User Experience design is an ongoing process. Research and further improvements into user journeys on the websites need to be updated continuously for optimisation and to meet evolving business goals. Even if the site is visually appealing but fails to load on time and doesn’t have a search bar, chances are the website needs redesigning and optimization.

What is Performance UX?

There are too many things businesses want to achieve with the help of their websites, and how users are interacting with it. One of the trackers is Content Rate Optimization (CRO) which helps track and test elements responsible for conversion rate. Just like CRO focuses on conversions and microelements Performance, UX looks at the larger picture.

Wez Heads from Vertical leap writes, performance UX focuses on the end-to-end user experience and optimizes for better performance with your business goals in mind – whatever they may be.

Now, one of these goals could well be conversion rates – and this is often the case. But performance UX allows us to address other goals like brand recall, user sentiment, and other objectives beyond conversions.

In an article by Marc Schenker writes, websites live and die by their conversion rates. Good conversion rates in the literal business sense mean more sales and revenue, while poor conversion rates mean that you’ll struggle to keep your business afloat.

He also mentions six powerful ways UX can affect conversion rates on websites.

Video on Landing Page

The landing page is often seen as the sales page that makes users click through the main page for actual purposes. Inserting a lot of text on the first page for users to navigate through the website is a lot to ask from the users to convert.

Having a video or graphic which communicates with the user how to navigate through the landing page shoots up the conversion rate. As Schenker explains, “Conversions happen because a page successfully communicates its value proposition and seamlessly encourages users or customers to complete the page goal.“

Call To Action Button Placement

A universal broad goal of many websites is to sell their product or service. It includes sign-up for the newsletter, selling products, services or subscriptions. The website should place its CTA at a place that is easy for users to trace and creates urgency.

Most users will not go below the fold, so the CTA is supposed to be above the fold. The proper placement of the CTA ensures higher conversion rates. The urgency by CTA also helps reduce bounce rates. Choosing colours like red, orange creates urgency or selects a text that compels users to take action.

The Speed of Your Website

A study conducted by Forrester in 2009 claims sites that take more than three seconds to load loses 40% of their customers. The site speed is a factor that determines if the UX is up to the mark or not. If a website takes more than 4-5 seconds to load, chances are 35% more customers will drop from the website.

The content of the website should be optimized for all kinds of devices (laptop, mobile, tablet). So the websites have to make sure of speed time three seconds or less.

Website Readability

If the content on the site is not readable enough, it can mislead or confuse the user. Most users scan through the website as it’s proven nobody spends time reading large content. To make it scannable for the users, sites have to ensure that they use the correct font size, eye-catching headlines, and appropriate font.

Content on the site is one way to tell users what is available for them on the site, but when they cannot comprehend the content, it becomes difficult for users to take any action.

Free Experience Perks

Providing users with little extra is always a step closer to conversion. In an E-commerce site, various options entice users to take one closer step towards completing a purchase.

For example, the shopping site’s checkout process excites users to avail free shipping if they add items worth $100.

This makes users add items more than just $100, increasing the cart value and significantly providing business to the site. As Schenker puts it, “When your customers are clamouring for incentives like free shipping, you give it to them, especially when it increases the number of orders and average order value!“

Ease of navigation

In a lot of cases, websites clutter their page with pop-ups, links, sales tactics. All these issues take users away from the actual goal of reaching and finishing the primary purpose and decluttering the website and placing only necessary information.

“From a UX standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world, when you remove distractions from a page, your users aren’t bombarded with competing decisions to make. Their minds are at ease, able to focus on just the one task—the page goal—of the landing page.“

Here are six powerful ways UX can effect subscription and user conversions on SaaS Platforms

Simplify the registration process

Registration is typically a user’s first interaction with a SaaS platform, and as the cliché goes, first impressions matter. Only ask for the most important information upfront while evaluating the registration procedure. A potential customer’s email address is frequently enough to get them into the application.

Clarify with Onboarding

SaaS systems employ customer turnover as a critical performance metric. Users may become confused as a result of poor onboarding. Users that are perplexed terminate their memberships. A positive onboarding experience engages users, creates a positive first impression, and teaches them how to execute specific activities.

Information Architecture Should Be Simplified

Information architecture and navigation are the major ways users find what they need from an application. As a result, they should be simple and straightforward. Hootsuite has out-of-the-way global side navigation that can be enlarged to show labels if the user forgets what an icon means or gets lost in the experience.

Dashboards can be used to engage and inform people

Because a dashboard is frequently the first thing a user sees when coming into a SaaS programme, focusing on dashboard user experience will nearly always result in a higher return on investment.

Users will have a favourable dashboard experience if it answers the following questions:

• What is my current status or how am I doing?
• What has been the most recent activity?
• What issues do I need to be aware of?
• What’s on my “To Do” list right now?
• How can I get started on critical chores quickly?

It’s a good idea to report on any key performance indicators (KPIs) that are crucial to the user’s position so that they may comprehend their present situation.

Ensure that “assistance” is both useful and always available

In the event that users get stuck, successful SaaS apps offer straightforward help and support mechanisms. Users nowadays expect to be able to acquire answers to their questions without having to talk to someone on the phone. This can be performed in a few different ways.

First and foremost, the support system should be accessible from anywhere within the application. If a user decides to seek assistance, it’s likely that they’re already frustrated. Forcing them to look for help content is a surefire way to make the experience unpleasant.

Review and iteration can help you improve SaaS applications

UX projects must examine primary audiences and be focused on user demands in order to be worthwhile. Let’s revisit our topic of SaaS UX design recommended practices because UX for SaaS is no different.

• Make the registration procedure easier.
• Onboarding can help people understand how to utilize a product.
• Streamline the information architecture such that it is simple and easy to understand.
• Dashboards can be used to engage and inform users about KPIs.
• Ascertain that SaaS product support is both valuable and available at all times.

Maintaining a successful SaaS application necessitates a tremendous amount of effort. It takes a long-term commitment to review and iteration to keep users engaged, but it’s a war well worth winning to keep satisfied customers.