Why 10K App Developers Use RadSystems: Q/A with Co-Founder Humphrey Okeke
Roberto Popolizio
Website Planet had the chance to sit down and chat with Humphrey Okeke, Co-Founder of RadSystems.We learnt how RadSystems became the go-to low-code software for over 10,000 users across 120 countries who want to apply the Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology in the most efficient way possible.
Let’s introduce RadSystems to our audience. What is it and how does it work?
RadSystems Studio is a robust Low-code software that facilitates a rapid application development process by reducing redundant coding time. Through its complex engine algorithm, a user can develop an application in several programming languages from a single code baseand modify it to suit his own needs.More specifically, RadSystems allows you to generate applications through, PHP Laravel, Python Flask, Node Express.js, ASP.NET Core frameworks for the Backend, and employs Bootstrap, jQuery, Vue.js, Quasar, PrimeVue, React, and Flutter frameworks for the Frontend.You can publish your application to Classic Application, Single Page Application, Progressive Web Application, and Mobile Application with a single click, and with the rapid development capabilities of RadSystems, businesses can significantly reduce the time it takes to bring new applications to market. The efficiency of RadSystems allows developers to create applications more quickly, boosting their productivity. This, in turn, can lead to increased throughput, faster pace of innovation and the ability to quickly respond to customer needs and market changes.In fact, businesses can more easily adapt to changing market conditions and user feedback due to RadSystems’ iterative development and rapid prototyping features.Faster development and deployment of applications can set businesses apart in competitive markets. They can respond to customer demands quickly and efficiently, gaining an edge over slower competitors.RadSystems’ low-code approach reduces the need for extensive manual coding, which can lead to substantial cost savings in development efforts. It also reduces the need for a large development team, further cutting labor costs. However, despite the speed of development, RadSystems doesn’t compromise on quality. Its modern frameworks and support for multiple databases contribute to the creation of robust and reliable applications.Talking about scalability. RadSystems’ support for various databases ensures that applications can scale to handle increasing data and user loads, which is crucial for growing businesses, while the ability to develop for various platforms (SPAs, PWAs, Desktop, and Mobile) enables businesses to deliver applications that cater to a diverse range of user preferences, resulting in an enhanced user experience.Regular user involvement and feedback in the development process can lead to applications that better meet user needs, ultimately resulting in increased user engagement, higher levels of satisfaction, and revenue growth by bringing new and improved applications to market faster, and by responding swiftly to market changes.These measurable benefits make RadSystems an attractive choice for businesses looking to streamline their software development processes, reduce costs, and deliver high-quality, scalable applications that meet the evolving needs of their customers and the market.
What is the RAD methodology?
The Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology is an approach to software development that emphasizes quick, iterative cycles of development and prototyping. It aims to accelerate the application development process, reduce development time and cost, and improve responsiveness to changing requirements.RAD typically involves the following key principles: Prototyping, Iterative Development, User Involvement, and Time-Bound.RadSystems implements the RAD methodology effectively by offering a low-code software development platform that aligns with RAD principles. With its modern frameworks, such as PHP Laravel, Python, Nodejs, Vuejs, and Asp, developers can quickly create prototypes and functional modules. The platform’s flexibility and support for rapid application development enable iterative development and easy incorporation of user feedback. Furthermore, RadSystems’ support for multiple publishing platforms and databases allows for efficient parallel development.By offering these features, RadSystems empowers developers to build applications in a rapid and iterative manner, facilitating user involvement and shorter development cycles, which are fundamental aspects of the RAD methodology. This approach helps businesses stay agile, respond to changing requirements, and deliver high-quality software within tight timeframes.
How does your mission differ from the other companies in your niche?
3 distinctive features that set RadSystems apart:
- Our comprehensive support for five modern frameworks, including PHP Laravel, Python, Nodejs, Vuejs, and Asp, provides developers with unparalleled flexibility and choice.
- Secondly, we offer four publishing platforms, allowing businesses to target a wide range of devices and user preferences.
