Design drives success in SaaS platforms. Explore in-depth analysis and SaaS design best practices to maximize your platform's potential and user satisfaction.

SaaS products, or Software-as-a-Service refers to the delivery of a software application to end-users over the internet, usually hosted by the service provider in question.

When they first emerged in the late 1990s, SaaS applications were simple. Tools like email and task management software were predominant, until in 1999, Salesforce entered the market. A web-based Client Relationship Management (CRM) tool, Salesforce quickly changed the pace of the SaaS industry. 

Soon enough, a host of applications came in, catering to the needs of diverse domains,  from entertainment to business. Subsequently, the user experience for such platforms also became more comprehensive to give SaaS platforms an edge over their competitors.

Designing for a SaaS product: Best Practices

Thankfully, such platforms rarely require their own UX manual. Designing for SaaS can be quite similar to regular digital products, with a few minor tweaks.

Best UX Practices for SaaS

1. Simple navigation

Good navigation is key to any given platform and SaaS is no different. It shouldn’t be up to the user to figure out how the platform works - they should be able to take actions almost like it’s second nature, which is where intuitive navigation comes in.

2. Clear cut onboarding

Onboarding is one of the key areas that can make or break user experience upon entering a SaaS platform. Given the more nuanced nature of offerings, onboarding for such a platform is more complicated. While it is essential to capture all user data accurately and provide them with the most seamless experience possible, they should not feel interrogated or find it tiresome.  

Moreover, post-onboarding is also the best place to provide coach marks or tutorials that capture the core features of the platform. One great way is to provide example content that covers the fundamentals of the application. Figma does this brilliantly with a starter team and tutorial content within.

3. Asking for help

Ultimately not everyone who uses your platform is going to get it right from day one. Like any application, SaaS has a learning curve, if not steeper than regular products. Giving people a way to get help without having to struggle can help keep users attached to your platform, making them loyalists in the long run. 

Some of the ways to do this is

• Having a robust FAQ / Information page.
• Providing ways to reach out to support. 
• Making use of an AI-powered chatbot. 

4. Make the most of analytics

Building in a way to get regular reports on user behavior can help you know what is and isn’t working in your product and take countermeasures to bring it back up to scratch. 

5. Ensuring peace of mind

A big focus on cybersecurity and privacy is a common theme in modern SaaS platforms. Users tend to be more cautious about their data these days in light of the data-mining scares going around. Giving users control over their privacy and the personal details they share over the internet can greatly help put people’s minds at ease.

Obstacles in SaaS Design

1. Failing to properly validate user needs and goals

If proper market and user research is not done at the very beginning of the design process, the product's functions might be based on assumptions alone and ultimately fail to satisfy actual user needs.

2. Failing to stand apart from similar products

With the sheer volume of digital products being produced daily, often very similar products can end up on the market. Not providing the user with any real incentive to choose your SaaS product over others can ultimately hurt the success of your platform. So, a leading UI UX design company in India is keen on the following user aspects. 

Often users are looking for

• A solution that feels like it is made just for them
• Stories or narratives that they feel connected to
• Features so intuitive that they would gladly pay for 

3. Creating a labyrinth that the user cannot get out of

The mark of well-organized navigation is its invisibility. Good navigation stands quietly behind the curtains, ensuring that your content can shine without the user ever having to pause to think about how to get from one place to another. Bad navigation is loud, disruptive, and a huge speed bump in the path to user satisfaction.

SaaS platforms can get that much harder to navigate considering their complex nature. Paying attention to the information architecture from the early stages can help prevent the collapse of the SaaS system’s structural integrity.

User Delights in SaaS

In recent years, there have been some opportunities in the SaaS space born out of necessity and evolution in tech.

1. Virtual & Remote collaboration (Figma)

As globalization and the advent of the internet went almost hand-in-hand it is imperative to connect with people across the globe and function as a seamless unit regardless of geographical distance. 

SaaS platforms have more than stepped up to fill this gap. When remote work became the norm in the early 2020s, the option to collaborate over the internet became a game-changer.

Consider Figma. It functions almost like a virtual sandbox for many hands to create at once. 

Source: figma.com

2. Artificial Intelligence

You don’t need us to tell you how mainstream AI has become. Any business worth their salt realizes the potential of AI offerings.

AI can help

• Automate repetitive tasks that your SaaS user might have to take
• Offer pre-emptive suggestions to the user to help them reach their goals faster
• Act as a stand-in for human support by handling basic queries
• Deliver timely insights and data about user behavior and interests
• Provide better personalization based on user actions

Bring home the bacon

UX is not complete until it is aligned with business goals. SaaS like all digital products can put off potential customers and lose out on revenue if it doesn’t employ the right strategies to ensure maximum satisfaction. 

The revenue models for SaaS are usually one of the following. 

• Subscription Model

Users pay a fixed amount in regular intervals for continued use of the product. This is a reasonable model for both the company and the users. The company maintains a steady stream of revenue, and the customer does not have to mindfully purchase the product every time they need it. 

• Usage Based

Instead of a set amount, users can pay high or low rates as dictated by their usage. It can feel much fairer for users who rarely use the service. Plus this way the company doesn’t run a loss from users that exploit their subscription to a maximum. 

• Freemium

A trendy revenue model currently is the freemium. Freemium is a way of giving users a taste of many features for free and then keeping some of the more advanced or desirable features behind a paywall. This way users can decide whether or not they want to pay for the service, instead of being scared away by a high fee from the very beginning.

In conclusion, the SaaS landscape continues to thrive and evolve rapidly beyond our imagination. Catching up to this growth is simply a matter of listening to the users on all matters of taste and then applying our own UX know-how to ensure the most seamless experience possible. If you are seeking expert SaaS UI UX design services, we are here to assist you.