Everyone’s talking about user experience nowadays. If your websites, SaaS products, platforms, social media profiles, etc. don’t deliver some kind of positive experience, they’re not in demand.
The question of SaaS UX design is one of the hottest at the moment. Software as a Service is a convenient tool by itself. You don’t need to download, install, set, and wait to use the service. Most of the time, you also can access it from any device or location.
It’s a website with a piece of software built-in for your convenience. But is that enough? Apparently, it isn’t. Users still need that easy of use and intuitive design to benefit from the product fully and even purchase a Pro or another paid version of it.
So, what’s the buzz about that UX and usability audit? We’ll cover the importance of both and provide recommendations on improving the experience of your SaaS platform.
Why UX Audit and User Experience Are So Important for SaaS Products
It becomes more and more difficult to keep users engaged with an application for a long time. User experience is the best thing aside from the functionality of the service that you can offer. A bit of game, little information and effort needed from the users, gorgeous colors, some animations, a possibility to make a choice, etc. all comprise one impression that can be either great or terrible.
Say, you have a wonderful SaaS product packed with functionality but also with:
- Obligatory registration;
- Lots of information needed from the user;
- Complicated design;
- No interesting features;
- No support;
- No feeling of one-on-one communication, etc.
Not many people will stay there for a long time. Professionals who need the tool will probably come back later. But it’s only a portion of all the users that could have used the service and purchased features or a premium subscription.
We’ll show some of the most important UX applications for SaaS projects that set the impression and conversion of potential clients and premium version users. The following were provided by a SaaS UX Design agency with years of experience.
#1: The Onboarding Process
This is the first experience many users will have with your service. Make it convenient and not tiresome. At this stage, you may acquire potential clients or have thousands of people leave the service in fear.
To make sure the latter doesn’t happen, use these UX approaches:
- Don’t ask for too much information;
- Think beforehand what you want from users: accounts, raising brand awareness, purchase, etc. Choose the first steps they take on the website accordingly, make the process smooth;
- Don’t forget about appealing visuals that will make people want to stay.
#2: UI Ease of Use
Simple dashboards, easy-to-understand functionality, minimalism are the best design hooks for users. You need to achieve a combination of simplistic design and engaging elements. It’s easy to do nowadays if you hire UX and design professionals.
Also, include a dashboard with recent information about the users’ actions:
- Last visit;
- Latest activities;
- Goals, etc.
Make these accessible in graphs as well as a table to cater to different people. Make the design minimalistic, aesthetically pleasing, and functional.
#3: Communication
By ‘communication’ we mean both responsive customer support and automatic dialogues or comments on the page. Over 50% of users feel much better when they can resolve an issue without contacting the support team.
That dopamine, guys.
Make an automatic message show when they complete a task or haven’t made an action in a couple of minutes. Be engaging and non-invasive with your messages.
As to the support, make it available with one click. The Live Chat option is very popular lately which can answer the most common questions automatically but will connect you to a real operator when needed.
How to Improve and Boost Your SaaS Platform
From using the services of a user experience design agency to analyzing point A yourself, here are the 3 effective recommendations on boosting your SaaS product quality and engagement.
Make Sure You Have Experts on the Phone to Help
It’s crucial for any company to have a backup by professionals who know everything about UX. A user experience design agency should be always nearby to guide your first project, help you analyze, adjust, and learn.
It’s much better to get help right away than to make all the mistakes yourself, wasting money and opportunities before asking a team of specialists for help.
Never Underestimate the Importance of Designers’ Work
Many businesses make the mistake of trusting their projects only to engineers with basic design knowledge. This is done to save money and because of the lack of research before even planning the project.
A professional designer has so many creative ideas and potentially a design thinking that the users will pour to the service for that sweet experience. The first impression greatly depends on how the website looks and what engaging features there are. And this impression is an important thing in deciding whether the user leaves or stays.
Gather Feedback, Analyze, and Adjust
Something you find super-convenient as a specialist might be dark woods for a beginner using your SaaS. That’s why you should create designs catering to customers and then to yourself.
Do UX Audit regularly, create solutions for gaps in the convenience of use, launch updates, and always ask for feedback. Many users will gladly share their honest thoughts about your product that will help you improve it.
To Sum Up
User experience brings a ton of value to your products and services. Usability audit brings a ton of value to the analysis and improvement of that experience. Your knowledge of digital tools, the help from a UX design agency, and other specialists bring a ton of value to the outcome.
That’s a lot of value, you just have to learn more and take advantage of it. Think like your users and customers, cater to their needs and wishes. They will be grateful, expressing their loyalty with paid subscriptions and great reviews.
