To code or not to code?

This has created a fear that the lack of relevant skills could affect businesses' abilities to compete in the digital market, with over three quarters of businesses believing this could negatively impact their profitability. 

According to research by Gartner, ‘low code’ or ‘no code’ solutions are gaining traction and are predicted to account for more than 65% of application development by 2024.

AI-powered software company, Intelastel surveyed 400 UK directors/CEOs/founders, managers, and self-employed/freelancers to reveal people’s thoughts towards coding, their knowledge in coding and what they think are the opportunities within the industry.

The majority (51%) of business leaders polled described themselves as ‘somewhat digitally proficient’ and 29% said they were ‘highly digitally proficient’. However, when asked to select the correct definition of programming, less than half (46%) of those surveyed answered correctly and almost a quarter (24%) asserted that there’s no difference between a programmer and a developer.

A spokesperson from Intelastel said: “This lack of basic understanding might suggest that many top executives are out of touch with the realities of the digital world. The findings from our survey suggest that despite there being a demand for more tech knowledge in the workforce, there are many reasons why businesses don’t invest in this sort of education and training.

Many believe that it is too time consuming (19%), while price (8%), lack of awareness (46%) and the belief that coding is pointless (5%) were stated as barriers.”

This has left many believing that ‘no code’ solutions will have a significant part to play in business operations in the future. 17% of business leaders believe that ‘no-code’, is a popular and promising alternative to traditional software development for non-technical business users hoping to build their own full-fledged applications, is the future.

The majority (58%) of respondents believe organisations should be moving towards a hybrid approach of training in both coding and ‘no code’, yet businesses cite a lack of promotion (39%) and a lack of education (26%) as reasons for not investing in ‘no code’ solutions.

“No-code allows all variations of businesses to develop and integrate a great digital platform and can minimise the number of employees being left in the dark due to their lack of digital skills,”

Despite what many believe, coding is more integrated into our everyday lives than is necessarily in our working digital life. Coding is required for tasks such as driving, shopping and even taking a shower, whereas it is not necessary for building an app, hosting a podcast, or launching an ecommerce site.

Apps can be developed without using code, as can creating an online store using ‘no-code’ platforms yet showering requires a pre-set microprocessor code and vegetables are usually grown in computerised temperature-controlled greenhouses and the use of a checkout till is required when purchasing them - this all requires coding.