you need to have programming skills to create app, smart contract or our own blockchain platform...but for investing is nor required
btw more and more ICO based on idea to make all this technology closer to people, so very soon you can create a smart contract without coding skills
read about etherparty and confideal
I'd imagine that those who need smart contracts are capable of creating them without any help.
Do you know what kind of applications normal people would use smart contracts for?