Calibrate Rapid

@FreelanceNathan what are some trends you see among companies that get great reports?

@eriktorenberg Hey Erik. Are you referring to general issues that are seen across the SaaS board?

@FreelanceNathan yep :) any insights for those running saas companies could be cool

@eriktorenberg I'll hopefully have a sample 24 report up on the site by tomorrow, but in the meantime.. If you separate it across the marketing page and the app then it might look something like this: Marketing (Landing page) + Imbalance in visual hierarchy + Navigational elements that lead away from the site + Low contrast on copy and background. It's cool, but it's not very user friendly + Font choices. Fonts must be clear and legible. Choosing whacky fonts makes your copy hard to read + Lack of clarity. Do people know what you're selling? + Low line-height and general lack of white space all make it harder to scan and read a website + Consistency. Use the same colours, fonts, icons and spacing across the board. People only notice consistency when it's not there + Alignment. Think newspapers. All the columns sit nicely together, they aid scanning and once again legibility/reading (also adds to consistency) + Separate out CTA's (Call to Action). Don't give them the same treatment as other buttons + Reduce unnecessary fields on signup forms + Add social proof. We want to trust you + Make sure we know who's behind the product. We like to deal with people + If you spread copy out over several pages (as opposed to a one-pager) don't presume that people will have read everything. Make sure everything is easy enough to understand regardless of whether they've navigated the rest of the site + Focus on benefits, not features :) and so on... App side: + Nearly everything from the above list also applies to the app itself + Initial walkthrough is one of the most important aspects of any SaaS. If it's confusing or doesn't do it's job, you *need* to change it. You *cannot* be the judge of this as you know the app too well. Do user testing to find a solution that works + Any user testing is better than no user testing + If you promise something, deliver. Don't tell a user than something will take them 2 minutes if it takes them 15. Reduce friction + The point about consistency should be carried through to the app itself + Rework all messaging until it is crystal clear. Again, you cannot be the judge of this. Get feedback through testing + Make sure there's an easy way for people to contact you, whether via support or a Help section. Feeling lost will lead to frustration + Let people cancel. People get very angry when they can't cancel at the push of a button + Don't presume your users will "get it". They probably won't. + If you use any kind of account progress bar, make sure people can finish filling out their details. A 99% complete status is *frustrating* + Give users visual feedback when an action is taking place. No one likes to be left guessing as to what's happening + If you use Drag and Drop elements, don't make people guess. Tell them + If users are continually lost or confused. Ask them why. Test, and remember that nothing beats simple. But simple isn't easy :) I'll update this to the 24 page report ASAP.

@eriktorenberg Hey Erik. I've uploaded the sample report to my site. Check it out. http://nathanpowell.me/