Would you believe that we are three months into 2024 already? Now, web designers for SaaS made their predictions of what to expect from the industry way before New Year’s. Most of them were on point, like AI and blockchain, but I want to focus solely on the SaaS design trends that are dominating this year currently.
The global SaaS market was valued at over $190 billion in 2023, a growth rate of 66% from 2022, and experts expect the market to reach more than $200 billion this year due to the rising demand for cloud-based software solutions.
SaaS companies need an excellent UX design, exceptional user experience, and powerful visuals in their software to experience such growth. But it doesn’t stop there because the world of SaaS has many design opportunities, and these are the top trends taking over 2024:
1. Clean & Minimalistic Design
Believe it or not, the one thing that most customers want to find on your SaaS website is a clean and minimal design. A simple design will allow visitors to navigate your website and convert better easily.
Yes, you’re a big-time SaaS engineer with life-changing features you want visitors to experience, but if you clutter your space, they will be more confused than awed. Instead, show them what your product does once they land on your homepage.
Here’s how:
- Add more whitespace
- Limit the color palette
- Use clear and direct language
- Reduce distractions like flashy animations
With concise messaging and a simple user interface, your clients will engage with your product easily and take action quickly.
2. Interactive Storytelling
Stories are your ticket to connecting with customers over your product.
You have to get creative with interactive storytelling to keep users glued to your platform because attention spans are at an all-time low today.
You can come up with a captivating story about your SaaS software, adding video content, animations, and 3D elements to make it special.
Follow these storytelling techniques to get your visitors hooked:
- Make your readers the priority
- Use interactive visual elements sparingly
- If you have data to offer, make it the center of your story
- Show, don’t tell
- Build content for the web, not PDF
- Optimize your videos and images
- Plan your content from the very beginning
Given the many interactive storytelling tools, it’s easy to miss an important piece of advice: you must tell a good story.
3. Gradients
Instagram reintroduced gradients in logo design, and the trend went viral, spreading across SaaS platforms. This transition between colors can improve the visual appeal of your SaaS platform by highlighting important messages. They also prompt visitors to act or encourage them to keep scrolling.
Here’s how you can use gradients in your SaaS design effectively:
- Choose the right colors that work with your brand tone
- Create smooth transitions
- Keep away from random colors
- Use separate shapes and patterns
- Think about the contrast levels
- Use gradient to create a focal point in your design
- Optimize gradient design for printing
There are many tools online to help you create the best gradient that will brighten up your platform, add more depth, and improve the UX design.
4. Generative AI
AI can get a lot done quickly, especially with lots of practice data. SaaS products create tons of data, making AI a perfect fit for this industry.
Many SaaS companies are adding AI features to their products:
- AI chatbots: They answer questions and support customers directly within the product.
- Personalized experiences: AI can write emails, reports, and content tailored to each user.
- Recommendation engines: AI can suggest products or features that users might be interested in.
- Data analysis: AI helps analyze data to find trends and make predictions.
These are just a few of the many examples that show what AI does in SaaS design.
5. Retro-futurism
Retro-futurism in SaaS design involves using old design elements with contemporary ones. You can mix bold shades, geometric patterns, and sleek lines to create amazing visuals and an interactive interface.
If you’d like to be unique and enhance user experience on your SaaS platform, the following tips will help you get the most out of this design trend:
- Get inspiration from classic tech, like muted color palettes from old computer screens, geometric shapes, and bold fonts.
- Use futuristic elements like neon accents or holographic effects with clean lines.
- Make sure your target audience will recognize the retro elements.
- Don’t overwhelm users with excessive retro elements and ensure your interface is clear and easy to navigate.
With these tips, you’ll be able to create a unique and memorable SaaS design unlike any other online.
6. 3D Elements
3D elements add realism to SaaS platforms, making them more engaging to the user, which improves their user experience. Check out some of the popular types of 3D elements that can breathe life into your SaaS platform:
- Icons and illustrations
- Product visualizations
- Charts and graphs
- Character animations
- Backgrounds and environments
7. Parallax Scrolling
Have you ever scrolled through a website that felt alive? That’s called Parallax scrolling. it’s a design trend where your platform’s background moves slower than the foreground to create a 3D effect when visitors scroll down the site.
If you want to keep your visitors’ eyes glued on a certain element, parallax scrolling lets you animate everything around it to maintain the focus.
Final Thoughts
You should implement these design trends to keep up with the changing user experiences of SaaS platforms. A strong UX design will help you navigate the challenges during your platform’s growth phase by easing onboarding, developing effective feedback loops and chat support, and creating a unified product vision.
Combining the aesthetics and functionality of these platforms using these and many other designs promises an exciting and engaging future for the SaaS industry.