You don’t need to be Apple or Google. Use these 4 principles to drive UI/UX success

We are in an age where providing premier experiences is the difference between retaining or losing customers. Businesses today are faced with a seeming paradox related to app and software UI/UX. On the one hand, people are picky. The instinct is to provide users of both B2B and B2C apps with lots of features to assuage their fickle nature and attempt to be all things to all people. 

On the other hand, customers often don’t know what they want. This bold assertion is something to consider when developing a new app. Steve Jobs said his approach was to figure out what customers want before they do. Luckily, you don’t need to be Apple or have a massive war chest and army of UI/UX experts to adopt this philosophy. 

When starting out, your grand vision for a fundamental UI/UX framework needn’t be complex. The mystery of figuring out what customers want before they do isn’t so mysterious after all because it mostly traces back to human nature. Think about what makes you want to keep using an app after the first time. Simplicity. It’s the concept that less is more.

Counterintuitively, the paragon of app UI/UX is no UI at all—an elegant experience that feels like magic and things operate invisibly in the background.

This isn’t to say that you never need to listen to users and get feedback. Once you’ve reached a certain number of active users, Net Promoter Scores, CSAT (Customer Satisfaction), and VoC (Voice of Customer) surveys are valuable tools to understand what users like or don’t like about your app and how you can improve it over time.

Once you’ve nailed the basics of your IU, improving the nitty-gritty details is iterative. It’s important to continuously learn from your users as they interact with your app to avoid customer churn. 

In my decades of experience in the SaaS industry and as a serial entrepreneur, I’ve seen how the macro approach of minimal UI from the start and the iterative approach to UI refinement over time can drive success.

None of this requires that you be Google or Apple or have the resources to conduct large in-person focus groups. Smaller teams with the right vision and ability for agility may have an advantage in today’s fast-moving world. 

Regardless of your size or resources, here are some recommendations for approaching UI/UX both pre- and post-launch.

Speak the language of your target audience

In the nascent stages of software or app development, it is natural to build your product to fit how you think users will use and understand it. But often, what founders and their supporting teams fail to consider is how their product fits into their potential customers’ existing technology ecosystem. This is especially true with B2B software. 

Client-centric companies are 60% more profitable than their product-centric competitors, according to Deloitte. But how do you collect customer feedback before you have, well, customers? Take advantage of the tools designed just for this. Consider investing in services like Userback, which for $59 per month allows your product team to collect high-context feedback, test new features, and validate what’s already working.

As you prepare for launch, use these early insights to shape your product to your early users’ needs. Those companies that invest in and leave space for product iteration, in the beginning, are well-positioned to be adaptable as they scale.

Emphasize customer feedback

Once you’ve reached a critical mass of active, repeat users who have latched onto your fundamental UI principles, the next right step is to start soliciting feedback on the core features and functionality. Apps like Uber, Classpass, and TikTok seek customer feedback with pop-up prompts that ask things like, “Would you recommend this to other users?” While pop-up prompts may not fit naturally into your interface, consider ways to garner organic feedback and have a plan to weave it into your product roadmap. 

In the early stages of product development, while surveys may not be viable or useful, it can be valuable to know exactly what features your beta and post-launch customers are engaging with and how often. In the case of my newest company, StreamAlive, we are setting our targets on how many “free users” are launching a live session using our platform. The “stickiest” areas of our site clue us into the next right action. It’s not a science, but a starting place. Feedback should fit naturally among your other features and interruptions to the user’s experience should be minimal. 

Enable natural cross-platform integration

A seamless user interface should extend beyond the walls of your app or platform. Once you understand the tech ecosystem that your customers live in and the tools they use regularly, you can refine your solution to fit naturally within it. 

Especially in the case of workflow tools, real UI success is achieved when your customers can use your tool and others in the same workflow. For example, apps like Slack and Notion integrate with tools like Google Docs, Canva, Dropbox, and Figma. Slack or Notion users can access their files, send attachments, and get feedback from their teams without ever leaving the app.

Familiarity is a strength when it comes to adoption. Customers know what they like and like what they know. To avoid getting drowned out in a noisy space, emphasize how your product adds value and prioritize updates that facilitate ease of use. 

Emphasize accessibility

Ask any tech founder why they were inspired to build their product and I believe many of them would tell you that they did so to make people’s lives easier. But part of that journey is designing interfaces that are built for as many people as possible by thoughtfully developing software features that accommodate cognitive, visual, hearing, and mobility needs.

As part of your ongoing customer feedback loop, seek to understand the groups within your community that are struggling to take advantage of your tool’s total functionality. That may mean creating an alternative interface with a minimal design to prevent cognitive overload. 

At StreamAlive, we were using five different fonts in different sizes in our app. It felt crowded, so we completely overhauled the look of the app by switching to a single font and it completely changed StreamAlive’s functionality. Again, tools like Userback can help you identify the areas where improvement is needed if you don’t have the resources to bring a full-time designer on board. 

Ultimately, designing to create the same experience for all users, not just an optimal experience for the average user, will ensure the longevity of your app and the loyalty of your customers. Use caution not to exclude potentially significant outliers from your customer feedback evaluation or you may risk isolating a valuable portion of your user base. 

Why pay attention to UX?

The lessons drawn from my personal experience and exemplified by key industry players reverberate a universal truth: The key to crafting seamless, frictionless experiences lies in a profound understanding of your audience.

Yet, the pursuit of frictionless perfection does not end with the launch but rather takes root in a perpetual cycle of feedback. The integration of customer insights, seamlessly woven into the fabric of your product, becomes the lifeblood of user-centric design.

In the age of cross-platform integration, the ability to harmonize with users’ familiar tech environments becomes a superpower. Embracing the known, understanding the value of accessibility, and designing for all users, regardless of their unique needs, becomes paramount.

As you venture into software creation, remember this: The distance between good and great software is not measured in lines of code, but in the depth of understanding you have for the people who use your creation.