Imagine building a sophisticated application with just a few clicks, no coding required. This is the reality we’re rapidly embracing. Low-code/no-code platforms are transforming how businesses create software, with Gartner predicting that 65% of all app development will occur on these platforms by the end of 2024. The allure is clear—these platforms enable faster development times and reduced costs, allowing businesses to launch products and adapt to market shifts with unmatched agility.
Yet, there’s more to the story. While low-code/no-code platforms make app development accessible to a broader audience and speed up innovation, they also bring unique challenges. The constraints these platforms impose can limit the customization of user interfaces, risking a generic experience that may not fully meet user expectations.
As more organizations adopt these platforms, the need for thoughtful UX design becomes crucial. It’s not just about creating an app that functions—it’s about crafting an experience that is intuitive, engaging, and truly user-centric. The challenge lies in merging the simplicity and efficiency of low-code/no-code platforms with the complex demands of top-tier user experience.
In this blog, we’ll explore the unique challenges of designing for low-code/no-code platforms and share best practices for creating seamless and impactful user experiences.
No-code and low-code platforms offer a powerful solution by enabling rapid application development, reducing costs, and enhancing adaptability. These platforms empower businesses to meet market demands swiftly, optimize resources, and stay ahead of the curve. Here’s how:
The urgency of business needs, whether due to a looming project deadline or a critical customer request, often demands rapid solutions. This is where low-code and no-code platforms come into play. They allow businesses to deploy applications much faster than traditional coding methods.
Forrester has found that companies using these platforms can develop applications up to 10 times faster. For instance, the City of New York leveraged Unqork, a no-code platform, to create a COVID-19 response app in three days. This speed can be the key differentiator between being a market leader and struggling to keep up.
A major advantage of low-code/no-code platforms is that they can reduce costs without compromising quality. These platforms can significantly reduce resource consumption by up to 70% by minimizing the need for specialized coding skills. Built-in tools and templates streamline the development process, reducing the need for expensive custom solutions.
For example, Microsoft PowerApps, which integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services, allows companies like Heineken to develop applications such as a global maintenance app, enhancing operations without the heavy costs associated with traditional development methods. Additionally, maintaining these apps is more straightforward and less costly, with fewer bugs and easier updates, freeing up resources for other business priorities.
Adaptability is crucial in a constantly changing business landscape. Low-code and no-code platforms are designed with flexibility, enabling companies to update and modify applications without needing a complete overhaul. Over half of IT leaders report that these platforms help them respond faster to market changes.
As businesses grow, scalability becomes a key concern. Platforms like OutSystems, used by enterprises such as Schneider Electric, provide robust, scalable solutions that can handle complex applications efficiently. Zurich Insurance also utilized Mendix to build a scalable customer portal that adapts as their needs evolve, ensuring they are prepared for future challenges.
One of the most significant advantages of low-code and no-code platforms is their ability to offer customized solutions tailored to individual customer needs. These platforms empower businesses to create personalized experiences that improve customer satisfaction and engagement.
For example, Google Analytics allows users to customize their dashboards according to specific metrics and user preferences, enabling businesses to provide highly tailored insights. Similarly, low-code/no-code platforms allow companies to build applications that offer unique, customer-specific features, enhancing both the user experience and brand loyalty.
UX design can vary significantly depending on whether you’re building the product with low-code/no-code platforms or using custom coding. Both approaches aim to create seamless user experiences, but the process and outcomes are distinct.
