Low-Code Mobile Platform for IoT

Individual project

Tools: Figma, Figjam, Canva, Miro

Welcome to the transformative era of technology, where low-code is reshaping the industry. Amid a chronic shortage of seasoned IT professionals and the rising costs of outsourcing, Low- and No-Code Development Platforms (LCDPs) have emerged as a lifeline. These innovative platforms empower individuals with minimal coding knowledge - the so-called "citizen developers" - to create their own applications, filling a significant void in the tech space. The ability to create applications on the go enables rapid decision-making and constant iteration, ensuring an ever-evolving IoT ecosystem. As we embrace this new age of app development, the future of technology looks more accessible and inclusive than ever before.

Why? - My Motivation

My motivation behind this thesis project was inspired by the following aspects:

• Research Gap: At the time of composing this thesis, I observed a noticeable void in the research around developer experience (DX) within the scope of LCDPs and mobile-focused LCDPs. This signaled a unique opportunity for a deeper investigation.

• Desire to Contribute to Interaction Design: I sought to make a substantial contribution to Interaction Design, exploring, validating, and potentially proposing new principles for creating user-friendly LCDPs. By marrying previous literature and hands-on user research, my ambition was to shape a holistic understanding of DX in the context of LCDPs.

• Personal Interest as a Designer and User: As a designer who appreciates the potential benefits of LCDPs, I was eager to enhance the usability of these platforms for citizen developers, irrespective of their digital literacy levels.

• Industry Impact: The insights from my work would not only potentially elevate Neue Labs' product offerings, making them more competitive, but would also have broader implications for the LCDP industry.

Subject: Playground

Playground, a mobile low-code development platform by Neue Labs, simplifies the creation of custom solutions for connected devices. It uses 'flows' and intelligent patches for fast application construction and cloud integration, enabling real-time IoT data visualization and analysis. Key features include flow editing, real-time data visibility, and custom interface design. It is designed for mobile use, free and available on the App Store for iPhones.

Screens of the Playground software (source: neue.se).

What? - What Am I Researching?

My thesis sets out on a journey to explore the uncharted territories of LCDPs. Amid the backdrop of an escalating demand for accessible technology, it highlights three key areas ripe for investigation.

• Design heuristics for (mobile) LCDPs: The crux of my research led to the creation of the set of design heuristics, uniquely tailored for mobile LCDPs, establishing a novel contribution to the field. Through consideration of mobile-specific features and subsequent usability testing, it was demonstrated that these heuristics have a substantial potential to boost the usability and accessibility of LCDPs in a mobile context, setting the stage for future studies to further validate their importance and relevance.

• Entry threshold in terms of digital literacy level: Exploring the enigma of entry threshold was sparked by my personal experience and curiosity about the apparent difficulty users face when navigating platforms like Neue Labs' Playground software. By dissecting barriers to LCDP adoption identified in scholarly works and scrutinizing the required digital literacy to persist as an LCDP user, I aim to propose pathways to make these platforms more accessible to 'citizen developers'.

• More accessible and inclusive (mobile) LCDPs: Second, my research delves into the exciting realm of mobile cloud computing. With the world moving from desktop to smartphones, it's essential to acknowledge this shift in LCDP development. The pervasive use of smartphones has set the stage for a new era of application design that merges the traditionally separate phases of design and runtime.

• Trends and future directions for LCDPs: The increasing ubiquity of mobile devices and rising popularity of LCDPs signal a shift in the app development landscape, paving the way for more non-technical users to become creators. However, this transformation brings unique challenges such as the potential for vendor lock-in, concerns around data security, and the opacity of these platforms' underlying systems. While LCDPs democratize app development, their 'black box' nature may lead to misuse or unforeseen consequences due to a lack of system understanding. Furthermore, the future impact of LCDPs on traditional coding roles, the job market, and the tech industry overall should be carefully monitored.

How? - The Design Process

A brief outline of the methods I implemented:

1. Research & Exploration: Started with an extensive literature review and market research to understand the current state of LCDPs, identify gaps, and gather insights about user needs and preferences.

2. Identifying Opportunities: Investigated the challenges and difficulties users faced while using LCDPs, specifically the Playground software. Recognized the need for lowering the entry threshold for LCDPs and increasing their accessibility across devices and user groups.

3. Formulating Objectives: Developed clear research questions and goals focusing on enhancing developer experience, making LCDPs more user-friendly, and understanding future directions for these platforms.

4. Prototype Development: Created a partially functioning prototype of an application that embodies the identified principles and heuristics for designing user-friendly LCDPs.

5. Usability Testing: Conducted testing and collected participant feedback to understand the effectiveness of the design heuristics and their impact on usability and accessibility of mobile LCDPs.

6. Reflection & Future Consideration: Analyzed and reflected on the impact and potential concerns of democratizing programming through LCDPs, suggesting future research directions to address these issues.

My design process was based on a Double Diamond model.

Outcomes

Outcomes of this thesis project include:

• A comprehensive background and theoretical framework on the subject matter.

• Insights derived from in-depth literature studies and user research.

• Partially functional prototype application that encapsulates the discussed concepts.

• Valuable recommendations for crafting more user-friendly LCDPs.

Screens from my prototype, which are respective propositions to the current UI of Playground (above).