How Animated Demo Videos Can Boost SaaS Product Adoption
A lot of SaaS Products fail to succeed due to one major problem. Users do not quickly grasp the purpose of the application or service. A SaaS Product can have all the features you want it to have. The engineering behind it can be good too. But if a user cannot figure out what the service will do for him in the first few minutes of using it, he will drop off.
I have observed this same issue with many different software applications I have used over the years. While the issue seems to always be related to the product itself; the reality is most times it is the way the product has been explained to the user. When an animated demo video is created with an intention to explain a product, it fills the gap between the product and the potential user.
In this article, we will discuss how animated demo videos aid SaaS products in getting adopted by users faster than ever before. And we will discuss why animated demo videos should be considered a form of product communication rather than just another marketing gimmick.
SaaS Products Often Struggle to Explain Themselves Clearly.
The majority of SaaS products have some form of workflow or rules-based design and are constantly evolving with new logic layers as the product evolves. New features are often developed based upon customer requests which creates multiple paths through the application to prevent existing functionality from being disrupted. Documentation, walk-throughs, tool-tips etc., build up over time as an attempt to support the growing complexity of the application by “covering” all possible use cases; however, none of these elements truly simplify the user’s experience.
New users are presented with a combination of all the various elements of the application (menus, icons, panels, hints) simultaneously. Although documentation, tool tips, labels, helper texts, widgets, etc., were all implemented for valid reasons, there is no simple way to tell a story about how to accomplish a specific task within the application. The development team views a familiar system while the user views “noise”.
This is best illustrated when I evaluate on-boarding processes. Rather than demonstrating how to accomplish a specific task or goal, the application provides information regarding each feature’s purpose, and then asks the user to read, recall, and speculate about what happens next. Most users do not progress beyond this initial stage. Although the application has the capability to provide value to the user, it does not explain enough to enable the user to easily understand its capabilities. This is where animated demo videos can begin to bridge this gap.
Product Adoption Breaks Down Before Users Even Get Started
The majority of “drop-offs” do not occur while a person is deeply immersed in an application. They occur within the first few minutes after opening it for the first time.
New users enter an application with some notion of how the experience will be, begin to take their first steps into using the application, encounter friction and then get to see if there is any value to continuing.
Most SaaS applications share similar friction points:
• First few interactions during on-boarding
• Frustration during the process of configuring or setting up
• Frustration during the first few feature interactions
When those first few experiences seem ambiguous, people become hesitant. The moment the user has no clear sense of what they should do next, they will either make a decision based on assumptions or simply give up.
It is not about lack of attention; it is about fear of the unknown. Most users find the use of text only to exacerbate this problem, as they still need to envision what the final result will look like.
Animated Demo Videos Communicate Software Value Better Than Static Screens
While screenshots can be used to show what a product looks like, they fail to capture how a product works. As such, most SaaS products are only understandable once users observe the actions they take (i.e. applying a filter, triggering a workflow, etc.) as well as how the application reacts as a result of those actions (e.g. report changes after clicking on an item). Static images stop the user’s understanding of the experience midway.
Demo videos (especially animated type) are particularly valuable for complex, multi-step processes. Dashboard interfaces, automation builders, and integration screens are typically visually overwhelming when shown as a single screenshot. Animated demos provide the opportunity to show each process step-by-step, and draw the viewer’s attention to the area of importance while hiding unnecessary parts of the screen until later.
From a UX perspective this is the true value of animated demos. Animated demos convert the visual complexity of a busy screen into a series of steps. Rather than requiring the user to think about the individual components of the product and assemble the product in their minds, the animated demo walks the user through the product’s value, just as the product will operate as the user uses it.
Well-Directed Animated Video Simplifies Complex SaaS Workflows
It’s not the complexity of the workflows, it is how we present all of the workflow complexity to the user. Most SaaS applications put their users in front of a busy screen that has many different paths, conditions, and options. While the reasoning for presenting the workflow builder in this manner may make sense, it is confusing for users to understand the correct sequence of actions to take.
