Developing without coding, the new NoCode trend

What is NoCode?

NoCode is a global movement aimed at democratizing development tools. That's right, anyone can develop a website. These tools make it possible to design and create websites, webapps or even ERP systems without having to write a single line of code, and without the help of a developer. Yes, but...

From idea to realization, there's just one step

The added value of NoCode is the ability to test an idea quickly and efficiently. This is especially true for a PoC (Proof of Concept) or a small site with just a few pages. These visual design tools are relatively easy to learn and use, and have a strong community of users who share video tutorials and advice. Webflow, a well-known visual site creation tool, has an online academy and video courses for all levels. So, yes, getting to grips with Webflow requires a basic knowledge of integration and front-end development. Our designers at the agency work regularly with our teams of developers, and it's fundamental at Arneo to have this knowledge when designing a site. And indispensable for a NoCode project.

Site template or tailor-made?

Webflow has a wide range of ready-to-use themes (both free and paid), but it is of course possible to start from scratch. For our projects, we first designed the pages in Figma.

Reproducing the design in Webflow

The designs are recreated in Webflow, adopting an architecture and nomenclature closer to those a developer would have used to name his divs and classes, and structuring the page in a clean manner.

Instant visual rendering facilitates adjustments, and resizing enables blocks to be adapted to viewport widths.

The tool enables fine management of different styles, so you can faithfully reproduce the effects designed in our graphics software. And if need be, Webflow has an integrated code editor, sufficient for micro-adjustments.

Animations, parallax, Mouse Move, OnScroll effects and other hovers are all available. Bringing these animations to life is a pleasure.

Setting up the CMS

Once the page has been integrated, the most arduous task of the process will have been to devise a logical CMS structure and link all content to articles, all without breaking the previously integrated page structure.

Webflow seems less malleable than a mass-market CMS such as Drupal or Wordpress, and you sometimes have to be cunning to imagine relevant collections to make life easier for the future contributor.

Once this was out of the way, and after some external help (thanks to the Webflow developer community!), the CMS was ready for use, and it became easy to create new pages, insert content blocks and contribute articles/news to be displayed on the page.

All in a simple and relatively intuitive way.

Taking a step back and general opinion

Let's face it, Webflow suffers from a few limitations and won't be a sustainable, scalable solution for a large-scale digital product. However, we were won over by its intuitive handling, its large community of developers ready to help, and the ease of setting up a site that won't be ashamed of manual code.

Beware, however, if you're looking for fine-tuned SEO management or mastery of eco-design. Webflow won't be as relevant as a tailor-made solution.

Once the adaptation and upgrading phase is over, the time savings are real if the ambition of the finished product is of the PoC or MVP order.

What does the future hold for developers?

Rest assured, the profession of developer still has a bright future ahead of it. NoCode opens up new perspectives and opportunities for people who would never have invested time in creating a project from scratch.

In digital agencies, NoCode frees up developers' time to concentrate on larger-scale projects, and gives greater autonomy and responsibility to the Designer, who will then be responsible for the entire project from inception to completion.

Fewer intermediaries, greater efficiency. A direct, privileged relationship with the customer and, so far, a high level of satisfaction.

In a nutshell: