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!
