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SaaS is a new digital business model that claims to make it easier to access a wide range of services via the internet. But there is cutthroat competition and to stand out among the crowd, the right SaaS design agency can be your best partner.

Here in this article, we will talk about how SaaS design is different from other applications, how to choose the right SaaS design agency and how they can transform your product.

Let’s get started.

Understanding SaaS

Why SaaS design is different from other apps

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably used Software as a Service, or SaaS, on a regular basis for both work and play.

SaaS is one of three major cloud computing categories: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). It is the most popular and widely used of the three major cloud computing models, and the best part is that you don’t need to be a developer or an IT professional to use it!

SaaS is a subscription-based technique of providing software and services via the internet. Research shows that the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth rate in SaaS companies between 2022-2025.

Prior to the advent of cloud computing, users were required to manage, install, and upgrade software on local servers or computers. But SaaS has rapidly transformed our conventional software approach in recent years.

With SaaS, you can simply provision a server for a cloud instance, and your software or application will be ready to use in a matter of hours.

Benefits of SaaS over traditional software

1. Versatility

SaaS is utilised in a wide range of business processes, including communication and collaboration, customer relationship management, billing, sales management, human resources management, financial management, enterprise resource planning, and so on.

As a result, the cloud service provider will deliver and maintain all of the layers in this stack for you.

2. Multi-tenant architecture

Users can use a SaaS application in a multi-tenant architecture. As a result, several users inside the stack would have access to the same pool of resources. So it’d be the same hosted environment and servers, with each user having their own dedicated storage space to securely store their data.

3. Less expensive

It’s a lot more cost-effective than applications since cloud service providers would maintain and manage the application for you. As a result, there are no IT overhead costs, and SaaS applications are often accessed on a subscription basis, either annually or monthly.

And that often includes support, while with our older traditional on-premise solutions, you’d have a perpetual licence with a high up-front cost and then have to pay for maintenance separately.

4. Scalability

As cloud service provider will be maintaining everything for you, you can scale horizontally or vertically on demand. So if you need to add more databases or more processing capacity, they’ll take care of it on a case-by-case basis.

5. Accessibility

Another advantage is that you can access a SaaS application from any location, especially if you wish to move your staff. So, all you need to get started with your SaaS application is a web browser and internet access. There’s no need to install anything, and you can always be up and running no matter where you are in the world.

Skills required to design SaaS apps

1. Business analysis

The role of the Business Analyst is to ensure that the UI and UX are well-designed and bring value to the product development process. They must comprehend the product’s requirements as well as the needs of the end-user.

The requirements are concerned with what you build, whereas the design is concerned with how you build it. They are a part of the broader plan for expanding a website’s or other digital project’s reach.

2. User research

User research is the thorough analysis of target users, including their needs and pain points. This information is used by the designers to further create the best designs.

User researchers use a range of methods to reveal problems and design possibilities, as well as collect important data for use in the design process.

Researchers conduct in-depth research on target users in order to collect and analyse data that will aid in the product creation process and create goods that meet the needs of users.

3. Saas design pattern awareness

Rapid expansion is both a benefit and a curse for any programme since it brings with it both more income and more technological issues.

There are a variety of design patterns that can help any cloud-based application scale better by making it more fault-tolerant and resistant to the difficulties that come with greater traffic.

4. Deep UX pattern understanding

User experience design patterns are reusable design components that are used to tackle typical usability issues. Patterns give an otherwise chaotic scene a sense of order.

Researchers have discovered that knowing and recognising recurring patterns allows us to make intelligent predictions, assumptions, and hypotheses, as well as build critical thinking and logic skills.

5. Communication

When discussing the strategy involved in presenting information through visual design, the term “communication in design” is particularly used.

This can form the cornerstone for how designers think about graphics, and hence the true meaning of what they do.

As a result, communication among designers, clients, and marketing directors or departments aids in the creation of a unified style for your design initiatives.

Ways SaaS design agency can make your product successful

1. Identifies the user’s concerns correctly

You need to understand your target market to ensure that it will be approved by them. SaaS founders must delve deep into their target demographic to truly understand their market.

