20 SaaS product design best practices to choose from

Establishing a clear interface hierarchy is essential for guiding users through your user journey. A well-organized layout ensures that users can quickly find and interact with the most important features.

• Clear value proposition: Prominently display what your product offers on the first screen.

• Intuitive navigation: Arrange UI elements logically, prioritizing essential features in the dashboard and menu bars.

A seamless sign-up process reduces barriers to entry, encouraging more users to engage with your platform.

• Minimal information collection: Request only essential details like name and email.

• Social sign-on options: Allow users to register using existing accounts (e.g., Google, Facebook).

• Prominent CTA buttons: Use clear and visible call-to-action buttons to guide users through registration.

Example

ClickUp streamlines the sign-up process with a minimalistic, step-by-step approach. The first screen presents just a single email field, avoiding the overwhelm of multiple input boxes. Once the email is entered, additional fields appear with the email already pre-filled, creating a seamless flow. This approach removes friction, making the process feel quick and effortless, encouraging users to get started with the tool right away.

Leveraging familiar design patterns helps reduce the learning curve and enhances the user experience.

• Familiar icons and navigation: Use widely recognized icons (e.g., trash can for delete) and consistent navigation elements.

• Consistency across products: Maintain uniform design patterns across different SaaS platforms to foster user familiarity.

A simple and clean design improves user satisfaction by making your product easy to understand and navigate.

• Purpose-driven design: Ensure every UI element serves a specific function.

• Effective use of whitespace: Avoid clutter by strategically using whitespace to separate different sections.

At INSAIM, we collaborated with a leasing company in Dubai to create a visually appealing user experience. We focused on developing clean, minimalistic branding, paired with consistent typography and vibrant colors that pop against calmer backgrounds. This design approach ensured an engaging and simple interface. 

To explore this case in more detail, visit our Behance page. 

A seamless and effective onboarding process is key to user retention. SaaS products should offer clear, easy-to-follow tutorials or guided tours that help new users quickly understand how to use the platform, allowing them to see value immediately.

Check out our guide: SaaS onboarding. Best practices for 2025 + Checklist

Providing multiple ways for users to interact with your platform caters to both novice and expert users.

• Keyboard shortcuts and mouse interactions: Offer various methods for performing tasks.

• Customizable workflows: Allow users to tailor their experience based on their preferences and needs.

Even tech-savvy users may struggle to navigate your product at first glance. To ease their onboarding, incorporate tooltips that highlight relevant features and guide them through the initial experience. However, avoid overwhelming them with too many tooltips. Zendesk strikes the right balance, using tooltips effectively to help new users quickly familiarize themselves with the platform without cluttering the interface.

Establishing trust is crucial for user retention and overall success.

• Use social proof: Display testimonials, reviews, and case studies to build credibility.

• Transparent communication: Maintain consistent branding and clear privacy policies to reassure users.

“Building user trust and credibility is foundational to the success of any SaaS product. Regularly showcase genuine user testimonials and consistently update your privacy practices to reinforce trustworthiness.”

Victor Gubanov, CEO of INSAIM Design Studio

Loom as well as the majority of SaaS products doesn’t feel shy sharing customer feedback and highlighting that they’ve helped a lot of people accomplish their goals with their tool. Make it a priority to include testimonials in your product to reinforce its value and establish confidence with your users.

Clearly conveying your product’s value proposition helps users understand its benefits quickly.

• Clear instructions and CTAs: Use straightforward language and visible buttons to guide user actions.

• Showcase product value: Highlight key features and benefits upfront using visual aids like graphics or videos.

Empowering users with self-serve resources reduces dependency on customer support and enhances satisfaction.

• Comprehensive support materials: Offer FAQs, user guides, and video tutorials.

• Interactive help: Integrate tooltips and contextual hints within the app to assist users without overwhelming them.

Actively engaging users increases their investment in your product and reduces churn.

• Gamification: Incorporate elements like challenges, points, and badges to motivate users.

• Webinars and interactive content: Host educational sessions to engage users and establish authority.

Asana uses gamification to boost user engagement by incorporating playful animations that appear when tasks are completed. This fun, rewarding experience enhances productivity, fosters a sense of accomplishment, and motivates users to continue interacting with the platform.

Leveraging data and user feedback informs design improvements and feature developments.

• Analytics dashboards: Track key metrics like user engagement and churn rates to understand user behavior.

• Collect user feedback: Use surveys and screen recordings to gather insights and identify pain points.

Regularly refining your design ensures your SaaS product remains relevant and effective.

• Iterative design process: Develop prototypes, conduct usability testing, and make agile adjustments based on feedback.

• Stay updated with trends: Incorporate modern design trends to keep your product fresh and appealing.

