Rapid Application Development RAD

Rapid Application Development or RAD is a precursor of LowCode. Many LowCode platforms first called themselves a RAD platform, but since Forrester and Gartner adopted LowCode as their terminology, many RAD platforms have become LowCode platforms.

Is there a difference between RAD and LowCode? Yes, LowCode is more accessible for people with a distance from hard ICT skills such as programming, database design or front-end development. LowCode platforms often use their own process forms and models to develop an application. These processes are supported by a visually oriented development environment.

Developers without ICT knowledge who use LowCode platforms are called citizen developers. Citizen development enables the creation of simple applications at the departmental level. For complex and enterprise applications, an experienced programmer who is familiar with the platform is often required.

Through citizen development, the scarce, experienced developers can be freed up to tackle the more technical challenges. So does a LowCode platform make sense for experienced developers? Can these developers develop faster? No, not necessarily. Often the LowCode platform gets in the way, and experienced developers have to deal with leaky abstractions and service lock-in. A RAD tool is better suited for experienced developers, as these are built to support professional, not citizen, developers.