Here, a SaaS design agency can help you by answering these five critical questions:

Who are your target customers, and how are you going to approach them?
What words do people use to describe the service you provide?
What criteria do they use to compare and select products?
What issue are you attempting to address for your intended audience?
What are the advantages of your service to your customers?

2. Creates a user-oriented MVP

A minimal viable product (MVP), is an early version of a product that contains only the most essential functionality while still providing sufficient value to clients.

But a common challenge that SaaS product owners face is prioritizing the features for the MVP. Hence, you need a SaaS design agency to make the right choice at this stage.

Not only that, the design company can help in terms of idea validation, speedy product launch, concept representation, and primary cost reduction.

3. Helps in choosing the right tech stack

A technological stack is a collection of programming languages, libraries and frameworks, cloud computing services, and databases that are used to build and maintain an online or mobile application.

In the long run, using sophisticated methods to produce a simple programme will make it stiff, difficult to update, and difficult to support.

To prevent such circumstances, choose standard technologies, which will make implementation much easier. A SaaS design agency can help you in deciding your SaaS tech stack approach to ensure that it remains agile, simplifies development and maintenance, and optimises costs.

4. Emphasises more on customer success than product success

In the last decade, the SaaS industry has experienced tremendous growth in customer success as a business function. Companies are investing more in developing a customer success team as the necessity for mutually beneficial interactions with their consumers grows.

A SaaS design agency can offer an exceptional user experience which guarantees customer success. They ensure this by tracking metrics such as task completion rate, task completion time, level of efforts, time to value and time to adopt.

Customer success increases the likelihood that users will stick around by maximizing their mastery of the product. For subscription-based SaaS businesses, that’s an important component of growing monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

5. Makes user onboarding easier

Onboarding aims to establish an emotional connection between your service and the customers in the shortest time possible. Users should instantly understand how the product can relieve their pain points. If designed properly, onboarding will reduce churn rates and engage the audience.

Many SaaS products witness high churn rates due to the extremely long and uninteresting onboarding process. In order to avoid that, and make your product successful, the SaaS design agency will help in creating shorter and simpler onboarding flows while making the process enjoyable for the users.

How do you choose a SaaS design agency?

1. Determine and introduce your goal

Good design is focused on achieving a certain purpose. People will likely see value in your product if it helps them achieve one or more of their objectives.

Not only must we identify the goals of our users in design, but we must also specify the boundaries that they must consider. These limits are just as crucial as the objective because they are the only way for the user to know if they have achieved it.

Make sure to communicate your goals and expectations to the design agency so that we can assess your requirements clearly and help you in achieving them.

2. Define your budget and timelines

When you are planning to create a SaaS app or improve it, you certainly would have a timeline and a budget in mind.

It is not only useful for organising the work that needs to be done but helps the design agency to decide whether they would be able to do it in the specified timelines or not.

3. Pay attention to their portfolio

A design portfolio reveals the design agency’s true potential as well as their abilities. It’s a simple and transparent approach to review what they’ve done in the past and make the best selection possible.

4. Start communication

Once you have identified a suitable SaaS design agency, it is time to get in touch with them to discuss your requirements and obtain a quotation.

If you are convinced with the commercials and other terms, you should quickly get the contract signed and ask them to commence the project.

As design is a collaborative and iterative process, you should be in regular contact with the design team and provide your feedback whenever necessary.

This helps the design agency to work even more faster and the final product will be much better than your expectations.

Check the top 10 UI UX Design Agencies in Ahmedabad.

Conclusion

By now, you have figured out that the SaaS app system, interface, required features, and general idea differs from on-premise ones. So you should find a design agency with appropriate expertise. Besides, look for agencies with essential skills, including a deep understanding of SaaS and UX patterns.

Consider your budget, time limits, your app’s goals, designers’ portfolio, reviews, and communication efficiency.

Our SaaS designers at Octet Design Studio are always there to support your project and deliver result-driven design solutions. We have proven expertise in designing SaaS products and provide all relevant services, including user interface design, creating dashboards, mobile apps, prototypes, ERP systems, CRM platforms, and more.

Relying on user-oriented design as our core principle, we are ready to build or improve your SaaS conversion rates. We are ready to build your SaaS product and make it successful. Contact us today to get started!

5 Ways design agency can transform your SaaS product

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Aakash Jethwani

Inspire the next generation of designers

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