More on design process from INSAIM: Discover the Stages of the Design UX Process: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

At INSAIM, we developed a platform that aggregates all the essential AI tools a user could need. Given that the concept was new to the market, we focused on continuous iteration, improving the product at every stage. We began with prototypes, then progressed to a design concept, and ultimately launched the MVP version of the platform. When building a SaaS product, it's important to accept that perfection is a moving target; you’ll need to make frequent changes and continually incorporate user feedback to enhance the product.

Designing with a specific target audience in mind ensures your product meets their unique needs.

• Segment users: Tailor features and experiences based on different user segments.

• Avoid overgeneralization: Focus on serving a defined audience to maintain a strong value proposition.

Providing robust support enhances user satisfaction and encourages long-term retention.

• Self-service and support channels: Offer multiple support options like live chat, email, and detailed documentation.

• Reduce support dependency: Create clear step-by-step guides to help users navigate and utilize the product independently.

Providing robust support enhances user satisfaction and encourages long-term retention.

• Self-service and support channels: Offer multiple support options like live chat, email, and detailed documentation.

• Reduce support dependency: Create clear step-by-step guides to help users navigate and utilize the product independently.

Maintaining consistent design standards ensures a cohesive and professional user experience.

• Logo and branding: Position the logo on the left side and maintain consistent typography and color schemes.

• Aesthetic design choices: Use light backgrounds and minimalistic design to enhance readability and focus.

• Avoid common pitfalls: Keep landing pages clean, limit menu features, and ensure mobile optimization.

More on design principles from INSAIM: UX Design principles: Building user-centered products from day one

Providing a seamless experience across all user touchpoints enhances overall satisfaction and retention.

• Consistent experience: Ensure uniformity across web, mobile, email, and other channels.

• Data-driven personalization: Use analytics to offer relevant services and content tailored to user preferences.

Designing ethically and inclusively ensures your product is accessible and trustworthy for all users.

• Inclusive design practices: Adhere to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and accommodate diverse cultural backgrounds.

• Ethical considerations: Avoid manipulative design techniques and prioritize user privacy and data security.

Regularly monitoring and optimizing performance ensures a smooth and reliable user experience.

• Performance monitoring: Use tools to track system performance, detect issues early, and maintain uptime.

• Continuous optimization: Release updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and introduce new features based on user feedback.

Effectively presenting complex data through well-designed dashboards enhances user comprehension and decision-making.

• Organized data presentation: Use clear layouts with charts, graphs, and visual elements that are easy to interpret.

• Brand consistency: Maintain a professional and cohesive look by using brand colors and fonts.

Loom simplifies data interpretation by using clear, concise charts to showcase key insights, such as the user’s most asynchronous workday or the number of words spoken in their Looms. This design allows users to quickly grasp the data without spending time figuring it out. Additionally, Loom incorporates brand colors in its charts, ensuring the dashboard aligns seamlessly with the rest of the tool, maintaining visual consistency.

More real-world examples of SaaS design can be found here: Top 15 SaaS Startups Excelling in UX Design and What They Have in Common

While implementing these 20 SaaS product design best practices can greatly enhance the user experience, it’s not necessary to adopt all of them at once. Instead, focus on selecting the practices that will make the most significant impact on your specific SaaS business and user needs. 

Choose the best practices that will drive your successful SaaS product forward. Fill in a brief or schedule a call with INSAIM Design Studio and let our experts help you design a user-friendly and engaging SaaS platform that ensures user satisfaction and long-term growth.

Do I need to implement all 20 saas design best practices?

No, you don’t need to implement all 20 best practices at once. It’s important to assess which practices will have the most significant impact on your specific SaaS business and user journey. Start by identifying the areas where your product can benefit the most, such as improving the onboarding process or enhancing user experience, and prioritize those practices accordingly.

How can I prioritize which design best practices to implement first?

Prioritize based on your SaaS company’s current challenges and goals. Conduct user research to understand your users’ pain points and focus on practices that address those issues. For instance, if users are struggling with the sign-up process, implementing a frictionless sign-up strategy should be a top priority. Additionally, consider the potential impact each practice can have on user satisfaction and retention.

We recently wrote about the research process: UX research methods for startup design: Cheat sheet + 4 real-life examples of how we nailed it.

• Overcomplicating the interface: Avoid cluttering your UI with too many elements, which can overwhelm users.

• Ignoring mobile optimization: Ensure your SaaS platform is fully functional and user-friendly on mobile devices.

• Poor onboarding process: A confusing or lengthy onboarding can lead to high user drop-off rates.

• Lack of consistency: Inconsistent design elements can confuse users and diminish the overall user experience.

• Neglecting user feedback: Failing to collect and act on user feedback can result in a product that doesn’t meet user needs.