3 Reasons UX Is SaaS Companies’ Key Investment

There is a long-standing myth that a great user experience (UX) is a nice-to-have. For companies selling software and apps, it is a myth that we would like to debunk once and for all. Rather than being low on SaaS firms’ list of priorities, it should be seen as a key strategic investment for company growth. Here are the three reasons UX is a must-have for SaaS firms everywhere. 

Great UX attracts and keeps customers

A SaaS business model relies squarely on acquiring and retaining users. But if your software or app is clunky, difficult to use, or overly complicated, users will almost certainly never get past the ‘free trial’ stage; why would they part with cash for a product that frustrates them? 

A slick, easy-to-use design is almost certainly the difference between a sale and a near-miss. Your functionality and features could be the best in your market, but if a potential customer struggles to get past the first screen, they’ll never get to experience the product you spent so much time crafting. 

Focusing on making your customers’ journey as smooth as possible using intuitive, fluid design shows not only that you care about your customers, but that you understand them. If their needs and wants can be met swiftly and painlessly, they’re far more likely to keep coming back for more. Remember, word of mouth is still an important driver; would you recommend an app that wasn’t designed with you in mind?

It saves you money

Research shows that 50% of a developer’s time is spent on avoidable rework.

While easy to balk at the thought of more product investment costs, allocating an appropriate budget for UX will save money in both the short and long term. 

As soon as a SaaS product is launched, provisions of course must be made for customer support. The number of support requests can be drastically reduced by improving UX; well-designed navigation can help to ensure that users will be able to find what they want on their own, and probably more besides. This effectively curbs user support costs, as well as freeing up agents to focus on other requests.

Development costs can also be reduced by getting a product right the first time. If launched with poor UX, developers will eventually have to go back and improve the product; research shows that 50% of a developer’s time is spent on avoidable rework. Another study showed that fixing issues after development can be up to 100x more expensive than fixing them during the design stage. 

UX sets you apart

These days, the SaaS market is a crowded one. It’s likely that your product will be fighting for customers’ attention with numerous competitors from around the world, so how will you stand out from the rest? One of the simplest ways is to ensure that your product gives users what they want in exactly the way they want it. 

We humans are predictable; we choose the path of least resistance, and we use technology to make our lives easier. A high-quality user experience taps into these behaviours and embeds them into the product design, creating seamless journeys that take the user where they want to go, as well as suggesting what they might like to see or do next. Software that is not only useful but helpful, is the way to a customer’s heart.

When faced with the choice of two similar products, we will always choose the one with the most value. Be it in terms of ease of use, attractiveness, or helpfulness, UX is the main point of differentiation between your product and your competition. 

The reasons for investing in UX are clear; it’s a cost-effective decision that will ultimately result in more customers, lowered costs, and a solid market position. For any firm with software or app in development, it should be at the top of their to-do list, not the bottom. 

If you’d like to know more about how Seedboost can help solve your UX issues, contact us today at hello@seedboost.co.uk.