What is a Citizen Developer? What Does A Citizen Developer Do?
Citizen development is revolutionizing the way businesses create and build business applications. It’s an important concept for anyone working in technology, as citizen developers are non-developers who use no-code platforms to construct specific business solutions.
Citizen development has become a dominant force in the software industry, with almost four-tenths of businesses now using low-code platforms to provide developers beyond IT departments with the agency they need. Additionally, over a quarter of companies plan on investing in these solutions within the next year.
This movement has been enabled by the proliferation of low-code/no-code development platforms, which provide users with drag-and-drop interfaces, quick prototyping capabilities, and streamlined workflows. These tools enable citizen developers to quickly create applications without needing extensive technical expertise or knowledge.
The possibilities for citizens are vast — from automating manual processes to quickly responding to customer requests, building custom web applications or mobile apps, and creating dashboards that enable users to track meaningful metrics. This can reduce costs and increase efficiency while providing organizations with a competitive edge in the market.
What is a Citizen Developer?
Citizen developers are any non-IT professionals with the skills and technical know-how to create their own applications. Citizen developers use low-code/no-code platforms, as well as existing software templates and cloud services, to quickly assemble business solutions.
These citizen developers are typically highly skilled in one or more aspects of business — such as accounting, finance, marketing, or operations — and are now using their knowledge to build custom applications and automate processes.
What Drive The Rise of Citizen Development?
The rise of citizen development can be attributed to multiple factors.
- Bringing forth bespoke tech solutions with visual components has never been simpler. We offer an effortless app production process that facilitates the creation of effective, tailored technology systems.
- Making organizational data available to non-developers can be instrumental in unlocking faster solutions for problems, allowing the average employee to design more efficient resolutions.
- Constantly striving for excellence, we can use workflows and standardization to digitally improve business processes. This will enable us to optimize our operations and elevate productivity.
- Streamlining collaboration across the organization and eliminating silos between IT departments is key to promoting faster, better, and more frequent innovation. Centralization of work ensures that this ambition can be achieved.
Finally, the emergence of cloud-based platforms and services has enabled citizen developers to rapidly create applications without needing expensive hardware or infrastructure.
As a result, these platforms are becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to quickly develop innovative solutions that can stay ahead of competition.
What is the Difference Between a Citizen Developer and a Traditional Developer?
Citizen developers and traditional software developers share the same goal of creating functional applications. However, their technical approaches differ significantly.
Traditional software development typically requires deep programming knowledge, usually obtained from years of experience and/or a four-year degree in the field. Traditional developers work with complex programming languages, such as Java and C++, to create applications from scratch.
Citizen developers, on the other hand, typically use low-code or no-code platforms to quickly build applications without needing to know any coding language or have prior software development experience. These tools provide users with drag-and-drop interfaces and workflows, which enable the fast assembly of applications.
In short, citizen developers are able to create apps quickly and efficiently with limited technical experience — a feat that was not possible with traditional software development approaches.
Who Qualifies to be a Citizen Developer?
Anyone with a keen eye for problem solving and the ability to think logically is able to build apps as a citizen developer. All that’s required is some basic understanding of business processes and the willingness to learn how to use different platforms.
Ultimately, it’s important to understand that software development isn’t strictly limited to coding experts — anyone can create applications and automate business processes using the right tools.
Citizen development will become increasingly popular as businesses recognize the value of their employees’ creativity and knowledge. Low-code/no-code platforms are making it easier for these citizen developers to quickly create powerful, custom applications with minimal investment in time or money.
At the same time, traditional software development approaches are still essential for complex projects that require considerable programming knowledge and expertise. By leveraging both citizen developers and traditional software developers, organizations will be able to develop innovative solutions faster and more efficiently.
The Benefits of Citizen Development
Citizen development is becoming increasingly popular due to the numerous benefits it presents businesses. By enabling users without coding experience to create business solutions, organizations can save time and money while also streamlining workflows. This can help to reduce operational costs and increase customer satisfaction.
Additionally, citizen development allows businesses to create applications quickly — meaning they can respond swiftly to customer requests or market demands. This can provide a competitive edge in the market and ensure that companies stay ahead of their competitors.
Finally, low-code/no-code platforms can be easily integrated into existing software solutions — allowing businesses to build on their current infrastructure. This can help organizations become more agile and efficient, while also encouraging innovation and problem solving.
What is the Salary of a Citizen Developer?
The salary of a citizen developer varies depending on experience and the type of organization they work for. According to ZipRecruiter, the average citizen developer salary in the United States is $102,190 per year. However, salaries can range from as low as $27,000 per year to over $164,000 per year depending on experience and location.
The Citizen Developer job market in Los Angeles and its environs is booming. On average, a professional within the area earns $101,737 annually – a mere 0% less than the national salary rate of $102,190! Ranked 29th among all states across America for Citizen Developer salaries, California stands out as an ideal place to jumpstart your career as this particular type of developer.
What Does a Citizen Developer Do?
Citizen developer plays many different roles depending on the specific needs of their organization. Generally, they are responsible for creating and customizing applications using low-code/no-code platforms to improve business processes, streamline workflows and automate tasks. This can involve creating web or mobile applications, designing user interfaces, troubleshooting technical issues, and more.
Here are 10 primary responsibilities that a citizen developer do:
- Create user-friendly web and mobile applications
- Analyze customer needs and build custom solutions to address those needs
- Develop software prototypes through the use of low-code/no-code tools
- Test applications for performance, usability, and security features
- Troubleshoot and debug software applications
- Update existing applications with new features and functionalities
- Design user workflows to improve efficiency
- Monitor system performance and report any issues to IT staff
- Implement best practices for data security
- Collaborate with other teams, such as UX/UI designers, to ensure a high-quality product.
By leveraging the skills and talents of citizen developers, businesses can quickly create powerful applications that address their customer’s needs. As such, understanding the role of a citizen developer is an essential part of any organization’s software development strategy. With the right resources and guidance, businesses can take full advantage of the cost-saving potential that citizen developers provide.
The Takeaway
Citizen development is a rapidly growing trend in software development. By enabling organizations to develop applications quickly and cost-effectively, citizen developers can help businesses stay competitive and agile.
Additionally, understanding the salary of a citizen developer and the responsibilities they fulfill is key to any successful software development strategy. With the right resources and guidance, businesses can take full advantage of the cost-saving potential that citizen developers provide.