An excellent animated demonstration reduces the complexity by creating a direct path to the user’s goal. Rather than showing the complete workflow builder at high magnification, an animated demo presents a single objective, a single path, and a single result. Additional features can follow later.
The typical organization of a clear structural flow is as follows:
• Intent is shown in step 1
• Action is presented in step 2
• Result is presented in step 3
This straightforward structure accomplishes much. It informs users of the purpose of the application, what action they need to perform, and what will occur after performing that action. Additionally, visual focus also adheres to the same sequence as the steps outlined above. The camera movement, highlights, and animations assist users in visually navigating the demo without requiring them to visually search the entire demo environment.
Videos Strengthen SaaS Marketing Without Overpromising
Many SaaS demo videos attempt to remedy poor messaging by including polish. These demos are typically fast-paced, include large claims, and include perfectly constructed use case demonstrations. This produces an impressive-looking demo, but as soon as a user signs up for the service, and begins to navigate the slower, more disorganized version of the service; user confidence and trust rapidly diminishes.
The objective of an animated demo is not to create a perception of the product being larger than it truly is. The purpose is to develop a sense of understanding and reliability for what the product currently accomplishes.
This process begins by showcasing true flows. Display the actual pathways users will experience using the product (not a “studio-built” version). Next display realistic results. Instead of displaying the report appearing instantly (or appearing without needing the correct data), provide a subtle indication that this may take longer (and/or requires some data to exist).
Finally, demonstrate limitations when those limitations matter. If your application performs well for specific types of input (but poorly for others), clearly indicate the areas of performance excellence.
As long as marketing adheres to these boundaries, animated demos can be considered part of the overall User Experience (UX), not simply the advertising layer. Users begin to expect the on-screen demonstration to align with their actual experiences. Alignment of this nature is uneventful in a positive way. As a result, there are fewer surprises, fewer cancellations/refunds, and more users remain with the service based upon the behaviors depicted in the demo video.
Animated Video Fits Naturally with SaaS Interfaces and Logic
In this sense most SaaS (Software as a Service) products have a very simple animation “pattern”: State, Action, Feedback. The User clicks, the System responds, and the User Interface shows what has been updated. This “animation” is already present within many of these SaaS Products, simply because they create a “Flow” for the User to follow.
Therefore Animated Demos of Software SaaS Products seem Native to them. They don’t add a new Language to the User Experience, rather, they call out and draw attention to the Language already being used by the Product.
For example Workflow Tools allow the User to Add Steps, Set Conditions, and then Watch Data Move Through the Stages of the Workflow. An Animated Demo of such a Product allows the User to see the Data Movement directly, rather than having to imagine it.
A similar situation exists with Analytics Platforms and Dashboards. Values Update, Filters Change the View, and New Segments Appear. An Animated Demo allows the User to Zoom in on the Important Changes, Pause at Important Points, and clearly illustrate the Relationship between Inputs and Outputs.
Both Automation Software and Collaboration Systems also Benefit from Animated Demos in Similar Ways. Triggers, Notifications, and Hand-offs are all About Timing. Animation is Also About Timing. Therefore, when you Use that to Your Advantage, the Demo will Look Less Like a Marketing Piece, and More Like a Clear Preview of How the Product Behaves in Real Use.
Final Words
SaaS products succeed or fail based upon how clearly they communicate with users. Users have many demands for time, therefore when they leave a SaaS application because it is unclear; the fault lies not with the user’s lack of patience but with the product.
Demo video animations are one of the few tools that can be used by UX teams, onboarding teams, and marketers without being perceived as “out of place” within these teams’ areas of responsibility.
These videos speak the same language as the UI/UX of an application – state, action and outcome. Therefore, if done correctly, demo video animations will not be perceived as advertising campaigns but as part of the overall experience of the application.
Therefore, if you consider demo video animations in this manner, your objectives change. Your objective should now be to provide end-users with a clear, direct path to understand the application rather than trying to make the application appear to be impressive. And for that animated demo videos can help a lot!