In this interview, we had the pleasure of talking with Mitch Schwartz, partner, designer, and developer at PragmaFlow. PragmaFlow recently adopted Noodl as its low-code development platform to build solutions for its clients. Mitch shares insights into their decision to choose Noodl and highlights the remarkable achievements of a recent project for a sales and marketing agency.

One notable achievement discussed is the development of a sales funnel application that resulted in a remarkable over 50% increase in the agency's closing ratio and substantial monthly cost reduction. Mitch explains how Noodl played a pivotal role in the success of the project

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Who are you, and what's your professional background?

I’m Mitch Schwartz, partner, designer, and developer at PragmaFlow. My background is in design, project management, team collaboration, and a tiny bit of robotics.

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Tell us about PragmaFlow

PragmaFlow is a software company started by Steven McKeown, and I joined shortly after its inception. Our primary goal is to create a safe and enriching workplace where friends and family can pay their mortgages while pursuing meaningful daily activities and professional growth with full autonomy.

The clients and projects we take on reflect this vision; we help launch new products and processes in rapid small steps, focusing on human needs in a way that works for everyone. This approach ensures smooth work operations and minimizes dysfunction.

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Do you have a team available, and if so, how big is it?

We have a full-time team of seven, including testers, designers, a technical writer, product people, and a network of contractors for graphics, UX, and more.

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What motivated you to choose Noodl as your low-code development platform?

We've worked with many low-code platforms, and almost all of them led to a series of duct-tape workarounds in the later stages. While Noodl had a larger learning curve, each time I invested in learning a new technique, it felt valuable and foundational. In most other systems, it felt like I was learning a temporary hack with no future value.

Noodl's node-based design is a great paradigm, and its integration of flow charts for design in low code is highly effective. Most importantly, Noodl allows us to build visually while also providing the option to use JavaScript when needed. This flexibility ensures we never feel trapped and can always create something we're proud of.

Additionally, Noodl's stable foundation and robust troubleshooting tools make post-launch support and bug fixes much easier.

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Can you talk about some of the work you have done for clients in Noodl?

We recently developed a sales funnel application for a sales and marketing agency, which led to a more than 50% boost in the closing ratio AND a massive monthly cost reduction.

Their clients hire them to approach potential customers in person. The application aims to be a quick and reliable sales funnel. When they make a sale, the new client registers via a web app, and all sales are validated to ensure legitimacy.

Previously, the sales agency used a third-party verification app that cost thousands monthly. Furthermore, around 40% of sales were getting rejected due to inaccurate information unintentionally provided by the client. To resolve this, we connected to that competitor's API since clients were usually transitioning from that specific competitor and now, the data is always accurate.

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How was Noodl uniquely qualified to solve this challenge?

‍Noodl was actually the third platform that I tried to use for this project. The reason I tried two others is that I was avoiding the learning curve. And, I ended up burning time using options that are much more boxed in.

Some of the features we needed to custom-build were:

• a voice recorder
• a signature pad
• an OAuth login flow
• an admin portal for reporting 
• PDF contract generation and subsequent FTP upload  
• user permissions and visibility rules, with 5 levels of hierarchy
  
  

We also made it so the agents can send an sms to the potential customer, who then completes the sign-up on their own device.

All was possible with Noodl. I don't believe there are many other platforms that would allow us to carry out this project.

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How did Noodl help accelerate the app development process?

Developing this project in a React Native environment would have been challenging due to my level of experience and the need for separate tools for hosting and data storage. Noodl provided a strong framework and simplified tasks like UI creation, element positioning, error handling, and more. It saved me energy, allowing me to focus on honing my JavaScript skills when required to go beyond the capabilities of no-code tools.

Low-code tools like Noodl help you focus on specific skills, and using it alongside visual development was a significant accelerator for me.

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How do you ensure the security and scalability of the applications developed using Noodl?

The first thing is using best dev practices when we build. That’s a bit obvious though. “To be secure, do good security”.

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Additionally, we have security experts who conduct reviews and provide guidance to avoid potential issues. One of our senior members, a security expert, dug into Noodl to see if he could find any red flags; he has found some frightening issues with other low-code tools.

His impression of Noodl was surprisingly positive — mostly in relation to his high standards and the trend of lower dev quality in so many other low-code platforms.

I love Noodl's cloud functions feature which highlights the difference between frontend and backend calls, which many low coders aren’t aware of. Sometimes if a tool is too simple, it can create hidden dangers. Noodl seems to strike the balance beautifully.

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