Dashboard Design Examples: How We Made the Data Display Choices and What Drove Us
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We use dashboards to monitor key indicators important for our business growth. Best dashboard designs make interaction with complex data smooth and its comprehension easy. But creating such a dashboard requires the ability to combine a smooth user experience with an appealing UI to make boring analytical data easy to read and perceive.
To help you out with dashboard design, in this article, we are going to analyze the dashboards created by our design team and explain why this or that design decision has been made. This will give you some insights into what works for the dashboard design and what doesn't, and who knows, maybe you will use some of our ideas later in your project.
But before we go any further, a quick definition.
What is a dashboard and what types of dashboards are there?
Dashboards are used in SaaS apps to provide customers with a quick overview of key data and metrics. Since the piles of numbers are not something people can easily grasp, dashboards tend to showcase the data visually, using graphs, pie charts, tables, maps, and so on.
Depending on the data, we can divide SaaS dashboards into three types: operational, analytical, and strategic.
- Operational dashboards are the most common. Much like the dashboard on a car, they provide real-time information for operational decisions.
- Strategic dashboards show the data that is essential for long-term decision making: bird’s-eye view of KPIs, integrated data from different departments, and performance indicators in a retrospective view.
- Analytical dashboards are the most complex ones. They not only display the data, but also allow users to slice and dice data points across multiple variables.
Now that we’re done with the theory, it is time to provide you the promised dashboard design inspiration. At Eleken, we are used to working with complex SaaS products and created our fair share of dashboards. So let's dive in!
Enroly. A dashboard for a student engagement app
Enroly has a complex strategic dashboard that is also the most prominent feature of the product. It also has no analogues in its niche. Quite literally: when they came to Eleken, they were creating the first product of its kind. The customer gathered their data in a spreadsheet and that's what we had to work with.
Having no proper references, the closest thing our designers could use as a reference was Google Analytics. Coming up with dashboard design ideas from scratch required a collective effort of the entire squad of designers, developers and product owners.
We needed to come up with the ways to visualize complex data so the dashboard doesn't become overwhelming. So we experimented with the different ways to group it and spread the data over the different tabs.
The bar chart you can see on the screenshot below allows comparing different data and building a visual timeline.
The pie chart in the bottom right corner works great to visualize proportions.
For users to not have any confusion when working numbers, we decided to split the most crucial numerical information into separate cards. Finally, we added a spreadsheet that works great when one needs to provide a list of people with some additional comments.
Takeaways:
- when designing a dashboard from scratch, gather the data you have to visualize and group according to the data types;
- use different types of graphs and charts to visualize different types of data;
- for complex products, develop a structured system of filters.
TextMagic. A dashboard for all-in-one text messaging CRM
TextMagic is a customer experience platform that hired Eleken to design some of its new features. Our scope of work also included dashboards for managers to understand chat performance and customer satisfaction.
The dashboard we designed for TextMagic belongs to operational dashboards, and it had to fit quite a lot of data of different types. So, the most important part of our job was to split the data into separate groups visually, so that users could differentiate them easily at a first glance. But instead of trying to squeeze all the data into one screen, we created different tabs which you can open when needed, and this way, leaving the screen clean and minimalistic.
Takeaways:
- use different graphs and charts for different types of data;
- create multiple tabs to clean up the screen and not overwhelm users;
- clear visual hierarchy is a must;
- bar charts are well-suited for comparing data across different categories;
- color-coding is one of the most important aspects of directing the users' attention.
Gridle. A dashboard for a client management platform
Gridle is a client experience platform that made an operational dashboard the first screen a user sees after opening an app. The dashboard displays the number of leads in the funnel, the number of closed deals, and other important information that helps users understand their current progress.
We needed to visualize different types of data here, so we decided to use different graphs for them to be easily recognizable. For example, the pie chart breaks up the proportion of the lead sources. We could have visualized the funnel count in the same way, but we needed to make the information distinctive, so we chose the next best option – a segmented bar chart. And line graphs work perfectly for leads tracking.
