7 Common SaaS UI Mistakes Non-Designers Make

Did you know that poor UI design can drive away potential customers before they even grasp what your SaaS product offers? A few simple tweaks can make all the difference in keeping users engaged and converting them into loyal customers.

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Introduction to Common SaaS UI Mistakes

The design of your marketing website and SaaS application plays a critical role in determining user acquisition, retention, and overall business growth. Yet many non-designers—especially early-stage founders—tackle interface layouts and visual hierarchies without formal training. This often results in cluttered pages, confusing navigation, or inconsistent styling that undermines trust. By understanding the seven most frequent design mistakes and how they impact real users, you can make targeted improvements that boost conversions and lower churn.

Learning from the Experts

Tracy Osborne, with over two decades of experience in both visual and user experience design, has reviewed hundreds of SaaS websites in her role as Program Director at TinySeed. Her insights reflect patterns she encounters repeatedly when non-designers attempt UI design without guidance. By learning from these expert observations, you can proactively address design mistakes that hamper usability and engagement, ensuring your SaaS product makes a polished, professional first impression.

Importance of Text Contrast in UI Design

One of the most frequent mistakes is using low-contrast text that looks sleek but sacrifices readability. Light gray body text on a white background may appear modern, yet it often fails accessibility standards—especially as your users age or view your site on bright daylight screens. To fix this, increase color contrast to at least WCAG AA level. Tools like WebAIM allow you to input your text and background colors to confirm compliance. A great example of balanced contrast is the Gather homepage, where dark gray body copy clearly stands out against a white canvas, making every paragraph easy to scan and digest.

Text Size and Readability Issues

Typography is at the heart of UI design, and many non-designers default to small font sizes out of habit or template constraints. Small text can look cramped and outdated, forcing users to lean in or zoom. Tracy recommends a base size of at least 14 pixels for body text, with headings and subheadings scaled proportionally. This choice not only improves legibility but also gives your interface a fresh, contemporary feel. Check out SavvyCal’s website to see how large, clear text creates an inviting reading experience, reinforcing the brand’s user-focused approach.

The Impact of Line Lengths on Readability

Excessively long line lengths, especially in headlines or hero sections, can overwhelm readers and disrupt the natural eye flow. When text spans the full width of large monitors, users struggle to track from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. The simple remedy is adding horizontal padding or bounding text containers to shorten the reading width to roughly 50–75 characters per line. This layout tweak, demonstrated by Userlist’s website, drastically improves scanning speed and reduces eye strain for your audience.

The Role of Whitespace in Design

Whitespace—sometimes called negative space—is the empty region around your UI components, images, and text blocks. Proper use of whitespace helps you prioritize elements, guide user attention, and reduce cognitive overload. By increasing margins between sections, headings, and calls to action, you create a cleaner, more modern interface. ScrapingBee offers an excellent case study: generous padding around their hero illustration and content sections fosters a sense of clarity and trust, encouraging users to scroll down without feeling bombarded.

Content Readability and Compelling Headlines

Even with a flawless UI, unengaging content can kill conversions. Non-designers often write generic headlines that describe features rather than benefits. High-impact headlines must connect emotionally or highlight a solution. For example, instead of “We are a data collection service,” frame it as “Unlock insightful data while ensuring secure collection.” Beyond headlines, break up lengthy paragraphs into two- to three-sentence chunks, strategically bold key phrases, and use bullet lists for feature sections. This approach keeps fast-scanning users engaged and increases the likelihood they’ll read through.

Final Tips on Maintaining Design Consistency

A polished landing page loses credibility if your SaaS application’s UI doesn’t match. Inconsistent fonts, color palettes, or spacing between your marketing site and your app can make users feel they’ve been redirected to an unrelated service. To preserve brand cohesion, establish a unified design language—consistent type scales, color codes, iconography, and component styles—that applies across both environments. This consistency reassures users, enhances trust, and supports seamless onboarding flows.

Testing and Iteration

Design improvements should be validated through user testing and data analysis. Implement A/B tests on critical UI elements—such as button colors, headline phrasing, or layout adjustments—to measure impact on key metrics like click-through rates, time on page, and sign-up conversions. Tools like Google Optimize or Optimizely can help you run experiments without heavy development overhead. Combine quantitative insights with qualitative feedback from surveys or session recordings to iterate quickly and refine your SaaS UI for maximum user satisfaction and business results.

Conclusion

Takeaway: Focus on enhancing text contrast, sizing, whitespace, and content clarity while maintaining consistent design patterns across your marketing site and application to improve user engagement and conversions.

By applying these strategies—grounded in proven UI design principles and expert insights—your SaaS product can captivate users from the very first interaction. What steps will you take today to refine your UI and delight your users? Let’s discuss your plan and share results!