- Our support for five different databases, including MySQL, MsSQL, SQLite, Postgre, and Oracle, offers scalability for even the most complex applications.
- Our low-code approach significantly reduces development time and costs while maintaining high-quality standards.
This unique combination of modern technology support, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness truly distinguishes RadSystems from our competitors. But let’s not forget innovation…Our core values are founded on innovation, customer focus, and excellence. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in software development, constantly seeking innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our clients.Customer focus is at the heart of everything we do; we prioritize understanding our clients’ requirements and delivering solutions that truly add value to their businesses. Excellence is non-negotiable for us – we strive to provide top-quality software that our clients can rely on.Our long-term vision is to be the go-to solution for businesses worldwide seeking efficient and cost-effective software development. We want to continue expanding our capabilities, adapting to emerging technologies, and staying at the forefront of the industry. Hence, our success is measured by the success of our clients. We track their ability to rapidly deploy applications, reduce costs, and enhance user experiences. Client satisfaction and growth in the number of businesses relying on RadSystems for their software development needs are key indicators of our long-term success.
How did it all start, and what are your achievements to this day?
Our journey began with a desire to provide solutions to everyday business problems. It all started during our final days at the university in Ghana, where a few friends and I came up with the idea to develop an application to simplify and aid student savings. That was the genesis of RadSystems. Initially, we faced multiple rejections and failures. However, we didn’t give up; we re-evaluated our strategy and eventually birthed our first low-code solution, PHPRad, which we have since advanced into today’s RadSystems Studio.In the process of validating our product-market fit, we took a proactive approach. We surveyed over 3,000 developers, freelancers, and small software companies to identify their main pain points regarding their development experience. This helped us gain a deep understanding of what the market truly needed.We made numerous iterations right from the days of PHPRad, which was back in 2017. The insights we gathered during our validation process were instrumental in shaping our product. We recognized the changing needs of modern developers, the innovation requirements of businesses, and the critical need to bring solutions to market faster. To meet these evolving needs and solve these problems for businesses, we adapted our product and approach.However, our journey was not without its challenges. After our initial release, we encountered issues related to expansion. We experienced a surge in downloads but struggled to provide the necessary support and training courses to educate developers on how to use the software effectively. Our major challenge in those early days was finance-related, as there were few venture capitalists in our region interested in investing in software startups.🏆 As of today, we’ve reached over 25,000 downloads in over 120 countries, with over 10,000 unique global users. These numbers reflect the impact and growth of RadSystems, and they are a testament to the success we’ve achieved in addressing the needs of the global software development community.
Who are your typical clients and what problems do they have when they come to you?
Our heavy users primarily consist of small and mid-level software businesses, freelance developers, and a few enterprise-level companies. These are the businesses and professionals who find immense value in what RadSystems has to offer.RadSystems is designed to address a critical pain point in the software development industry – the delayed time to market with new ideas and products. If our users were to ignore these challenges, they would likely experience an extended period of development, leading to delays in getting their products to market. This, in turn, could result in loss of revenue and market share, particularly in the fast-paced tech industry.❌ Before adopting RadSystems, many of our users tried to tackle these challenges by using other low-code software solutions. However, these existing solutions often came with limitations in numerous functionalities, which significantly slowed down the development process. This limitation prompted them to seek a more efficient and flexible solution.Many considered competitors who rely on legacy frameworks, which often do not meet the demands of modern-day development technologies and integration processes. They realized the need for a better solution as they found these existing options to be limiting, particularly in terms of flexibility, agility, and adaptation to emerging industry standards.RadSystems, with its forward-thinking approach and robust capabilities, has emerged as the solution that meets these evolving needs and our users’s common concerns at the time of considering RadSystems as their solution. These include:
- Scalability: Users were concerned about whether our solution could effectively scale to handle their growing data and user loads as their businesses expanded.
- Ability to Connect Multiple Databases: Users wanted to ensure that RadSystems could seamlessly connect to multiple databases, providing the flexibility to choose the most suitable database for their specific needs.
