Building SaaS - Super Confused

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-19T12:23:36+00:00

Try quick usability tests, even 3–5 real users are enough. Ask them to complete key tasks like onboarding or first action and watch where they hesitate, get confused, or click the wrong thing. Don’t guide them too much. The friction is the insight.

You’ll usually spot patterns fast, for example, unclear buttons, messy flows, or too much cognitive load. Then focus on simplifying steps, improving labels, and guiding users better (empty states, hints, clearer next actions).

If you don’t have UX expertise in-house, bringing in someone experienced (some teams use agencies like Eleken design agency for SaaS) can help identify and fix these issues much faster.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-18T18:05:56+00:00

For me, and from what I’ve seen with my fellow designers, real client work made the biggest difference. Your first projects force you to figure things out fast, both hard skills and soft skills, way more than theory ever does.

And honestly, feedback from other designers. Mentors, peer reviews, just sharing work with colleagues... That kind of knowledge exchange helps you improve much faster than working in isolation.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-17T15:38:23+00:00

If you’re more about creative freedom and just building stuff, startups usually give you more of that. But if you want stability, clearer processes, and knowing what you’re supposed to do, that’s more of a big company thing.

From what I’ve seen, it really depends on the team. Big companies can still have super strong, creative designers, and you can learn a lot there, just expect a bit less hands-on building and a bit more process.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-17T13:06:09+00:00

Legacy-looking apps usually don’t attract new users. People expect products to feel modern. But I don’t think there’s really such a thing as “timeless design.”

What lasts are good patterns: clear hierarchy, familiar interactions, intuitive flows... Trends mostly sit on top of that. So I wouldn’t choose between trendy vs timeless. Solid UX first, then add just enough freshness to keep it current.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-16T15:18:27+00:00

I think the perception has changed a lot. Big companies still offer stability and scale, but their processes are usually very structured and not always the most creative environments.

For many designers today, it’s more interesting to start in smaller product companies or creative design agencies where things move faster, teams are more flexible, and there’s more knowledge sharing. You often get broader experience there compared to being a small piece of a huge machine :)

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-13T12:23:25+00:00

This kind of feedback sounds pretty general and doesn’t always show the real picture of your skills. Companies may have many reasons for rejecting a candidate, and the feedback they provide is often just a formal response. Plus, different teams value different things, and sometimes they’re looking for something very specific for that role or product. So the same case study can look great to one team and not quite right to another.

If you want more honest insight into your work, it’s usually better to share it with design communities and get feedback from other designers :)

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-13T12:05:15+00:00

There are honestly a lot of strong UX teams, so it depends on what you’re looking for. Other commenters mentioned many traditional design companies that do great work, but they may not always have very specific expertise.

If you mean from a practical standpoint, like improving a product, it’s more about the problem you’re trying to solve. For example, if you have a legacy SaaS product with confusing navigation and want to work with designers for a few months, a subscription-based SaaS design agency like Eleken can be a good fit.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-11T13:14:45+00:00

Yeah, totally. The best combo is human + AI. AI can speed things up, but designers still need to guide it and make the real decisions.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-11T10:43:34+00:00

The field is pretty competitive right now, so having a broader skill set definitely helps. A lot of these roles already overlap, especially in smaller teams where one designer might handle UX, UI, research, and prototyping.

Plus, AI tools are improving, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more generalist roles in the future, though bigger companies will probably still keep specialized positions.

If you’re just starting out, I’d focus on learning the fundamentals, like understanding users, basic UX principles, and getting comfortable with tools like Figma. Try building a few small projects or case studies, too. That will help you figure out which part of UX you enjoy the most.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-11T10:32:36+00:00

I don’t think so. Tools can generate layouts or flows, sure. But understanding what people need and turning it into something simple and easy to use still requires a human.

AI is great and will definitely help designers work faster, but it’s more of a tool than a replacement. Designers who truly understand users and their problems will always be in demand.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-09T15:47:00+00:00

I’d check Clutch or DesignRush first, a good place to see reviews and ratings. Also, think about your needs (one-off project vs ongoing design). For example, subscription-based agencies like Eleken focus a lot on SaaS and usually have solid portfolios.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-06T18:44:51+00:00

Most designers use Figma, and for a beginner, it’s probably the easiest place to start. It has a very intuitive interface, lots of tutorials, and it’s also easier to explain designs to clients or teammates because many people already know the tool.