Normally, designers use different colors to help the user differentiate between different types of data, but as we used multiple charts instead, we were able to keep one color palette so that the dashboard’s look and feel won’t become overwhelming.For users to see all the trends clearly, we opted for contrasting colors, such as red, blue and green.
Takeaways:
- line charts are useful for displaying trends over time;
- pie charts are great for visualizing proportions (in this case, the source of lead);
- green or blue and red are the go-to colors when you need to visualize some kind of a yes or no situation (here, closed won and lost leads).
Ricochet360. A dashboard for a cloud phone system and CRM platform
Ricochet360 is a cloud phone system that came to Eleken for a redesign to make the app more intuitive. Ricochet was a complex software, and its old product design didn’t make things any easier. It took more than a month to onboard new users, so making things easier on them was the number one priority.
To solve the issue of the cluttered dashboard, we first of all again made use of creating different tabs the user can engage when necessary. This allowed us to remove the unnecessary data from the primary screen.
Designing a layout with clear visual hierarchy and different types of charts allowed us to create a composition which is easy to understand at a first glance. We also used colors to guide the users' attention and designed simple and intuitive icons.
Takeaways:
- when the product is overly complex, leave only the necessary data;
- divide the data into various types of charts and position respective modules with a clear visual hierarchy;
- use colors and icons to provide visual cues.
Hirerise. A dashboard for an applicant tracking system
Hirerise is an applicant tracking system. Its dashboard is the first screen users see when they open the application — it provides an overview of all the most important information. The goal was to not only visualize the information but also to help the user start their day right. Here, except for the data, they see their daily tasks and agenda, which are connected to said data. So, key numbers and the calendar all work together.
Trying to fit them into one screen, however, would've led to one horrendous interface. So, we used different tabs to separate the data. In the "overview" section the user gets the general idea of what's happening, while clicking on one of the following tabs will allow them to dive into the nitty gritty details of their daily tasks.
Simple numerical information can be separated as cards or, in this case, just plain cells. Still, we had to ensure that, first of all, there was a lot of space between them to be easily recognizable, and that there was a clearly readable font hierarchy (small, light gray vs bold and black) so the user's eye immediately lands on the data that matters.
Linear graph, as always, was a go-to option to visualize the progression over time.
Takeaways:
- If you have to present a great deal of data, try to divide the dashboard into tabs (here: overview, calendar, tasks, and activity);
- mind the fonts and the spacing when presenting plain numbers.
Tymewise. A dashboard for a time-tracking web application
Tymewise is a time-tracking web application. When designing a dashboard for this product, we aimed to build a simple yet informative tool that would help users spend their time more efficiently. Time is the key metric here, and the app allows comparing the data from this week to the last one, for which bar charts are a perfect design choice.
When we needed to demonstrate time spent on work and money gained, we went with simple numbers. Bold black font and enough spacing allow the user to read them wtih ease. We used different lines for time and money, as well as different formatting, so the user doesn't get confused. The design remains minimalist and helps to differentiate between points of data without making the screen too stuffed.
Takeaways:
- don't complicate things unnecessarily. Some data – like time – works best if left simply as numbers;
- use different formats so that numbers for time, money or anything else don't look all the same;
- distinctive fonts and a lot of white space are your best friends.
PublishXI. A dashboard for a corporate learning management system
PublishXI is a web and mobile app design for a corporate learning management system.
Its dashboard offers three types of data classified by levels: Organizational, Content, and User. On the screenshot below you can see the Organizational layout. It helps learning managers to understand how many publications the learners have viewed and how many tests they have taken.
Creating three different types of permissions and roles for the dashboard is a typical practice for LMS as it works best to create superb user experience for management, content makers and learners alike.
Compared to the previous cases, here we had to work with plain numbers much more. But instead of a simple spreadsheet format, we went for the cards. Spacing between them and background distinction made it possible to show a lot of numbers without them being mixed up together.
