SaaS Design in 2022: Best Practices & Trends

Software as a service (SaaS) is one of the leading industries today. By the end of 2022, it will reach an astonishing $186.6 billion, and it has no intention of slowing down. 

More and more businesses are using SaaS solutions, influencing the steady growth of this industry. Thus, by 2028, the software-as-a-service market will be worth more than $344 billion.

Growing demand for SaaS products creates a highly competitive market. So, companies developing software-as-a-service solutions try everything to stand out from the crowd.

In this regard, SaaS product design plays a crucial role. It’s not just about the software’s overall look but also its ease of use. With a top-notch and thoughtful design, you can attract more customers: from novice computer users to tech-savvy experts.

Today we’ll share SaaS best practices and the latest design trends. Using this knowledge, you can create a product that will resonate with your users and gain considerable popularity.

In this post, we’ll rely on our five years of SaaS design experience. Having already created over 20 software-as-a-service products, we know what solutions and strategies help to take leadership positions in the market.

The Importance of User-Centered SaaS Product Design

Your revenue comes from your users. That is why you must put their needs first.

How you implement SaaS UX design and UI directly impacts your success. Is your SaaS solution user-friendly? Will customers return to your product again and again?

Everything in your product, from button design to navigation, must function cohesively and be accessible to your audience. Therefore, always keep your users in mind.

As a result, a high-quality UX/UI design will bring you the following benefits:

Better Conversion Rate

SaaS product design has a significant impact on usability. The more comfortable your software is, the more users interact with it. Therefore, you can study the user journey and choose the most beneficial design elements and features.

Reduced User Churn

The innovative tech stack and progressive business strategies lose their importance if your design lacks quality. Thus, take care not only of SaaS development. Additionally, offer a superior UX/UI to retain your customers.

Increased User Loyalty

Make the user journey in your product as smooth and simple as possible. Innovative design elements don’t matter if your SaaS solution isn’t accessible. Make your UX/UI intuitive and get satisfied users.

Early Design Issues Detection

When you put your users at the center of the design, you carefully study all their needs and pain points. As a rule, you test ideas beforehand and work out all limitations your customers may face. Consequently, your users receive a well-designed SaaS product.

SaaS Product Design Best Practices

How to get a loyal audience, a high conversion rate, and increase your profits? Create a user-centric product by applying the following SaaS design principles:

Simple Sign-Up

Ensure the right first impression of your SaaS product. Make the registration form as simple and clear as possible. You can achieve this through a visible button on the product’s main page, requesting only the necessary data about the user and the possibility of instant registration through other services like Facebook, Gmail, etc.

Smooth Onboarding

Onboarding is the beginning of productive user interaction with your SaaS app. The future success of your product depends on how well this interaction goes.

Make the step-by-step instructions for using your SaaS solution as transparent and unobtrusive as possible. Explain complex things in simple terms and give straightforward suggestions. By streamlining the onboarding process, you can help your users meet all their needs.

Smart Search

Smart search is one of the main SaaS development best practices. No one likes to spend hours on a website or app looking for the right information. Therefore, add a wide range of search filters to your product so your users can find what they want immediately.

Personalization

Personalization allows you to create a flawless user experience. It is done by collecting data about each user to offer the right suggestions. Display only appropriate information and hide elements that are irrelevant to your users.

Thought-Out Navigation

Make your SaaS platform accessible. Research the SaaS UX process and carefully consider the navigation of your product. Ease of use will help turn your platform’s random visitors into regular users.

Dashboard Optimization

Another tip for delivering a high-quality user experience is well-designed dashboards. Give your users the tools they need to make their journey through your SaaS product smoother.

Top SaaS Trends in Design for 2022

The SaaS industry does not stand still and is constantly changing to meet the needs of modern users. As a result, we see more and more design tendencies your product must adopt. Here are some examples of the latest trends for 2022:

Simplistic Design

Current users are picky about how software products look. If your SaaS platform has too many elements, it can only scare them away. So, say no to an oversaturated design. Instead, keep your SaaS product simple and display only the most relevant elements.

Minimalistic Colors

Minimalism in colors is one of the most useful design tips for your SaaS product. It does not tire users’ eyes and helps them focus on the main things.

It doesn’t mean that you should completely abandon bright colors. Yet, choose one or two primary colors that will reflect your brand. Then, use vibrant colors to draw your users’ attention. For example, you can apply such accents for CTA buttons.

Big Headings

Using large headings isan excellentt addition to the simplistic design and minimalistic colors. They focus users’ attention on the most critical information on your SaaS platform.

Follow a visual hierarchy, highlighting the core info in the largest font and less important things in smaller headings.

Data Visualization

Another way to simplify user interaction with your SaaS product is data visualization. Now, instead of looking for relevant information in the text, your customers can view it in graphs and charts.

Graphics and Illustrations

Graphics and illustrations don’t just make your SaaS product attractive. They also give it credibility and relevance. Thanks to high-quality graphics, you facilitate the convenient and smooth movement of the user through your product. Illustrations, in turn, are an integral element of your brand and vision.

Index Menus 

The times of simple drop-down menus are fading away. Now SaaS platforms offer a more convenient solution from the user’s perspective — indexes. Such menus appear on the main page by simply hovering over them.

As a rule, these are icons with a short description of a service, product, or function. They significantly facilitate user interaction with SaaS products, as they don’t require a single click.

Arounda’s Experience with SaaS Products

Arounda has been working in the SaaS niche for more than five years. Our expertise enables us to create outstanding user-centric designs from the ground up and improve existing products.

We have successfully completed more than 20 SaaS projects during this time on the market. Our clients have experienced all the advantages of our fast and high-quality implementation of tasks and top-notch design services.

Each SaaS product designer in Arounda knows how to conduct UX research and effectively apply it when creating such software. Our specialists also deliver relevant and powerful user interfaces that your customers will appreciate.

One of our recent SaaS projects was QTalent. It is a SaaS-based recruiting and sourcing platform that hosts the largest community of professionals in the food & beverage industries.

Our team created this platform’s UX/UI design from scratch. Here’s how we did it:

1. We studied the needs and goals of our client and analyzed the target audience.

2. Our experts conducted a UX study and proposed a platform’s user flow and information structure.

3. Our designers came up with concepts of the user interface and, after an agreement, delivered flawless UI.

It is just one of our many successful cases. But you can find more in our portfolio.

Final Thoughts

SaaS is an industry that justifiably deserves the increased attention it currently experiences. Yet, this saturated market requires great effort to stand out from the crowd. SaaS products must not just offer innovative tech solutions. They should also provide top-notch design.

We hope our SaaS guide has helped you learn about the latest trends in the industry. We also wish that applying best practices will gather a loyal audience around your product.

If you want to achieve decent results in the SaaS niche, locate a skilled team involved in design creation. We will give you a hint on where to find one. Arounda is your best choice in terms of extensive SaaS industry experience. With us, your product will get the best possible implementation.

So, if you need high-quality SaaS design, feel free to contact our team.