| Factor | UX design for low / no code solutions | UX design for custom- code solutions |
| Speed of Design | Fast. Predefined components accelerate the design process. | Slower. Requires more time to create custom design elements. |
| Design Flexibility | Limited. Templates can restrict creative freedom. | Unlimited. Complete flexibility in design choices. |
| Customization | Limited. Constrained by the platform’s design options. | Full. Customization of every design aspect is possible. |
| Cost of Design | Lower upfront design costs. Design is quicker due to predefined elements. | Higher costs due to custom design work. |
| Design Scalability | Good for simple products. Designs may struggle as complexity grows. | Easily scalable. Custom design can evolve seamlessly with product demands. |
| Innovative Design | Innovation constrained by platform limitations. | Full creative freedom, allowing ground-up innovative designs. |
| Long-term UX Adaptability | May need redesign or migration as the product grows in complexity. | Designed to adapt and evolve without significant redesign. |
While the table highlights the speed advantage of low-code/no-code platforms, it’s crucial to consider the long-term UX investment. Quick deployment can lead to accumulated UX debt as products evolve. Custom-coded solutions, though initially slower and more costly, provide a foundation for sustainable growth and adaptation.
This approach allows for the creation of a UX that can elegantly scale with increasing product complexity, potentially offering greater value over time. Decision-makers should weigh the immediate gains against the potential for future redesigns or migrations.
The future of UX design likely lies in hybrid models that blend the strengths of both approaches. As low-code/no-code platforms evolve to offer more customization and custom coding becomes more efficient, we’re seeing a convergence.
Forward-thinking teams leverage low-code tools for rapid prototyping and user testing, then selectively apply custom coding for critical features or unique interactions. This hybrid approach balances speed, cost, and design flexibility in a way that pure low-code or custom-coded solutions can’t match.
Unique user experiences can be a key market differentiator in an increasingly digital world. While the table suggests that custom-coded solutions offer more innovation potential, the reality is nuanced. True UX innovation isn’t just about technical capabilities. It’s also about deeply understanding user needs and creatively solving problems.
Low-code platforms are rapidly improving, and in the hands of skilled designers, they can produce highly innovative experiences. The strategic question for businesses isn’t just about choosing between approaches but about leveraging either (or both) to create experiences that genuinely set their products apart in ways that matter to users.
There’s a subtle art to creating a seamless, engaging user experience within these constraints. Through a methodical approach, you can ensure that the end result feels both custom and high-quality, no matter the platform. Here’s a practical guide to help you get there.
Before jumping into design, it’s essential to fully understand what the product aims to achieve. This includes grasping its core concept, identifying the target audience, and defining long-term goals. For instance, if you’re building a marketplace for small businesses using a platform like Bubble, you need to understand the users (small business owners), their challenges (limited technical knowledge, budget constraints), and how the product will evolve over time (scaling for more users or adding advanced features).
Aligning your UX design to these core elements streamlines decision-making and avoids costly adjustments later on. According to a McKinsey study, companies that prioritize product vision in design outperform their peers by 32% in revenue growth.
The next step is to map out the essential functionalities the platform must offer based on user needs. Low-code/no-code platforms like Webflow or Adalo are great for different things—Webflow excels in visually rich design, while Adalo is stronger in creating mobile apps. To avoid overcomplicating things, focus on the features your users will interact with most.
For example, if you’re creating a personal finance app, focus on budgeting tools and transaction tracking rather than adding advanced investment features upfront. By building a clear information architecture, you’re not only providing a roadmap for designers and developers but also avoiding future usability issues. Research shows that companies lose $1.4 trillion annually from poor user experience, so getting this right from the start is critical.
Building user journeys and wireframes early on sets the foundation for a scalable and efficient product. Wireframes allow stakeholders to visualize how users will interact with the platform, while user journeys ensure those interactions are intuitive and meet real needs.
For instance, when developing an e-commerce site on Shopify, mapping out the user’s journey from browsing to checkout can prevent bottlenecks like cart abandonment, which affects 69% of online shoppers. This step also minimizes costly design iterations down the line by aligning all teams—design, development, and business—toward a common goal early in the process.
Choosing the right platform for your project can significantly influence its success. Not all low-code/no-code platforms are created equal—each has its strengths and limitations. For example, while Webflow is excellent for highly visual marketing websites, Bubble is better suited for data-intensive apps requiring back-end logic. Selecting the wrong platform can lead to development bottlenecks, such as limitations in scalability or performance.
A well-chosen platform allows you to focus on long-term growth, avoiding the technical debt of switching platforms mid-project.
