What Is a Citizen Developer? Best Practices & Benefits in 2025

Citizen development empowers non-engineers to create their own tools. While they may not have formal development training, these citizen developers often generate some of the most innovative ideas because they deeply understand the company’s day-to-day needs. 

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Thanks to their unique perspectives, they can build hyper-focused solutions that streamline workflows, boost productivity, and directly benefit their teams.

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However, there’s a catch. Without proper oversight, this DIY development can lead to security gaps, inconsistent implementations, and a pile of unmaintainable apps. So how do we take advantage of the benefits without inviting chaos?

Read on to learn: 

• What a citizen developer is
• Benefits and challenges
• How citizen devs build an app
• 5 top tools and best practices
• Try a popular low-code platform to start now

Let’s start by defining what a citizen developer is.

What is a citizen developer?

A citizen developer is a non-technical employee (usually not in IT or the engineering team) who builds apps or automates workflows using low-code or no-code tools. 

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Citizen developers can be generally classified as:

• Business technologists: They create tools to solve business problems in their departments.
• Citizen automators: They automate workflows using tools like Zapier.
• Citizen data scientists: They analyze data and build reports.

Citizen development is common in roles where there’s a lot of process or data-heavy work like HR, finance, or marketing.

Pros and cons of citizen development

Pros

• Faster application development
• Reduces IT backlog
• Lowers development costs
• Encourages innovation from non-IT employees
• Empowers employees & boosts engagement
• Encourages rapid prototyping and iteration

Cons

• Increased risk of shadow IT and security issues
• Limits scalability for complex apps
• Increased risk of data governance challenges
• Requires proper training and oversight
• Complicates integrations with existing systems
• Lacks advanced customization options

What industries benefit the most from citizen developers?

Citizen development offers significant advantages in industries bogged down by tasks like manual data entry, multi-step approvals, and large-scale reporting. Key sectors include:

• Healthcare: Workers can manage patient records or simplify appointment scheduling more effectively by building their own tools.
• Government: Agencies often struggle with paperwork-heavy workflows and slow processes. Citizen developers can create apps that help cut through inefficiencies. For example, departments can build apps to track and manage cases (e.g., social services and permit applications) with automated status updates.
• Manufacturing: Being able to monitor inventory in real-time or manage supply chains effectively can lead to significant cost savings. Citizen developers in this space can create apps to track stock levels or manage repairs and returns. 
• Retail: They can build tools to gather, analyze, and respond to customer reviews from multiple platforms in one place. Support teams can also create dashboards to track response times and spot common complaints before they become bigger issues.‍
• Financial services: In this industry, citizen developers can quickly build apps for real-time expense reporting and dashboards to track suspicious transactions or fraud case statuses.

Benefits of citizen developers

Here are some benefits of citizen developers:

Faster app development

Instead of logging a ticket and waiting for IT to get to it, citizen devs can just roll up their sleeves and build what they need. Since they’re the actual users of these tools, they know exactly what’s needed. 

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This direct involvement eliminates a lot of the guessing game that sometimes happens when IT tries to interpret what a department says it needs. With the right no-code or low-code tool, what used to take a month now might just take a day or two.

Staying flexible

Business needs shift all the time. When something changes, like marketing needing a new way to track customer interactions, they can just jump in and update their apps themselves. 

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This kind of flexibility is important, especially in industries like finance, where regulations can change overnight. 

Saving money

Hiring external developers or consultants to create custom tools can be expensive. With low-code and no-code platforms, citizen developers can cut out expensive development costs and reduce developer dependency. Internal teams can make updates themselves instead of waiting (and paying) for custom changes.

Helping IT and business work together

Citizen developers often have a foot in both worlds. On one hand, they understand the immediate needs and pain points of their business unit because they're part of it. On the other, they have enough tech know-how to fix them.

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This dual insight makes them excellent translators who can articulate business needs in a way that IT can understand and quickly get on board with.

How to build an app like a skilled citizen developer

With the right tools, a clear plan, and the willingness to push through challenges, almost anyone can develop an app. Here’s how to get started:

1. Identify the problem

Before jumping into development, pinpoint exactly what you want your app to do. What problem is it solving? Maybe it’s something like needing a better way to track customer feedback or simplifying the process of filing expense reports. Whatever it is, define what success looks like for this project.

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Here's why this is so important:

• It saves money by cutting wasted development time.
• It defines the boundaries of your project, so it does not become too large or complex.
• It ensures that your app actually addresses your needs.

2. Choose a platform

Choose a low-code or no-code platform that fits your needs. No-code tools like Google AppSheet or Zapier are great for building simple apps without writing code. 

