End-user development,where non-programmers create or adapt their own digital tools, can play a key role in driving digital transformation within organizations. Currently, low-code/no-code platforms are widely used to enable end-user development through visual programming, minimizing the need for manual coding. Recent advancements in generative AI, particularly large language model-based assistants and "copilots", open new possibilities, as they may enable end users to generate and refine programming code and build apps directly from natural language prompts. This approach, here referred to as AI-assisted end-user coding, promises greater flexibility, broader applicability, faster development, improved reusability, and reduced vendor lock-in compared to the established visual LCNC platforms. This paper investigates whether AI-assisted end-user coding is a feasible paradigm for end-user development, which may complement or even replace the LCNC model in the future. To explore this, we conducted a case study in which non-programmers were asked to develop a basic web app through interaction with AI assistants.The majority of study participants successfully completed the task in reasonable time and also expressed support for AI-assisted end-user coding as a viable approach for end-user development. The paper presents the study design, analyzes the outcomes, and discusses potential implications for practice, future research, and academic teaching.
翻译:终端用户开发,即非专业程序员创建或调整其自有数字化工具的过程,在推动组织数字化转型中可发挥关键作用。当前,低代码/无代码平台通过可视化编程被广泛用于支持终端用户开发,从而最大程度减少手动编码需求。生成式人工智能的最新进展,特别是基于大语言模型的助手与“副驾驶”系统,开辟了新的可能性——它们可能使终端用户能够直接从自然语言提示生成并优化编程代码,进而构建应用程序。相较于成熟的可视化低代码/无代码平台,这种被称为“AI辅助终端用户编程”的方法有望提供更高的灵活性、更广的适用性、更快的开发速度、更好的可复用性,并降低供应商锁定风险。本文探讨AI辅助终端用户编程是否可作为终端用户开发的可行范式,未来可能补充甚至替代低代码/无代码模式。为此,我们开展了一项案例研究,要求非专业程序员通过与AI助手交互来开发基础网页应用。大多数研究参与者在合理时间内成功完成任务,并认可AI辅助终端用户编程作为终端用户开发可行途径的价值。本文详细介绍了研究设计,分析了实验结果,并探讨了对实践、未来研究与学术教学的潜在启示。