The success of any product in the SaaS industry is largely dependent on product design. There are various aspects of a SaaS product design that must be gotten right before any product is ready for launch.
“A strong understanding of the outcome customers want, and how they currently get it, is essential for you to succeed in product design”.
According to Salesforce, 84% of customers say a company’s experience is as important as its products and services. Design and user experience are among the essential aspects of SaaS. Even if you are just entering the market and no one knows you, these things matter.
Software as a Service (SaaS) are products that most times include lots of functionalities. How you balance functionality, performance, utility, and value will determine your user experience in the first place. Embracing the best product design practices from experts just from the start will help you build a more esthetical and more usable SaaS product, this, in turn, will help you faster achieve your big business goals.
Functionality without seamless design does not drive purpose. Here is what you get when you get professional product designers on board,
- Simplified User Interface.
- Eased Sign-Up Process.
- Short Onboarding Time (Decreases Customer Churn Rates).
- Streamlined Information Architecture.
- Engaging and Informing Dashboards.
- Convenient Access to Support.
Let’s start with,
Simplified User Interface.
A SaaS product’s programming is highly complex and time-consuming. It can lead to a variety of problems, including inherently complicated User experience/user interface (UI/UX). It's no big secret that users don't like overwhelming interfaces. Getting a professional product design company on board gives room for the creation of a SaaS design interface that is both straightforward and easy to understand while still effectively covering all the nuances of SaaS architecture.
Here is an example of a designed SaaS software adhering to the minimalistic concept.
Eased Sign-Up Process.
The sign-up process is normally the first touchpoint a user has with a SaaS platform; it creates the first impression of your SaaS product, and as the saying goes, first impressions are important.
You wouldn’t want a user to go through a stressful process during their first contact with your SaaS product, so you’ll need product designers to help you create a design structure that ensures the initial registration process is minimal (as easy as possible). The sign-up button can be placed right on the front page and users are allowed to sign-up with their social media, Google account, or email.
Asking only the most essential information does the trick during the registration. Other information/data can be collected later when needed (most times after the user has begun the use of the SaaS application).
Short Onboarding Time (Decreases Customer Churn Rates).
Customer churn is a key performance metric used by SaaS applications. Poor onboarding can lead to user confusion. When users are confused, they cancel memberships. A positive onboarding experience engages, gives a strong first impression, and teaches users how to complete certain tasks they have in mind.
Onboarding should aim to establish an emotional connection between your service and the customers in the shortest time possible. Users should instantly understand how the product can relieve their pain points. If designed properly (with the help of expert product designers), onboarding will reduce churn rates and engage the audience.
Slack is an example of combining intelligent onboarding methods to create a positive experience for new users. Once inside Slack, users are prompted to finish signing up, but they can also begin setting up channels, inviting additional users, or installing apps—all under the direction of Slackbot.
To begin with, users are given a simple, wizard-driven series of questions to set up their company and team. It’s important to note that users can take advantage of this or skip it for later. Giving choices like this during onboarding is vital because it allows experienced users to dive right into productivity.
Streamlined Information Architecture.
When designing SaaS platforms, the most important step is to provide users with simple navigation and an intuitive interface.
A navigation system for your product is vital for your customers. To build a simple navigation system, make sure you provide all the important links in a drop-down menu, which can be further subdivided once a user clicks on an option. This provides a better search experience for the users, helping them find what they are looking for.
Since you don’t have advertisements, consultants, or conferences to market your services, you’ll need a well-designed and easy-to-navigate SaaS Product website.
A horizontal or vertical slide column is the best way to lay out such a menu bar.
Engaging and Informing Dashboards.
A dashboard is often the first thing a user sees when logging into a SaaS application, so spending time on the dashboard user experience will almost always lead to a greater ROI. A positive dashboard experience is the one that answers the following questions for users:
- How am I doing, or what is my current state?
- What recent activity has been happening?
- What problems should I be aware of?
- What items are on my “To Do” list?
- How can I easily start important tasks?
Well-designed dashboards serve as a springboard to important functionality.
A look at this dashboard example shows multiple KPIs in a tight grouping that is easy to scan. This can be achieved only when professional product designers are on board.
Convenient Access to Support.
SaaS apps are quite complex. Modern users expect to be able to get support for their questions without the time commitment of speaking to someone on the phone. A professional product design agency can help you with the structure of your SaaS product’s support system.
These are the few key ways they can create convenient access to your product’s support system:
- Ensuring the help system is easily accessible from anywhere in the SaaS product as most users may already be frustrated when they decide to seek help.
- Providing FAQs to help your users quickly find answers to popular questions.
- Offering live online support for your users who may prefer that channel over traditional support methods.
To wrap it all up,
The process of SaaS product designing is crucial because you are communicating with your customers through the product at the end of the day. Ending up with a great SaaS product requires a team composed of developers who handle the function aspect of your product and product designers, who optimize the SaaS product to be user-centered.
If they like your product, your sales will increase, and the existing customers will switch from the free to the premium model.
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