Takeaways:
- Don't try to throw everything into one place. Find a way to organize and divide your information by its type or the intended users;
- using card design is a great way to organize the data that can't be actually visualized in graphs;
- make sure your numbers are large and immediately clear;
Haven diagnostics. A dashboard design for risk-assessing healthcare app
Haven diagnostics was the first company to apply the mathematical models for projecting the infection risk used in the health industry to corporate offices. Therefore, their dashboards are very specific. They strongly differ from the screens we’ve already seen.
One of Haven diagnostics’ dashboards is dedicated to the forecast — it shows contagion graphs with future projections and represent an example of an analytical dashboard. Two contrast-colored lines of a line chart are perfect for showcasing competitive trends over time.
Another dashboard we made for Haven diagnostics is more typical. Green/blue, red and yellow colors are used to communicate the information. The layout with two distinctive columns also helps to differentiate the data.
Takeaways:
- don't be afraid to create an unusual look if it serves a specific purpose;
- line charts are perfect for visualizing time-dependent dynamics of pretty much anything.
HabitSpace. A dashboard for habit-tracking app
HabitSpace is an engaging mobile app that helps people track their habits and improve their quality of life. The analytics tab of the app shows users the summary of their overall progress and the completion rate for every habit. This is one of the most cheerful UI dashboard design examples because it has to be appealing for a regular user.
For B2C apps, simplicity, engagement and even gamification work the best, so we leaned into them all heavily. We used cheerful colors and quite a lot of emojis. Both of them allow the user to navigate between the tasks easily. And emojis (as well as illustrations) work great as a gamification element.
Takeaways:
- when you're designing a B2C dashboard, try to make it as simple and intuitive as possible;
- for apps, keep yourself grounded in mobile design patterns.
Refera. A dashboard for dental referral solution
Refera has an operational dashboard that helps to see all referrals at a glance and understand what doctors and practices perform the best. Here, there are no bright visuals, everything holds due to the clear-cut informational blocks, so this is one of the noteworthy dashboard layout examples.
As we needed to combine the metrics with the lists of specific doctors – which appeared depending on the metrics – we combined the cards with the spreadsheets. As we've mentioned previously, spreadsheets work best when you need to visualize the list of people with specific characteristics (here, even with actionable buttons). And cards allow to distinguish between plain numerical data without the numbers turning into a mess. Green colors work for the medical field, and as there's no need to dramatically emphasize specific bits of data, the color palette remained quite muted.
Takeaways:
- Once again, card design helps to organize the information which cannot be easily visualized;
- when you don't have lots of charts and graphs, you can stick to a relatively monochrome color scheme.
Koemei. A dashboard for a SaaS platform that makes videos searchable
Koemei is a SaaS platform that makes videos searchable. For them, we designed one of our best simple dashboard design examples. It shows users two crucial metrics: the number of total searches through video content and the number of searches with results.
As the main goal of the dashboard was comparing the dynamics of these two metrics, we went for the line chart, which is best for the purpose. When possible, it's best to keep design as simple as possible, and here we managed to do that.
Takeaways:
- when possible, always aim for simplicity and minimalism.
Prift. A dashboard for a personal finance platform
Prift aims to help manage one's finances. This is one of the best dashboard UI examples when it comes to visualizing various data points in a way that is legible to the customer.
Moreover, this dashboard is aimed to help the user make decisions. So, it should be clear in any given tab what to pay attention to first. We needed to visualize clearly what loan the person should take care of first. This was managed through the use of contrasting colors, as well as different types of graphs. The pie chart allowed us to break down the proportions.
We broke down different types of finances into different tabs. For example, with pension, users need to see their own dynamics and progress, but also compare the different pension pots so they are able to make informed decisions. Linear graph helps with that.
We clearly differentiated zones with different data types, as well as emphasized the necessary charts.
Takeaways:
- mix various types of charts when you have a lot of numerical data;
- if you're dividing the dashboard according to data categories (for example, here we see separate screens for pension and for loans and debts), make sure key elements are designed similarly to ease the navigation.
What are some good dashboard design principles?
