Szymon Kaliski

Domain Experts Shouldn't be Limited by Developer Time

• seems like in the field of low-code/no-code most attempts are at creating low-floor, high-ceiling tools, which will allow anyone to build what they need, but they usually converge on a specific usecase, so in the end they are becoming "normal", zeroth-order tools

  • these tools make the end-users depend on the developers to create every new functionality
  • sometimes it can feel like end-users are being held hostage by what will, and won't be added to the product
  • this gets even worse in online tools, where you can't just store your favourite .app somewhere

• I've been thinking about first-order tools, ones that are general, and allow users to build what they need, I keep seeing two approaches:

  1. everyone will be a developer - End-User Programming vs Programming
  2. what feels like accidentally (not sure if it was the original assumption!) creating UIs and interactions that can be creatively "abused": choosing furniture in Figma, designing UIs in PowerPoint, etc.

• developers should be Second-Order Tool Builders - allowing domain experts and end users to build the tools they need, in the tools provided by developers

• this is strongly related to (and might have some counter-points in) Programming Tools and People's Needs