84% of organizations cut unnecessary costs. When utilizing low-code application development platforms, you don’t have to spend a fortune to hire specialized developers and for better hardware infrastructure.

The tools with low-code development platforms let you build an MVP with relative ease and far less effort. One of the most mention-worthy tools is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) which streamlines redundant rule-based operations.

It allows you to redirect your creative efforts toward more critical aspects of development.

4. Project Becomes Highly Scalable

No one can predict the number of users before releasing a product out into the wilderness of the target market. Sometimes an idea can take off almost instantly, and the next thing you know is that you have high user numbers without the infrastructure to support the masses. This is where scalability comes in.

With low code development, it’s very easy to scale your apps to support a larger audience without any breaks, bugs, or glitches in the code while handling loads of data without any major hiccups.

The high reliability of low code is why 65% of companies prefer common code app platforms to handle and store large amounts of data.

5. Enables Faster Deployment

With reusable modules and pre-built code templates, you can turn them into building blocks for your MVP and increase their functionality even further with third-party services.

With faster delivery, you collect user feedback early on and act on the feedback to analyze your mistakes and improve your work.

You attract more potential investors when you’re developing and improving faster than your competitors.

Low Code MVP Approaches You Should Take

The following five methods are what we consider to be the most efficient when you’re trying to launch MVP with a low code development approach.

1. Multi-Capability MVP

A Multi-Capability MVP is a minimal application with secondary features besides the core feature that aims to maximize user satisfaction.

Multi-capability MVP allows you to create, test, and validate multiple features simultaneously. But this type of MVP requires manual programming efforts in addition to the features of the low code platform.

2. Single Feature MVP

As the name suggests, a single-feature MVP sticks to one core feature and focuses on solving one core problem of the target audience. This type of MVP helps test the feasibility of a single feature you are trying to focus on. It helps to determine if you should spend further time and resources to create a complete application around the core feature.

3. Concierge MVP

A Concierge MVP, or Manual-First MVP, is when you create a product with a manually operated backend. Here, humans work behind the scenes and mimic automation. You can create a Concierge MVP easily with low code that allows your employees to produce recommendations.

This way, collecting user feedback is easier without spending a fortune on sophisticated AI.

4. Product Demo

Before creating full-fledged applications, product owners or companies often show off a demo product that doesn’t carry any working code behind them. Creating a product demo or a No-Code MVP is much easier with any low-code development platform.

5. Crowdfunding

Low-code platforms are the best place to create promotional materials for your product that can help you attract investors through crowdfunding. Creating a minimal product to attract public investment is considered a crowdfunding MVP.

With crowdfunding MVP, it’s easier to test the feasibility of your idea by testing your target audience and raising funds for further development.

Low Code Frontend Solutions

Various low-code platforms can help you perform different front-end-related tasks with ease.

1. UI/UX Tasks

With platforms like Mendix and OutSystems, you can access pre-built patterns, layouts, widgets, and designs that can help you design mockup UI for web and mobile applications.

2. Website Builders

With low-code website builders like WordPress and Shopify, you can create effective landing pages that can be used for crowdfunding. You can also create e-commerce platforms with next to zero coding skills with these platforms.

3. App Builders

You can create web and mobile app MVPs with tools like AppSheet and AppyPie. These tools also allow you to enhance the functionality of the apps for better scalability and connect the apps to external data sources.

Low Code Backend Solutions

Low code development platforms can also help you ease the complicated backend development and maintenance process.

1. Data Integration

With data platforms like Integrate.io, AWS Glue, and Zapier, you can extract, analyze, and visualize data from multiple sources to your MVP.

2. API Generation

Low-code platforms like Mendix allow you to create your APIs with pre-built blocks. These APIs allow third-party services to connect to your MVP.

3. Business Logic Builder

With solutions like Mendix, you can care for your backend needs. If you want to outsource, look no further than Impala Intech to get started!

How To Create Low Code MVP In 6 Easy Steps

We now understand how easy it is to create, maintain, and scale low-code MVPs. But how do you create one? Let’s look at the steps.

1. Research Your Target Market

While performing your market research, look out for the following:

  • Competitors: Take note of how the existing competitors are taking care of the customer needs and what they’re missing. Focus on that to improve your product design.
  • Customer Persona: Try and understand the kind of people or organizations that will use your app, the platform they will use it on, and their purchasing power.
  • Limitations: While taking note of the limitations of your competitors, you should also identify the possible solutions that your app or your user numbers might limit.
  • Pain Points: Determine one core pain point your customers are suffering from right now, and determine a unique approach to the solution so you can set yourself apart from the other existing solutions.
  • Regulations: There are certain software that must comply with several industry-specific regulations. These include GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc.

2. Prioritize The Critical Features By Defining Your MVP

When developing your MVP, ensure that the first iteration only contains the most critical features that solve the core pain point of the target audience.

With the advantages of low code, it will be pretty easy to create even multiple features, but the goal here is to optimize the development process for last down-to-the-minute detail.

Only pick the functions that solve the primary pain point to work on once the target market research is complete.

3. Choose A Low Code Development Platform

There are a ton of low-code development platforms out there that will allow you to create an MVP, but you should only pick a platform that aligns with your business goals and future visions of the product.

4. Design Your MVP

Once you determine the perfect low-code application development platform for your development, it’s time to design the UI of your MVP.

As discussed earlier, most low-code development platforms have a huge collection of reusable components that can ease the development process.

When creating the user interface, do your best to make it visually appealing, intuitive, and something your entire target audience can resonate with.