As we at Eleken provide UI/UX design services for SaaS products, making complex things look simple with the help of minimalist and intuitive design is literally in our blood. To create a clear and easy-to-navigate dashboard, we always take the target audience into account and follow innovative concepts in dashboard design. This way we ensure your dashboard communicates the most significant data for the customer in the easiest-to-get way.
Each dashboard has its own purpose and conveys different kinds of information. Still, there are some common dashboard design best practices suitable for all types of progress reports.
- Stick to the five-second rule. It should take no more than five seconds for the user to find the most important information on the dashboard. In case you look through the data in search of a needed index for a longer period, it means the visual layout requires some improvements. The user wants to have all their questions answered as quickly as possible.
- Take care of creating a clear and logical layout. Divide all the information into three parts in descending order of importance. Put the most significant indicators on the top, continue with trends that explain the above insights and put details that allow learning the issue deeper at the end. This will make the dashboard clear and easy to read.
- Display only key metrics. Do not overwhelm the user with too many details. Human memory allows us to perceive about seven visuals at a time. Good user interfaces, especially data-driven, should present from five to nine items. This amount of visualization won’t distract the user from their goal.
- Visualize data in an appropriate way. You should organize all the information to make it easy to understand. For example, pie charts are suitable to compare several indicators, while graphs are good to track changes in trends in a timeline.
Final thoughts
Dashboards are an essential part of SaaS applications that help users gain insights and make data-driven decisions. How do you make a good dashboard design? You consider carefully the audience, the type of data being displayed, and the business goals the dashboard is intended to support. Good dashboard design examples might come in various forms. The things they have in common are clarity, simplicity and clear hierarchies. Every dashboard is unique and requires a careful personal touch.
At Eleken, we can provide personalized solutions regardless of your industry and complexity. If you're looking for ways to make complicated data look simple, look no further, just drop us a line!
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Banking App Design: How Proper UX Can Help Overcome User Concerns and Increase Trust
Today, the demand for banking apps is booming, with more than 2 billion downloads in 2023, and a projected 3.88 billion by 2027. What’s more, 78% of Americans prefer conducting their operations entirely online via a mobile or web app compared to visiting physical branches.
Neobanks seem to know how to attract customers by offering tech-savvy users unique experiences beyond traditional banking services such as buying tickets for public transport or paying taxes online. But despite all the convenience, customers are still hesitant to fully transit to using banking apps. What prevents them from moving to digital-first banking? The short answer is a lack of trust.
As UX designers, we understand the value of trust for banking apps. From our standpoint, good UX is a paramount success factor here, which impacts the users’ perception of the app and willingness to engage; and we saw many cases when a well-designed banking app with a great user experience enticed customers from traditional banks.
Below, we’ll focus on how great banking app design can address trust issues. But first, let’s find out why customers continue to get service from traditional banks nevertheless.
Why do people remain loyal to traditional banks?
Traditional banks are old as the world and have been providing the same services since 2000 BC. And most of their processes are organized to serve the needs of the bank more than the client. So you may ask how banks that might not even have a mobile app in 2023 are still alive. There are several reasons for that:
- A physical location and face-to-face interaction with a bank officer add to trust. Not everyone is ready to place their money in an online-first organization.
- People who got an account in a brick-and-mortar bank many years ago remain loyal just out of habit.
- Not everywhere in the world better alternatives are available.
- The risk of data breaches or other cyberattacks remains a valid concern for most people. According to a recent survey, 42% of respondents don’t use banking apps, saying they don’t trust their security, while 46% of banking app users are worried that their accounts can get hacked.
- Scandals related to neobanks and loops in regulatory systems. The fintech sector is controlled by different regulatory bodies and should follow multiple requirements. Yet, regulators haven’t implemented clear rules for worldwide operations. For example, UK regulators suspended Wirecard's UK solution operator, including its clients such as Curve, Pockit, and Soldo, following insolvency filings by its German entity. As a result, thousands of customer accounts in the UK were frozen, creating shock and total disbelief among clients.
But despite everything, the number of people using traditional banks melts like snow under the spring sunshine. Now digital experience is the primary driver of churn and a major factor for people who choose neobanks. In this respect, it is a great UX that helps banking apps build trust with their users and achieve customer loyalty.
