Year Here | How To Build Software Without Coding

💡

Welcome to How To Build Software Without Coding, this will be your introduction for the May 2022 session on how you bring your ideas to life with No Code. I’ve prepared an onboarding guide so that we can maximise the time we have together and you can prepare questions and your ideas.

Table of Contents

Meet the instructor

Hello everybody! I’m Dominic O Norton, a No Code Developer and social entrepreneur. I founded Missing Black People, that I built with a No Code tool, and since it has had significant impact in reducing the number of missing Black people. I am a fellow of OnDeck, one of the most credible No Code programs in the world and I partner with many No Code platforms and communities such as the.com and Makerpad. It’s great to meet you and I look forward to building with you.

Workshop requirements (preferred)

Even though I have titled this section workshop requirements, I will assume that you have no prior experience creating software without coding and to be honest none would be necessary but we can move you further along if you start the workshop with the following things.

Project Name - This can be a work in progress but there will be a practical component to the workshop and I don’t want you spending significant time thinking about a name. A great resource for inspiration is Namelix.

Project Logo - Again, it’s not mandatory but we won’t spend too much time creating a logo and it would help if you had at least a placeholder for the project we will build during the workshop. A great free resource is Canva. Use a logo template and stock elements and you can do this in no time.

Platforms

We will explore the No Code landscape together so don’t worry if this is overwhelming. I wanted to share with you some interesting platforms to get your mind ticking over the weekend.

Web Applications

Build website, web app & portals on Airtable without code | Softr

from Airtable, in minutes. No code required. Check out real web apps built on Softr by 50,000+ users Start from a template or from 100+ pre-built blocks and customize any element on the page. No design or coding skills needed. Don't spend hours learning new tools.

https://www.softr.io/

Build website, web app & portals on Airtable without code | Softr

Pory | No code platform | Client Portal | Web application | Membership Websites

Build an app for your business in five minutes. Engineering resources optional. See How Get Started - It's free Complete projects 10x faster and at a fraction of the cost Create your app the way you like using drag and drop blocks. Control what users can view, create and modify with user groups.

https://pory.io/

The best way to build web apps without code | Bubble

Bubble introduces a new way to build software. It's a no-code tool that lets you build SaaS platforms, marketplaces and CRMs without code. Bubble hosts all web apps on its cloud platform.

https://bubble.io/home

Progressive Web Application

A progressive web application is a mix between a native mobile application and a web application. You cannot upload to the Google Play or App Store but users can bookmark the application to their home screen and use some native phone functionality.

Glide - Create apps & websites without code.

"We were amazed at how easy it was to make our app in a few hours without knowing how to code, and at how the app has modernized our workflow." "The app I built is now pivotal to the operation of the company-not just the business but also for the safety and general wellbeing of employees."

https://www.glideapps.com/

Thunkable: Best no code app builder | No code app creation

Thunkable is the no-code platform to build powerful, native mobile apps. With the simple drag-and-drop builder, open APIs, and advanced customization capabilities, we make it easy to bring your ideas to life. Get started for free today!

https://thunkable.com/

AppGyver

The world's first professional no-code platform to build React and React Native based apps for mobile, web and more. Sign up for the free-forever developer plan and get superpowers today.

https://www.appgyver.com/

Chrome Extension

A chrome extension extends the functionality of the chrome browser. For example, Honey is a chrome extension that aggregates and automatically applies online coupons on eCommerce websites.

Bildr - Visual Web Development

Visually build beautiful, complete SaaS products

https://www.bildr.com/

Chatbots/ Voice Applications

Voice applications can be an interesting vehicle to solve problems. I’m sure you’re familiar with Alexa but currently there are over 100,000 applications available to enhance a users experience.

Voiceflow | Design, prototype & launch voice & chat apps

Whether you work with a couple of clients and collaborators, or you're part of a growing team, we've made sharing work, getting feedback, testing ideas, and handing off designs to developers easy.

https://voiceflow.com/

The Most Powerful Chatbot Builder | Landbot

Create conversational chatbots, conversational landing pages & websites, interactive surveys, lead generation bots & more. Intuitively. Without code.

https://landbot.io/

Chatfuel | Customer support and sales automation

Chatfuel is the leading no-code chatbot platform trusted by 7m+ businesses. Acquire new customers, increase sales, and automate support

https://chatfuel.com/

Native Application

This is your typically iOS or android app. Many love to pursue this as a solution because of the “ease” of distribution but as we can see this isn’t the only way to solve a problem with the help of technology.

