Are you investing time and resources in making sure that your Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Application is moving with the times? If not, then you might want to stop and have a good look around you before you get left behind.
The pandemic has accelerated the rate of progress in the world of UX & UI, and SaaS Applications designers are focusing on offering their end users a better experience more than ever before. It’s time to assess the new UX & UI trends that have emerged – and decide which ones you should consider applying to your own SaaS Applications.
UX/UI SaaS App Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
When used tactfully in applications UX/UI, AI & Machine Learning have the power of delivering a supercharged experience, enabling SaaS companies to build a much deeper connection with the end user. It means offering a more satisfying service, and even a more efficient customer experience.
The valuable insight that arises from vast data collection and analysis enables designers to create Applications by starting with the most important ingredient: a deep understanding of what the users want from every interaction.
Machine Learning is not a superficial trend – it ‘gets’ the customers in a way that predetermined user journeys never could; by analyzing data at a deep, meta level, we can unlock a mine gold of insight and offer automatic and intuitive responses to users. The result? – Hyper-personalized products, ultra-engagement, and boosted creativity.
UX/UI SaaS App Trend #2: No-Code / Low-Code
Only a few years ago, creating even a simple WebApp was a heavy operation, involving a deep knowledge of coding languages, as well as the ability to translate a vision into lines of code. Today, it’s never been easier for SaaS Applications developers to bring their visions to life, with low-code & no-code platforms – and it’s taking the world by storm.
Low-code/no-code platforms enable developers (and even people with no coding experience) to create WebApps by simply dragging and dropping components and connecting them. This approach requires no knowledge of traditional programming languages, and is essentially a visual approach to app development.In UX/UI terms, it means that we can automate any step of the application lifecycle to deliver solutions – fast. You might be thinking that fast turnarounds and less expensive developer time required must mean that everyone is using it, but they’re not – and for good reason. Although no-code/low-code platforms may sound like an easy way to achieve a complex task, they can actually be disastrous in the hands of designers who don’t know how to handle them properly.
Our advice: if you choose to follow this trend, make sure you’re very careful when choosing your team, or you’ll be losing time and money later down the line.
UX/UI SaaS App Trend #3: Moving From 2D to 3D
Although more visually engaging and aesthetically pleasing than 2D, 3D hasn’t been an obvious choice for App developers – and for good reason; it used to be that adding 3D elements would massively slow down performance and loading times. Thanks to technological innovation, this is no longer the case, and many SaaS applications have opted for these visually appealing elements, increased session durations, and ultimately conversion rates.
As VR and AR technologies are also gaining momentum (another 2021 trend), we can expect to see 3D elements blow up alongside them. In order to employ 3D effectively into your SaaS Applications, we recommend ensuring that your optimization is up to scratch, that it’s fast-loading, and that it makes sense within the context of your application design as a whole.
A great example of when it’s done right is Memberstack’s home page, which features toggles connected with a 3D element that showcases the benefits of using their product. Now that’s engaging!
While it can feel like it was the pandemic that forced SaaS companies to focus even more on UX/UI
It seems that the pace of development is not slowing down even as we emerge from the pandemic. If the UX/UI trends we’ve mentioned stick around, we may be looking at break-neck speeds of development and more deeply engaging experiences, in the long term.
Wanting to make sure your SaaS Apps keeps up with the pace of change? It might feel overwhelming, but that is why we’re here. Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help you achieve your business goals by employing better UX/UI techniques and approaches.
