Dec 3, 2024
3 Common UX Mistakes SaaS Companies Make (And How to Fix Them)
SaaS, UX Design
Did you know that 88% of SaaS users quit because they get confused during onboarding? Even if your product is great, people won’t stay if it’s hard to use. Creating a SaaS product isn’t easy—you have to juggle deadlines, customer requests, and scaling. But if you don’t focus on making it user-friendly, you could lose customers fast. Let’s look at three big UX mistakes SaaS companies make and how you can avoid them.
1. Confusing Onboarding Flows
Think of onboarding like introducing someone to a new city. Instead of overwhelming them with everything at once, start with a simple map of the key landmarks. Once they’re comfortable, they can explore more on their own. But many SaaS products overwhelm users right from the start.
This happens because of overcomplicated workflows, a lack of clear guidance, or trying to cram too much information upfront. Users quickly feel lost and abandon the product before experiencing its true value.
What to do
Break onboarding into digestible steps that focus on helping users achieve a quick win early on.
Use interactive tutorials or checklists to guide them through key actions.
Regularly test your onboarding process with fresh users to identify confusing steps and simplify them. For example, Dropbox’s use of interactive tutorials boosted user activation rates by 60%.
2. Feature Overload
Imagine a Swiss Army knife with 50 tools. It’s impressive but overwhelming. Most people only need a few essential tools. The same goes for your SaaS. Many products try to do too much, adding features to please everyone instead of focusing on what really matters.
This often happens when user feedback isn’t prioritized, or there’s a push to match competitors feature for feature. As a result, users feel confused about what’s essential, and development teams struggle to maintain bloated codebases.
What to do
Conduct a feature audit to identify which tools users actually use and eliminate the rest.
Regularly survey customers to find out which features they value most.
Use tools like Mixpanel to track feature usage. Slack’s initial success came from focusing on core team communication—avoiding unnecessary bells and whistles.
3. Unclear Navigation
Your product’s navigation is like a GPS. If the directions are unclear or inconsistent, users get lost and frustrated. Yet, many SaaS products suffer from inconsistent labels, overly complex layouts, or missing visual cues like breadcrumbs or progress indicators.
This happens when design teams don’t prioritize usability testing or fail to align navigation with the user journey. Users waste time figuring out how to complete tasks, lowering productivity and engagement.
What to do
Simplify menus, ensure consistent labeling, and add visual cues to guide users.
Conduct usability tests with tools like Maze or Optimal Workshop to pinpoint navigation pain points. For example, Trello’s card-based navigation system’s simplicity has been key to its widespread adoption.
Future-Proof Your SaaS UX
Leverage AI for Personalization: Deliver tailored experiences based on user behavior.
Collect Continuous Feedback: Embed feedback buttons or surveys within your product.
Stay Updated on Trends: Regularly benchmark your UX against competitors and industry leaders.
Your SaaS product isn’t just about features—it’s about delivering an exceptional experience. By fixing confusing onboarding flows, reducing feature bloat, and improving navigation, you’ll create a product users love to use. Remember, great UX is the key to reducing churn, increasing adoption, and driving growth.