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If you need more flexibility, low-code platforms offer a mix of visual tools and coding. For example, Superblocks lets you design your app with a drag-and-drop builder. You can also connect to data sources with a simple point-and-click interface and even write code when you need custom logic or components.

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Pick one that feels intuitive to you and more importantly, one that your org endorses and supports.

3. Map out what you need

Sketch out a basic blueprint of your app. What are the must-have features? 

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For example, if you’re building an expense reporting app, you’ll need entry forms, approval workflows, and a dashboard for tracking submissions.

4. Design the UI

Most no-code/low-code platforms make it easy to put together your app’s look and feel. They come with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and a selection of reusable components. You can experiment with different layouts, colors, and fonts to see what works best without wrangling CSS styles or media queries. 

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Here’s a tip: Start with a pre-built template, if your platform offers it. It will speed up the customization process.

5. Build the logic

Set up the basic workflows. This is where you decide what happens in the app when a user submits a form, requests information, or needs to perform any action. 

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Most platforms make this pretty easy with visual tools that let you set up if-this-then-that logic. You might need to connect to external data sources like spreadsheets, databases, or even APIs to pull in or store information.

6. Test it out

Before going live, test your app. Start using it yourself, and then rope in a few colleagues. Watch how they use the app and note any snags or frustrations. This feedback is gold. You’ll use it to tweak and improve things.

7. Launch and learn

Once you’re confident the app does what it’s supposed to, launch it. Then, pay attention because this is just the start. It’s time to improve it based on real user feedback. Are unexpected issues coming up? 

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Based on your observations, you can make adjustments. Maybe you’ll add new features, smooth out any clunky flows, or adjust design elements that weren’t as intuitive as you thought. 

Best practices for managing citizen developers

Without proper management, citizen-built apps can start as quick fixes but over time, turn into unmaintained, insecure tools. Here are some of the best practices to keep apps scalable and secure:

Standardized frameworks and tools

When everyone's using their own favorite tools and frameworks, you end up with a Frankenstein's monster of a system that’s difficult to maintain. The security risks are also through the roof because maintaining a consistent security standard becomes virtually impossible.

To tackle these issues, endorse one or two low-code platforms that all citizen devs must use. 

Maintain a central repository of apps

You want to avoid situations where people build duplicate apps or create difficult-to-use software. With a central repository, everyone can see what's already been built. This visibility saves time and money and prevents a backlog of redundant apps.

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It also centralizes security and compliance, making it straightforward to manage updates and maintain standards across the board.

Implement clear governance

Architects need to set clear policies that lay out the dos and don’ts for citizen developers. These policies make sure sensitive data is protected and apps don't accidentally turn into backdoors for security breaches.

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However, setting policies isn’t enough — you also need a way to enforce them. Every app should go through a review process before it goes live to catch vulnerabilities early.

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For example, if Ted from accounting builds a financial reporting app but forgets to set proper user permissions, employees may mistakenly get full access to everyone’s salaries. Without oversight, well-intentioned tools can quickly become security holes.

Define roles and expectations

Clarify exactly what citizen developers are allowed to work on to ensure projects genuinely tackle real business challenges. These guidelines should also spell out the specific points where citizen devs need to pull in IT oversight. 

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For example, any app that handles sensitive data should go through a more detailed security review before launch, and IT needs to sign off on any integration with core business systems.

Provide training and support 

You can’t just rely on whatever’s out there on the internet. You need tailored training materials specifically designed around your own org’s tools and needs. 

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These should cover tool usage, basic security practices, good design principles, and system integration methods.

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On top of that, provide ongoing support. Consider setting up a dedicated portal or helpdesk where citizen devs can get answers to their questions, troubleshoot issues, or just get advice on best practices. 

5 popular citizen developer tools and platforms

These platforms empower non-technical users to build applications:

1. Superblocks: Best for both citizen and pro enterprise-level developers due to its ease of use
2. Mendix: Good for massive companies needing low-code development with scalability
3. Microsoft Power Apps: Good for apps heavily integrated with Microsoft
4. Appian: Good for workflow automation and business process management
5. OutSystems: Good for enterprise-ready, low-code apps

1. Superblocks

Superblocks is a flexible, open platform designed for new and seasoned developers. You can build with a visual builder, code, or AI, all while maintaining the scalability and security of traditional code.

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It gives developers the best of both worlds — low-code speed with traditional-code flexibility. It allows small or large teams to build internal tools quickly using a drag-and-drop UI, prebuilt components, and straightforward integrations. When developers need more control, they can write custom logic in JavaScript or Python to fine-tune workflows and extend functionality. 

