5 Mobile Development Trends for 2016
As part of an update to a set of tools aimed at end users that want to build their own mobile applications, Kony today announced that it is making a Starter Edition of Kony Visualizer available for free.
Kony Visualizer enables a citizen developer to construct a mobile application using a set of visual tools that require no programming skills. Kony Visualizer then generates that application on a cloud service hosted by Kony. That application can also plug into a mobile backend-as-a-service (MBaaS) that provides access to the middleware needed to invoke a variety of backend services via an integrated set of application programming interfaces (APIs).
The latest edition of Kony Visualizer also now adds support for Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform to its existing Apple iOS and Google Android support, and provides the capability of importing application designs from Adobe Photoshop. Kony has also added voice support for Apple Watch applications and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to build, for example, a smart home application. Other tools make it simpler to share application prototypes and encrypt the underlying source code of the mobile application.
Burley Kawasaki, senior vice president of Kony products, says by offering both a Starter and Enterprise Edition of Kony Visualizer, the mobile application development logjam that exists inside many organizations will be sharply reduced. Instead of waiting to gain access to a professional developer, end users can now generate their own using rapid application development tools in the cloud. Many of those applications are aimed at employees, rather than customers, and are often only needed for a specific task or project.
It’s difficult to say where the line between a citizen developer and a professional developer ends and begins. Citizen developers should be able to get a mobile application projection off the ground. The Kony approach makes it possible for those citizen developers to then call for professional help using the Enterprise Edition if and when needed. But at the very least, those professional developers will have a better idea of what those citizen developers are actually trying to accomplish.
