The Year of No-Code

As we look back on this year, I can confidently say 2020 has been “the Year of No-Code,” not only at Google Cloud, but across the broader tech industry. Back in January, when we announced the acquisition of AppSheet, we could not have predicted how important no-code platforms would be to the pandemic response. Now, the rise of these platforms seem inevitable because they’re making tech more accessible. Almost anyone is capable of building an app, no matter their background or where they are.  

And it’s not just individuals benefiting from this accessibility. No-code platforms like AppSheet are ideal for businesses responding to periods of great disruption as apps can be built and deployed in a matter of hours or days vs. weeks or months.  Because no-code empowers anyone across your organization to develop apps, we saw so much creativity born out of necessity. 

• In the UK an AppSheet citizen developer built and deployed apps to manage the volunteer effort and production management of 3D printed face shields, resulting in the distribution of 190,000 face shields over two and a half months.
• In the U.S., various states and cities built apps to manage unemployment benefits, contact tracing, and non-essential city workers deployed across a number of disaster relief programs.
• In the UAE, an app creator built apps to support teachers having to work from home. 
• In Japan, an app creator built an app to help restaurants let the public know they were open, how to order, etc. 

These examples are just some of what's possible when developers and citizen developers alike lean into no-code digital transformation. Platforms like AppSheet, which includes tools like Apigee Datasource for AppSheet, makes me excited about a greater significance at hand: increased accessibility and diversity among app creators in the tech industry."

This year has changed most aspects of one’s personal and work lives and the range of examples reflect that, however, the proliferation of no-code extends beyond pandemic-related use cases. This is why we are happy to announce AppSheet’s deeper integration with Google Workspace.  

Some exciting AppSheet stories from the year that standout to me: 

• Using AppSheet and Google Workspace, construction company BHI, shortened their inspection process from two hours to six minutes, saving over $50,000 a month in labor and freeing up 10% of its total IT spend by replacing third-party software. 
• The environmental consulting company EDI built and deployed 35+ business apps with no coding skills necessary using AppSheet and Google Workspace. This no-code effort saved employees over 2,550 hours a year.
• I also love the inspiring story of Globe Telecom employees building 59 business apps in just 8 weeks using AppSheet!

As we head into the new year, the use of no-code will only increase as more organizations discover the efficiencies it can bring to an organization. We’ll also see no-code apps become even smarter with the addition of AI and automation (see: AppSheet Automation), further accelerating organizations’ digital transformations. I for one, can’t wait to see what our citizen developers build next.