5. Develop A Product Roadmap

Your product roadmap should include technical specifications for your project, which include:

  • Preferred low-code platform
  • APIs
  • Software Architecture
  • Design Blueprint
  • Post-Deployment Instructions

6. Identify Required Success Criteria

Success criteria metrics give you a clear image of the current standing of your MVP in the market. These metrics can help you determine if your product will stand strong against other competitors and deliver as expected to a larger audience.

The most useful success criteria metrics that you should keep an eye on are:

  • Active Users: Percentage of users that are engaged with your app after installation
  • Churn Rate: Percentage of users who stopped using your product
  • Customer Lifetime: Average time an individual user spends with your app
  • Paying User: Number of users who bought something in your app
  • Revenue Per User: Purchase made in your app divided by the total number of users
  • Total Users: Total number of user accounts and downloads of your app

7. Launch, Monitor & Incorporate Feedback

The feedback collection process doesn’t just come into play after launching the product in the market. You must maintain the feedback loop with your customer base even when the product is under development.

Collect feedback constantly, and implement it in the development process till it’s time to launch. Once you’ve launched your product, the user feedback will be used to further improve and scale your product’s functionalities and use cases.

Limitations of A Low Code MVP

While low-code MVPs are the new craze, working with one has a few possible limitations. Let’s look at the top concerns.

1. There Might Be Technical Constraints

Even when you’re working with basic core features, there are times when you cannot implement the desired functions in the app with low-code or no-code platforms.

Traditional software development toolsets and custom code can overcome the issue in situations like these.

2. Potential Vendor Lock-In

Your app might get stuck in the vendor’s proprietary tech stack due to a lack of compatibility with other platforms. In the worst-case scenario, you may not have access to the source code at all, making it impossible to move your application to a more compatible platform. This makes migration of your application to a different platform even more expensive.

3. Skill Requirements Are Not As Low As They Seem

Though anyone can create basic apps with low code development platforms, it requires intricate knowledge of an organization’s software development and business processes to create an application that serves the right purpose while aligning with the business goals.

4. Security Might Be A Concern

If you don’t choose a reputable low-code platform, there is a high chance that your security will be at high risk. Well-established low-code software development platforms like Mendix take full responsibility for ensuring the security of every application on their platform, which works great for risk mitigation.

5 Practices To Avoid When Creating A Low Code MVP

1. Not Doing Enough Research

Before going into development, you should always start with thorough market research. One-third of the MVPs that set out to capture the market eventually fail, and one of the main reasons behind this is the lack of market research.

Don’t join the losers club by not knowing what your customers want! When you spend time and resources on something that has zero demand in the target market, it’s obvious that your product will fail.

2. Not Keeping Track of Expenses

Did you know that 29% of MVPs fail because they run out of money? Even when using a low-code tool to reduce expenses, maintain detailed records of all your expenses with a development roadmap that optimizes the cost in the planning phase.

3. Targeting A Market That Is Too Broad

When creating MVPs, make sure to narrow down your target market as much as possible. When you target multiple audiences, your product loses its true intent and loses whatever potential market was there in the first place.

“If you try to please everyone you’ll please no one.”

-Ricky Gervais

4. Overcomplicating The MVP

When you’re building an MVP, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of potential key features and want to implement them all simultaneously in your product.

But the true goal of an MVP is to make it as simple as possible while solving the issues of the target customer base and ensuring the product is market fit.

When you try to put in too many features in what is supposed to be the basic version of a minimal product, you overcomplicate your MVP, resulting in a buggy app where none of the implemented functions work properly.

5. Not Considering Future Scalability

Remember that the product will not be minimal forever when creating an MVP, regardless of the approach. Market demand changes and increases daily, and all businesses must adapt to this rapid change of increasing demand.

When creating an MVP, always consider the future scalability of your application, for example: converting an MVP to an IPO. When you don’t plan for future scalability, you build an app that will become irrelevant over time for not being able to support all users.

Build Your Low Code MVP With A Trusted Partner

Though low code MVPs can help you increase the chances of success, there are still a lot of different elements that you need to focus on to create the perfect app, such as:

  • Analytical Abilities
  • Domain Knowledge
  • Effective Project Management
  • Technical Skills

Where do you get the all-in-one package? Of course, right here at Impala Intech.

We can offer you detailed market insight that can help you create the perfect MVP roadmap by refining your MVP ideas.

To speed up the product development process, we’ll take the best low-code approach to your MVP development and ensure that a complete product is ready to serve your target audience in no time.

So, what are you waiting for? The solution to your low-code MVP needs is just one email away!

FAQs

Is It Possible to Integrate Existing Systems With a Low-Code MVP?

Yes, low code development platforms typically offer integration capabilities, allowing the seamless connection of an MVP with existing systems, databases, and APIs.

What Are the Limitations of Building an MVP With Low Code?

While low code development offers numerous advantages, there may be limitations in terms of customization, complexity of functionality, and platform constraints. Evaluating these limitations is essential to determine the suitability of low code for building the MVP.

Can a Low-Code MVP Be Used for Mobile App Development?

Low-code platforms often provide features and templates specifically designed for mobile app development. These platforms simplify the process of creating cross-platform mobile apps for the MVP.

How Quickly Can a Low-Code MVP Be Developed?

A low-code MVP’s development time is typically shorter than traditional development methods. With the visual interface and pre-built components, low code allows for faster development and deployment of the MVP.

Can a Low-Code MVP Be Used for User Testing and Validation?

Absolutely! Low-code MVPs are ideal for user testing and validation since they can be quickly created and iterated upon. Users can provide feedback early in development, allowing for improvements and adjustments.

How Secure Are Low-Code Mvps?

Security in low-code MVPs depends on the platform’s robustness and adherence to best practices. Reputable low-code platforms provide security features such as user authentication, role-based access control, and data encryption.

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