Banking app design starts with building trust
The PwC survey of digital trust reveals that simplifying processes and operations has a “multiplier” effect on privacy and security, and helps build trust. Making the solution “simply secure” has long ago become the business mantra for every banking app.
Overall, PwC advises following the four Ps rule to effectively build trust.
- Principle: establish security and privacy as a business imperative.
Users trust the banking app when they have confidence that the solution is stable, reliable, consistent, transparent, and protects their sensitive information and data. Achieving this is difficult but understanding what should be done to build stronger relationships and avoid trust issues is even more difficult. To start, analyze your app and competitors’ products to answer these questions:
- Does your app provide services, suitable for the market and today's users?
- How exactly does the app solve their pain point and security concerns?
- Does your banking app offer more enhanced security and protection than others available on the market? If so, how exactly does it happen? If not, how can you develop an area of security and protection and who can help you achieve it?
- People: hire the right team who can simplify even complex projects.
Selecting and hiring the proper team with the skills and knowledge in UX design is another important thing in your to-do list. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great mentions that the best companies apply this rule first: "got the right people on the bus, and the wrong people off the bus," and after that move on to "getting the right people in the right seats on the bus." It is impossible to build a great product until you find the team who can execute your plans and help prioritize the tasks.
- Prioritization: use data and intelligence to measure risks.
Risks constantly change while customer expectations regarding clarity and transparency rise. Whether it’s a new feature added to the app or the need to request a larger amount of data from users, you should always consider the impact it may have. Data analytics can also improve the quality of risk assessments. 61% of cybersecurity experts use the risk matrix when they identify the most critical risks and organize them in the low-to-extreme rank order.
- Perception: identify blind spots in your projects.
There are areas where our decision-making fails. It can happen due to a number of reasons such as invalid assumptions, refusing to recognize that some functionality in the app just isn't working, overconfidence caused by underestimating risks, and so on. So you should identify these blind spots and take action to reduce their impact. A solid UX discovery and audit can reduce many problems.
And yes, all these principles correlate with the very idea of UX design. Good UX involves much more than just the principles above. Let’s dive deep into the best practices for banking app design that will help gain trust.
How to build trust in your banking app using the UX design?
People are very cautious creatures, especially when it comes to trusting their money to a banking app. Building trust throughout every step of the neobanking experience journey is critical if you want to succeed. Here are some tips on how you can do it.
Account opening: empower customers with control over their data and account settings
Eleken designers are unanimous in their belief that a good way to increase customer engagement and gain credibility is to follow Jakob Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics. These practical algorithms can help address most trust issues from the first moment of using banking apps:
- Make the app’s interface based on common design patterns so that customers can remember their previous experience of using similar apps. Don’t re-invent the wheel.
- Provide users with freedom of navigation to perform actions. Adding “return”, “cancel”, or “undo” buttons can prevent mistakes and increase user confidence.
- Maintain a consistent look and feel. It improves your banking app's learnability and usability. Users get used to consistent visual components like screen size, shapes, and orientation. They become more confident as their experience becomes smooth.
- Keep users informed about their activities through feedback and app status. When users understand what comes next, it makes them feel safe. For example, you can use visual clues like a green checkmark to indicate when a transaction has been completed successfully as PayPal does.
You can also provide feedback and confirmation screens:
- Establish a connection with the real world. The right content when you speak the users’ language helps here. Avoid using jargon, terminology, unclear shortening, or abbreviations. Try to show empathy even when something goes wrong.
- Prevent errors such as slips and mistakes from occurring. Implement clear and informative error messages that guide users in case of mistakes or issues.
- Stick to minimalist design. Don’t try to add too many visual elements as they can distract users. Instead, provide them with relevant, essential, and indispensable data.
- Provide further assistance. Offer important information when users need it and list necessary steps to carry out when there are issues. For example, users can find useful financial tips by clicking on the “Financial tips” button in the Prift app.