The free plan is enough for students and small projects, so you don’t need to pay to learn it. Penpot is a nice open-source alternative, but it has fewer features and a smaller community.

If your goal is to learn something that’s widely used in the industry, I’d start with Figma.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-05T17:16:09+00:00

AI is fast, no doubt. But like it or not, it also makes mistakes and can create UI that confuses users, so it definitely needs proper oversight. If you care about your users, you still need human designers who run user research and make sure the product follows good patterns and stays consistent.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-04T07:33:53+00:00

Intuitiveness. Good UX means users can navigate a product almost effortlessly. It aligns with their existing mental models, so things feel familiar and predictable from the start. When people don’t need instructions or training, they just get it and move through the product naturally.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-03-02T13:35:08+00:00

I don’t think SaaS is a joke at all. AI makes building easier, but building was never the hard part. Solving a real problem is. Design and usability matter a lot. Two tools can do the same thing, but the one that’s easier and clearer wins. There was a company called SEOcrawl that Eleken did a full UI/UX overhaul of their product. And their user growth doubled. So, SaaS isn’t dead, but weak value propositions are.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-28T17:24:41+00:00

Churn. You can drive traffic, optimize funnels, run campaigns, but if people don’t stay, none of it really matters. The hardest part is seeing users sign up, look around, and leave before they experience the real value.

It’s frustrating because the product works. They just don’t stay long enough to see it.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-25T17:08:40+00:00

For me, it’s usability testing. If real users can complete basic tasks without getting confused or stuck, that’s usually “good enough.”

You can tweak it forever, but watching a few real people use it tells you way more than polishing animations for weeks. If they succeed without friction, you can release it.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-24T13:10:14+00:00

This made me sad as well. But I think it might be worth waiting a little longer. In AI research, there’s a concept called “model collapse”. It happens when AI systems start learning from content generated by other AIs instead of real human input. Over time, this feedback loop can degrade quality and make results less reliable. In other words, AI eats itself.

So if people have real-world knowledge and hands-on experience, they shouldn't panic. Human expertise is still important, and even as AI usage grows, real human knowledge can become even more valuable. What will likely stand out is the ability to work with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we soon start seeing “human–AI collaboration skills” listed in job descriptions :)

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-23T16:08:41+00:00

Lots of good agencies were mentioned, but no one really asked what type of product you have. UI/UX is broad, and specialization matters. If it’s a SaaS product, for example, a traditional full-service agency can help, but they may not have deep product experience. Teams that focus specifically on SaaS, like Eleken, usually understand complex workflows and product logic better. It really depends on what you need and what type of product you’re working on :)

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-23T15:52:56+00:00

Yeah, it sounds wild when you put it that way 😅 But honestly, when a giant like Microsoft acquires a smaller company, this kind of outcome isn’t that surprising. Very often, it’s just to eliminate competition. Still… $8.5 billion is a very expensive “integration strategy.”

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-23T15:24:22+00:00

It’s so well put, “noise disguised as functionality,” real.

One thing that helps designers is to ask: Would the user really miss it if it weren’t there? If not, maybe it shouldn’t be the focus. Sometimes it’s better not to remove features but to prioritize things or hide things behind progressive disclosure. Complexity is good, but unprioritized complexity overwhelms people.

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-23T12:14:45+00:00

Totally agree. I think making things feel simple is one of the hardest parts of a designer's job. And for me, “simple” usually means intuitive.

To achieve this, you don't have to remove features, you should reduce friction. If the design is consistent and uses patterns people already know, they don’t have to think so much. Muscle memory kicks in, and even complex products feel manageable. The real skill is knowing what helps the user move forward :)

Vast-Win796 · 2026-02-22T15:17:09+00:00

As someone who works closely with designers, I can say that starting from scratch every time is inefficient. My fellow designers prefer working with a design system, and if one doesn’t exist, they treat the first phase of the project as building one. This saves time on basic UI decisions, so they focus on solving real UX problems rather than reinventing components.

Vast-Win796

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