Adalo - Build Your Own No Code App

After hiring designers and developers, most entrepreneurs don't have any money left to iterate on their products, so they cross their fingers and hope. With Adalo, you're in complete control to add, adjust, or even build a new app.

https://adalo.com/

FlutterFlow

FlutterFlow - Build Mobile Apps With Ease

https://app.flutterflow.io/

No code app builder | Bravo Studio

Due to the evolution of no-code platforms like Webflow, Bravo Studio, Wix.com, WordPress that foster faster scalability for building high-fidelity websites and apps. Every student starts their tech journey with Data Structures, Algorithm and solves problems on coding platforms like CodeChef, GeeksforGeeks, LeetCode, CodeForces, etc.

https://www.bravostudio.app/

Landing Pages/ Single Page Websites

Carrd

Simple, free, fully responsive one-page sites for pretty much anything. What is Carrd? Whether it's a personal profile, a landing page to capture emails, or something a bit more elaborate, Carrd has you covered. Simple, responsive, and yup - totally free. Start with one of dozens of templates (or a blank canvas) and make it your own.

https://carrd.co/

Jemi | Beautiful websites in minutes

The modern website builder for creatives, entrepreneurs, and dreamers. Build a beautiful link-in-bio site, portfolio, or landing page in minutes. Monetization, blogging, and more all built-in for free.

https://jemi.so/

Webflow: Create a custom website | No-code website builder

Create professional, custom websites in a completely visual canvas with no code. Learn how to create a website by trying Webflow for free!

https://webflow.com/

Workflow Automation

Sometimes the solution isn’t an app or chrome extension. Sometimes it can be the process of making a workflow more efficient. For example, you can automate the creation of a newsletter or even the creation of social media graphics based on user input.

Zapier | Automation that moves you forward

"Without Zapier, my team's work would amount to one or two extra workloads every week. Now we can actually focus on adding value through customer care rather than managing day-to-day operations." Tim Tieu, Global Community Marketing Manager, Asana

https://zapier.com/

Make | Work the way you imagine

Integrate all your tools and manage your processes in one single platform. Choose from thousands of ready-made app integrations or connect to any online app with our powerful no-code tools.

https://www.make.com/

Parabola: automate any manual task

With Parabola, you can finally connect the dots between your data sources, your spreadsheets, and your teammates' workarounds. Explain your process right where it lives using Parabola's documentation features. Suddenly, your individual tasks are team processes.

https://parabola.io/

Case Studies

Missing Black People is a project built with Softr by Dominic O Norton to amplify the voices of Missing Black People.

Missing Black People

Help us find missing Black people worldwide and bring families and communities back together. To raise awareness of appeals for Missing Black People in the United Kingdom and to work with stakeholders to reduce the number of Missing Black People nationally.

https://www.missingblackpeople.com/

Hyderabad COVID Resources is an award winning project built with Glide by Vensy Krishna to bring the most extensive collection of resources to the fight against COVID in Hyderabad.

Hyd COVID Resources

This app is an attempt to bring the most extensive collection of resources to the fight against COVID in Hyderabad.

https://t.co/jE3OLy4cLW

Voyage is a mindful journaling platform built with Bubble by Dan Parry that gives you insights into your written feelings, and meditation based on your entries.

Voyage

Ever since I was diagnosed with depression 15 years ago, I've been fascinated with learning more about how my brain works, trying to be more mindful and figuring out how to navigate my good and not so good days. I built Voyage to try and help me and other data-driven folks out there explore their thoughts.

https://myvoyage.app/

Frequently asked questions

What is No Code?

“No Code” is an umbrella term for a suite of products that allow professionals to build software and workflow automations without coding.

What is Low Code?

Low Code involves enhancing No Code products with code to increase functionality

Can I export the code?

That entirely depends on the platform. Some allow you to export the code while others may not.

Is it scalable?

Scalability means many things to many different people. The technical performance of different No Code platforms can vary but in many cases it is dependent on your data structure and whether or not you’ve designed it for performance.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

This is a great question. Typically if you wanted to create software you would have to find a co-founder or pay a developer a lot of money to produce your solution. This is expensive and time-consuming. No Code can allow you to produce something impactful quicker and cheaper which can ensure you are on the right path earlier. The disadvantage is that many No Code platforms are not as flexible as some founders want and can naturally create a vendor lock-in.

How do I know which platform to pick?

This can be difficult. I typically vet for price, usability and community but if you ask people on Twitter they will typically recommend the same couple of tools for your particular use case.

Contact

📩 dnorton@dominiconorton.co.uk

🐦 www.twitter.com/dominiconorton

📸 www.instagram.com/dominiconorton

💼 www.linkedin.com/in/dominiconorton

Year How | How To Build Software Without Coding