Customer onboarding: keep it simple and practical
PwC highlights that simple actions can get you 5x or more results. This is especially true for user onboarding. Don’t overwhelm your audience from the start, keep your onboarding as simple as you can and they will thank you for that.
For example, to begin using Fin.do, a money transfer system, customers need to have an active SIM card and an email address. To ensure security, customers are required to confirm their phone number and email. Finally, users create a 4-digit password or activate Touch ID/Face ID to log into the account. While using the app, customers should follow only 4 steps.
Day-to-day banking: add user-centric features
The Deloitte research found that customers expect to see the following features in the banking app:
- Descriptive buttons: meaningful but short names of the buttons let users understand what will happen when they click on them, reduce errors, and increase confidence.
- Information on app status: visual, immediate feedback allows users to stay informed and confirm their actions, creating a positive impression.
- Real-time validation: it is like having a conversation with users when your app guides them through the difficult areas of uncertainty. For example, the right color, clear language, and the right placement of the buttons allow your app to inform users about errors.
- Progress trackers and diagrams: creating a path that shows how many steps are required to get to the final goal can reduce confusion and user churn. But for this achieving the best result possible, consider involving users in the design phase. For instance, Eleken designers created several screens with different navigation and visual display of information for Prift finance platform. We offered users two versions of the screen: with and without a diagram in the “portfolio breakdown section”. Users chose the second screen with a progress diagram:
- Ready to help customer service: happy customers equal loyalty and user retention. For example, the Chase banking app provides round-the-clock support via phone or messages through the Support button.
- Save and finish later feature: users find it helpful as they can save data they have already entered and return to it or finish actions like money transfers later.
However, it doesn’t mean that these are the only things users want.
Beyond banking: provide personalized experiences
Neobanks strive to increase customer satisfaction, implementing additional, user-centric features as a must. They want to go beyond providing traditional financial services and offer new value propositions that can cover multiple areas of clients' life.
Today, neobanks implement functions originated from non-banking platforms and social media. Examples include adding chats, bots, and sending additional content with transfers. For example, 25% of users prefer sending GIFs or emojis with transfers, while 38% would love to add tags to transactions as on Twitter and animated auto-scrolling progress bars like Instagram’s story pattern.
Here, some design rules apply as well. First, you have to make sure that the buttons’ color and size match your app’s branding. The common location of the chat button is in the bottom right corner of the app. Yet, you might consider adding interactive animations or adaptive buttons.
It is a good practice to provide functions supporting accessibility for clients with eyesight or hearing impairment. It allows not only to meet regulatory requirements but also to satisfy the diverse needs of customers with disabilities. Barclays is an example of a banking app that offers accessibility features, namely inverting screen colors on the phone, video banking, voiceover technology, a larger font, more visuals for people with dyslexia, and so on.
You can check out common accessibility functions neobanks can implement in the table below.
These value-added services can not only boost customer engagement and enable personalization but also also increase users trust.
Conclusion
Poorly-designed banking app will not gain users’ trust. On the contrary, a great UX design helps achieve it, as the success of neobanks lies beyond offering just a set of standard banking functionality. It covers identifying needs that users themselves don’t even know they had.
What makes such forward-thinking possible? If you ask UI/UX designers, the answer would be “UX research.” The methodology of UX research allows you to find hidden problem spots and relevant solutions. If you'd like to learn how it works, we recommend checking out our article on how the UX research process works.
And when you’re looking for a reliable design partner that knows a thing or two about UX research or how to design a great banking app, get in touch with us.
B2B SaaS Design Trends and New Business Opportunities You Don't Want to Miss Out On
In the fast-paced world of B2B SaaS, staying ahead of the competition is crucial for success. As businesses increasingly rely on software as a service solutions to streamline their operations, the significance of incorporating cutting-edge SaaS trends and practices into these products cannot be overlooked. Embracing them not only enhances the user experience but also helps companies differentiate their offerings and secure a competitive advantage.