- Ability to Connect to Their Existing Applications: Users were also cautious about the integration of RadSystems with their existing applications, as they needed a solution that could work cohesively with their current software ecosystem.
RadSystems offers several unique features that set us apart from the competition.✅Our main distinct feature is the ability to transition an application that was generated from a single code base to other frameworks, like PHP Laravel, Python, Nodejs, ASP, Typescript, and publish to four platforms, including SPAs, PWAs, Desktop, and Mobile, instantly without writing additional code.Key features of our product that directly address the concerns of scalability, connecting multiple databases, and integrating with existing applications include:
- Multiple Databases: RadSystems provides users with a choice of four different databases, allowing them to select the most suitable one for their scalability and data management requirements.
- Application Transition: With our unique capability, users can seamlessly transition an application created from a single code base to various frameworks, catering to diverse development needs without extensive redevelopment efforts.
- Publishing Flexibility: RadSystems offers the flexibility to publish applications on four different platforms, eliminating the need to develop separate codebases for each. This not only saves time but ensures a consistent user experience across platforms.
These key features directly address the concerns our users had when considering our solution. We’ve built RadSystems with adaptability, scalability, and integration in mind, providing a comprehensive solution that meets the evolving needs of businesses and developers.
Can you share any success stories where your product made a significant difference for a business dealing with these challenges?
Based on user feedback, several aspects of our solution have been particularly beneficial to them:
- Development Speed: Users have consistently praised RadSystems for its ability to accelerate development. They appreciate the speed at which they can create applications, significantly reducing time-to-market.
- Ease of Integration: Our users have found RadSystems easy to integrate into their existing systems and software ecosystems. This feature has streamlined their development processes and saved time.
- Compatibility with Databases: Users have highlighted the compatibility of RadSystems with various databases as a significant advantage. This flexibility allows them to choose the most suitable database for their specific needs.
Moreover, since adopting RadSystems, our users can now deploy multiple systems that support their business processes more efficiently, leading to improved operations and customer service, while being able to bring their ideas and concepts to market more rapidly, gaining a competitive edge in their respective industries.Moreover, RadSystems facilitates quick iteration and debugging, ensuring that their applications are continuously improved and refined.We can therefore say that the impact of RadSystems on our users has been transformative. They can now develop an average of 3-5 systems in the span of 4 weeks with RadSystems, compared to traditional coding, which often requires months to deploy a single application or system. This increased speed and efficiency have empowered them to take on more projects, respond rapidly to market demands, and innovate in ways that were previously unattainable.Thanks to that we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from users who switched to RadSystems after trying competitors. Across platforms like Trustpilot, Google Reviews, SourceForge, Capterra, and others, our software, RadSystems, has earned an average rating of about 4.4 stars. Users have expressed their satisfaction with our solution, praising its efficiency, flexibility, and ease of use.When recommending RadSystems to others, our users often express sentiments like, “This is the best low-code development tool I’ve used in all my years of programming, with a lot of potential for the future.”They appreciate the transformative impact our solution has had on their development processes and their ability to innovate rapidly, leading them to confidently endorse RadSystems to their peers and colleagues.
If you had unlimited funds, what improvements would you make?
With unlimited funds, we have several exciting improvements and expansions in mind to enhance the RadSystems ecosystem. First and foremost, we would employ more developers to expedite the implementation of features outlined in our roadmap. This would allow us to bring new capabilities and enhancements to our users more quickly.Additionally, we would invest in developing a comprehensive course for our software, along with a certification program for RadSystems. This initiative aims to empower developers and businesses with the knowledge and skills they need to harness the full potential of our platform.We also have ambitious plans to explore the Asian and North American markets, expanding our user base and delivering the benefits of RadSystems to a broader audience. Lastly, with unlimited resources, we would focus on improving technology education in underserved countries, aiming to bridge the digital divide and provide opportunities for growth and innovation where they are needed the most. These improvements and expansions align with our long-term vision to make RadSystems a globally accessible and impactful solution in the world of software development.