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At the same time, enterprise-level IT and security teams maintain full visibility and control over internal apps. They can set role-based permissions, manage access, and enforce security policies from a single dashboard — an essential requirement for orgs running citizen development programs.

2. Mendix

Mendix is a low-code platform that allows businesses to create web and mobile apps quickly. It’s particularly popular in massive corporations and may not be the best fit for small businesses.

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Like many low-code apps, it provides pre-built templates, reusable components, and a visual builder that speeds up development. However, it stands out for its strong focus on mobile app development. It has a React Native compiler, offline capabilities, and mobile UI templates.

3. Microsoft Power Apps

Power Apps is Microsoft’s low-code platform that allows business users to build web and mobile apps integrated with Microsoft tools like Office 365, SharePoint, and Azure. Because of this, most organizations use it as an extension of their Microsoft ecosystem rather than a standalone platform.

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However, building complex solutions within Power Apps often requires stitching together multiple tools, such as Power Automate for workflows. If you need to integrate with systems outside of Microsoft’s ecosystem, such as SAP, Power Apps can be restrictive and may not work well.

4. Appian

Appian is a low-code platform focused on workflow automation. This makes it a popular choice in finance, healthcare, and government sectors where automating complex, compliance-heavy processes is a priority.

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One of Appian’s downsides is its lack of flexibility, which can limit customization. Unlike platforms that allow deep front-end modifications, Appian does not support custom React components or extensive CSS customization. This makes it difficult to create visually polished apps — especially for unique user experiences or branded designs.

5. OutSystems

OutSystems is a low-code platform built for teams that need to create secure, scalable full-stack apps. It’s widely used for customer portals and process automation in large enterprises. 

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One of OutSystems' unique features is the ability to deploy applications without being locked into a license. However, once you detach an app, you’re essentially leaving the platform, meaning no further development or maintenance are possible within OutSystems.

Tips on becoming a citizen developer

Many employees become citizen developers out of necessity. Suppose you repetitively send individual emails or manually generate reports every day. Instead of waiting for IT, which might be backlogged, you find a way to fix it yourself. For example, you might build a simple app that automatically sends emails when order status changes in a spreadsheet.

That said, here are some practical tips to help you or your employees succeed as a citizen developer:

• Adopt a problem-solving mindset: This is one of the most important traits you’ll need to become a citizen dev. See a process that feels clunky or takes too much time? Step in and automate it.
• Learn the tool: You don’t need deep programming skills, especially with no-code tools. For low-code tools that require some coding knowledge, there are plenty of resources available from most tool’s docs or there’s always YouTube.
• Start small and experiment: You don’t have to build something huge right away. For starters, try automating a simple email workflow, setting up a basic chart, etc. These small wins will incrementally build your confidence and skills.
• Collaborate with IT: Even if you’re working independently, maintain a good relationship with your IT department. They can provide guidance on security practices, and integration points, and even help you scale when the time comes.

FAQs

How do enterprises manage security for citizen-developed apps?

Companies set governance policies, restrict sensitive data access, and require IT reviews before deployment. Enterprises also only approve platforms that come with built-in security features, such as role-based access controls and audit logs for visibility purposes.

Will low-code/no-code replace traditional software development?

No, but it will supplement it. Low-code/no-code is ideal for business apps and automation. However, when it comes to big intricate projects that require deep customization, you still need traditional coding.

How can IT teams support their citizen developers?

IT teams could offer best practices training to help citizen devs create better, more secure apps. They should also be ready to consult on more complicated issues. This could be issues with integration, performance, or any other that go beyond the scope of the low-code tool.

How Superblocks helps citizens developers build

The best platforms for citizen and actual developers make it easy for teams to build while giving IT full visibility and control. Superblocks addresses these needs with a complete suite of features:

• Over 100 reusable components: Access over 100 beautiful components that simplify development and enforce a consistent design. 
• Flexible visual development:  Design both UI and business logic visually with our intuitive drag-and-drop interface, or go custom with React components.
• Effortless change management and deployment: Use Git-based workflows to track changes in GitHub or GitLab and deploy with one click.
• Centralized governance: Enjoy a bird's-eye view of everything your citizen developers are up to from a single, unified dashboard.‍
• Role-based access control (RBAC): Set roles and permissions to control who has access to what — be it creating applications, setting up integrations, or accessing audit logs.‍
• On-premise security: Keep sensitive data and code within your network while still managing your app, workflows, and permissions through Superblocks.

If you’d like to see these features in practice, take a look at our docs, or better yet, try Superblocks for free.