As a SaaS design services provider, we at Eleken keep our fingers on the pulse constantly researching and incorporating into our work the latest design trends. In this article, we will explore some of them, so keep reading to learn what’s going on in the SaaS market today.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is a hot topic right now, and one of the most important latest B2B SaaS design trends. By leveraging AI, you can streamline your business operations while delivering exceptional value to your users. ChatGPT is one of the most famous examples, as many of the language-predictive tools in other apps are based on it.
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
One of the major ways AI can be utilized is through providing personalized recommendations and quick support for the users. AI can help users to navigate the app leading to a better user experience. For example, let’s take Google Docs – you can start typing a word or a phrase in the doc, and the app will finish it for you – quite convenient, isn’t it?
Here's an example of how it helped us to work on this very article:
You probably can name a couple of companies which already use AI off the top of your head. Still, let's take a look at one of them.
How it's already used
Notion serves as an-point example here. Its AI-powered interface can help users with navigating the platform, organizing information, and providing personalized recommendations. What’s more, Notion's virtual assistant can suggest relevant templates, recommend actions based on user input, and even assist with content creation by suggesting relevant information.
Integrations
The trend of integrating B2B SaaS products with other software and tools presents a remarkable opportunity for companies to boost their performance without breaking the bank. By seamlessly integrating with complementary solutions, SaaS companies can offer their customers a more efficient and streamlined workflow.
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
App integrations eliminate the need to switch between multiple solutions, resulting in increased productivity and improved user experience. By adding integrations, companies can empower their customers to leverage a comprehensive suite of tools that seamlessly work together, which leads to higher customer satisfaction, increased loyalty, and a competitive edge.
How it's already used
As an example, Asana uses the power of integrations to gain a competitive edge. The platform integrates with various tools and platforms such as Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce and so on. This allows users to streamline their project-related communication, file sharing, and task management without switching between the apps.. With its wide range of integrations, Asana boosts user productivity, setting itself apart from the competitors.
B2B web design trends lean into having a specific page for the partners list. You don't want to lose it or mix it up with any other information. To solve the problem of having too many names cramped on one screen, you can use card design. It helps to present all partners in a visually distinctive way.
Micro-SaaS tools
Micro-SaaS refers to specialized SaaS solutions that focus on solving niche problems for a specific target audience. The term was coined in 2016 by Tyler Tringas, who described as: "A SaaS business targeting a niche market, run by one person or a small team, with small costs…"
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
Micro-SaaS tools are designed to provide a high level of customer satisfaction by offering niche solutions with tailored functionality. Such great focus on the target audience allows startups to differentiate themselves.
By embracing the trend of Micro-SaaS tools, companies can capitalize on niche markets, deliver specialized solutions, and offer a superior user experience. This level of customization and focused functionality allows businesses to gain a competitive advantage by catering to specific customer needs.
How it's already used
There're various platforms that can be used as an example. For instance, Hypefury, a specialized platform that focuses on helping users enhance their presence on Twitter. With access to a vast network of co-creators, it leverages their expertise to suggest engaging and high-quality content for users' tweets, ensuring they consistently share valuable and captivating posts. Additionally, Hypefury offers scheduling capabilities, allowing users to plan and automate their tweets for optimal timing and audience reach.
Plausible, another example of micro-SaaS, is a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics that gives business owners valuable insights about their website's performance. With its simple interface, Plausible allows its users to understand visitor behavior, track key metrics, and make data-driven decisions without compromising on privacy or relying on complex and resource-intensive analytics tools.
One of the cases Eleken worked on is InVo, a solution that automates creating receipts. Targeting freelancers and small businesses, InVo is relatively limited in its functionality. But solving one specific pain of its audience, combined with a sleek and intuitive design our team made, is exactly what makes it valuable.
As you can see, the range of possibilities is quite wide. With Micro-Saas, B2B website design trends are focused on getting across a specific mission and CTA so the user immediately knows whether this product is something they'll be interested in.
API-first SaaS
API-first SaaS refers to an approach where the design and development of the product are centered around an application programming interface (API). API serves as the foundation of the SaaS product, allowing seamless integration with other software systems, applications, or third-party services.
