Drag and drop app design allows users to create apps without having to know how to program software code. Elements representing app functions are predefined and the user combines them into the functionality they require through a graphical user interface (GUI) by dragging and dropping these elements into place. Aside from not having to code drag and drop app builders allow users to scale ideas quickly and cheaply and open the possibility of building of apps to a much wider group.
Because users no longer require a development team they can build apps much more quickly using a wide Drag and drop app design that are available on the internet. This means they can harness their creativity in whatever way they see fit and are not limited by other people’s ideas of what the app should or should not be. It is also a much quicker development process because the user does not need to wait for the development team to code their ideas. It is also much less expensive since there is no need to hire a team of developers. It is estimates that an average app can cost upwards of 100,000 dollars just in development costs, never mind the maintenance and update costs on an ongoing basis. Some app builders are free while others charge on a subscription model where the user pays a monthly fee for the service.
Because most people are familiar with GUI interfaces and the principles of drag and drop, app builders are easy to learn and master. They are built for people that have limited technical knowledge so are perfect for beginner app builders that have an idea but don’t have an easy means of implementing it. Another advantage of subscription models is that users have support available to them when they run into problems with the app building platform or are having trouble implementing their idea with the tools available.
An important consideration when choosing a drag and drop app builder is the libraries that are available with the tool. Libraries are predefined functions tools that users can include in an app such as keyboard support for entering text and database interfaces for storing data. Users need to make a careful investigation of the choices they have available in app builders and pay particular attention to the libraries that are available, no matter whether they are open source or proprietary to the app builder provider.