Before diving into design, conducting a thorough platform audit is essential. This involves evaluating the design and technical capabilities of the platform to ensure it can meet your project’s specific requirements. For instance, if you’re designing a mobile app on Adalo, it’s crucial to understand its limitations around complex interactions, performance, or customization options.
Alternatively, platforms like Bubble might offer more flexibility for complex workflows but could be more challenging for mobile optimization. Conducting this audit early helps prevent roadblocks later in development, ensuring the project stays aligned with user needs and platform constraints. According to a Top Design Firms report, 42% of users leave a site because of poor functionality, emphasizing the importance of designing around platform limitations to ensure a seamless user experience.
Designing for a low-code/no-code platform often means working within specific constraints, like limited performance optimization or predefined design components. For example, when building on Webflow, designers might encounter limitations in advanced animations or interactive elements that require custom code.
Understanding these limitations allows you to innovate within the platform’s boundaries. In practice, this could mean optimizing for faster load times on mobile or simplifying complex forms to fit within platform constraints. According to a GoodFirms report, 42% of users leave a site because of poor functionality, emphasizing the importance of designing around platform limitations to ensure a seamless user experience.
At Aubergine Solutions, we’ve worked extensively on low-code/no-code platforms, and one of our key projects was with a startup, ClowdTrust (client name anonymized for confidentiality), focused on streamlining data security and collaboration across digital products.
The challenge? Design a scalable, user-centric experience on a low-code platform while working within significant technical limitations. Here’s how we approached this project and the solutions we crafted.
Low-code/no-code platforms often come with predefined limitations. In ClowdTrust’s case, our tool posed several challenges: we couldn’t implement overlays, modals, tooltips, or sticky elements at the bottom of pages. Additionally, there was limited control over input box widths, dropdowns, fonts, and overall styling.
Despite these constraints, we created a streamlined, intuitive interface that optimized what we could control. We worked closely with the front-end team to push the platform’s boundaries, constantly testing creative solutions to ensure the user experience remained fluid. By designing around the platform’s limitations, we were able to preserve key aspects of usability and ensure that users could still navigate the product with ease, even when facing technical restrictions.
ClowdTrust aimed to deliver highly personalized customer journeys, even within the constraints of a low-code platform. Different user types—such as administrators, analysts, and end-users—required tailored dashboards and unique insights to support their specific workflows. For example, administrators needed comprehensive control and performance overviews, while end-users required simplified, task-driven dashboards. Each of these user segments demanded a distinct journey through the platform.
To achieve this, we designed adaptable user flows that aligned with these diverse needs, ensuring every dashboard displayed the most relevant data and insights for the specific role. This approach allowed us to provide personalized experiences despite the platform’s limitations, with each user seeing a unique journey, customized to their goals and actions.
By focusing on these tailored dashboards and personalized customer journeys, ClowdTrust improved engagement, ensured user satisfaction, and demonstrated its ability to adapt to complex user requirements, ultimately building stronger trust and long-term relationships with its clients.
A key aspect of any product’s success is its ability to scale as the business grows. When we began working with ClowdTrust, they were still identifying their target user base, which made it important to design an interface that could easily adapt to evolving user needs and business growth.
To ensure scalability, we developed a robust design system that would serve as a foundation for the product’s future growth. This design system included reusable components, consistent design patterns, and a clearly defined visual language that could be applied across new features as they were introduced.
By building this scalable design framework early on, we ensured that ClowdTrust could maintain consistency in the user experience as the product grew in complexity and attracted new user segments. Continuous iterations, informed by user feedback, kept the platform relevant and easy to use, even as it evolved.
At Aubergine Solutions, we specialize in crafting seamless, user-centric designs that deliver exceptional experiences, whether for low-code/no-code platforms or fully custom-built solutions.
Our deep expertise in UX design and development ensures your digital products not only meet but exceed user expectations, driving both engagement and business success.
Ready to enhance your platform’s user experience? Explore our comprehensive services to create intuitive, user-centric solutions. Contact us today for personalized consultations on your next project!