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
The API-first approach has become one of the prominent B2B SaaS trends. By adopting an API-first approach, companies can facilitate data exchange, enable custom integrations, and let customers build their own solutions on top of their platform. This flexibility turns businesses into part of a cooperative ecosystem.
How it's already used
SolidGigs, a platform that connects freelancers with high-quality freelance gigs, is an excellent example of an API-first SaaS company. The platform provides a well-documented API that allows freelancers to integrate their services with external platforms, such as project management tools or workflow automation systems. SolidGigs automatically searches through various sources to find the best-matching clients, alerts the user and sends the pitch at the lead source. Simply put, the platform searches the leads for the user so they don't have to spend valuable working time on browsing through various platforms.
Low-code/No-code platforms
When it comes to building and launching a SaaS product, low-code/no-code platforms come as a magic wand for many. Low-code and no-code platforms come with a user-friendly interface and ready-made components that users can easily combine to build functional apps and websites, which makes product development and B2B SaaS design more accessible to non-technical users..
If you need a solid example of products built with low-code/no-code platforms, Eleken's website serves as one. We built our website using Webflow, a low-code platform.
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
B2C and B2B sectors both warmly embraced low/no-code platforms. By eliminating the traditional barriers of software development, businesses can accelerate their product development cycles, improve time-to-market, and enhance overall operational efficiency. As a result, the companies offering these solutions can attract a robust client base. The only thing you need to be sure of is that your no-code platform's design is user-friendly, intuitive and meets the customer's needs.
How it's already used
Let’s look at Airtable, a popular collaboration and project management platform. Airtable's intuitive interface and visual building blocks enable users to create custom workflows, databases, and even B2B SaaS apps without extensive coding expertise. This empowers teams to tailor Airtable to their specific requirements, resulting in enhanced productivity and streamlined operations. By embracing the low-code/no-code approach, Airtable has positioned itself as a flexible and customizable solution, catering to a wide range of industries and use cases.
Cylynx, a no-code data visualization platform, came to Eleken for designing an MVP. Cylynx allows building data into graphs and editing how they are visualized. Technically, it is easy to implement, but to be successful the software had to have intuitive and consistent UX (and that’s what we did). Moral of the story: when working on low-code/no-code platforms, flawless UI/UX is an absolute priority.
Mobile-first design and responsive interfaces
Mobile-first design involves designing interfaces and user experiences primarily for mobile devices, ensuring smooth user experience on smaller screens. Initially aimed more at the B2C segment, mobile-first design is one of B2B design trends that will only continue to grow. With the increasing popularity of using smartphones and tablets for work-related tasks, companies that prioritize mobile-friendly experiences can gain a serious advantage.
How can this trend help companies gain a competitive advantage?
By embracing mobile-first design and responsive interfaces, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase user engagement. It is especially vital today when more businesses and workers operate remotely, and employees might want to access their corporate account while walking in the park or sitting in a restaurant.
How it's already used
No need to search a lot for examples – Slack is here to help us. Slack's mobile app offers a seamless and intuitive experience, allowing users to communicate and collaborate on the go. The interface is optimized for mobile screens, providing easy access to conversations, channels, and shared files. Slack's responsive design ensures that the user experience remains consistent across devices, whether on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
By prioritizing mobile-friendly experiences, Slack has gained a competitive advantage, attracting a large user base that values flexibility and productivity while on the move.
Final thoughts
In a rapidly evolving B2B SaaS landscape, it is essential for companies to be aware of and adapt to the latest design trends. You should keep up with them to enhance user experience by any means necessary. Still, it's also vital to develop your own unique brand flavor and design approach. The way to differentiating yourself lies through the combined power of brand identity, value proposition and innovative thinking.
At Eleken, we understand the significance of design in the B2B SaaS industry. With our expertise in crafting user-centered and visually appealing interfaces, we can help your stand out from the crowd. Our team of talented designers and UX experts will work closely with you to understand your unique business goals and target audience, ensuring that every design element reflects your brand identity and creates a seamless user journey. So, if you're looking for UI/UX design services, look no further and drop us a line!
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