39 must-fix issues I often find in products and landing pages
These are the most common mistakes I find when reviewing product. I am offering this list for free, because I believe you can make a big part of your pre-revenue design decisions yourself. You got this!
Messaging & First Impressions
Talk About Benefits, Not Yourself
Stop boasting about being the "leader" or "best." Customers care about results. Clearly state the tangible benefits you provide, like "Reduce invoice processing from 5 hours to 15 minutes."
Clear and Simple Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
Too many CTAs confuse users. Use one clear action per page, such as "Start Your Free Trial" or "Book a Demo."
Pricing Transparency
Avoid hiding prices behind a "Contact Sales" form. Transparent pricing reduces friction and builds trust.
Immediate Social Proof
Include logos, customer numbers, or testimonials right on the homepage. Show potential buyers they're in good company.
Skip the Mandatory Sales Demo
Don’t force prospects into a sales call right away. Offer a self-serve trial or sandbox environment to let users experience your value first-hand.
Don’t Copy Messaging from Established Brands
Companies like Notion or Slack have established authority and can afford to be minimalistic. Newer brands must clearly articulate benefits and build trust explicitly.
User Onboarding & Activation
Simplify Your Onboarding Process
Avoid lengthy videos or exhaustive forms. Ask one essential question and immediately guide users toward their first value.
Instant Access Without Credit Card
Require credit card details later. First, let users experience your product risk-free to increase activation rates.
Guided First-Time User Experience
New users should never feel lost. Use step-by-step walkthroughs or tooltips to quickly highlight key features.
Product Usability & UX
Stop Guessing – Use Analytics
Implement tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude to track feature usage and user behavior. Make data-informed decisions instead of guessing.
Keep Your UI Consistent and Simple
Using a well-established design system (like Shadcn) saves time and ensures consistency, helping your users navigate easily. Make sure you use Tailwind for consistency in your project.
Mobile Version for Pitching
If possibile, make sure your product looks good and functions smoothly on mobile. Decision-makers often review tools on their phones. When you are at a pitching event or a meetup, having a small version of your product, makes people remember you. If you can't make it mobile, have a horizontal video ready with no sound, so that you can show the functionality.
Error Management & Feedback
Clear, Helpful Error Messages
Generic error pages frustrate people. Clearly explain what went wrong and offer immediate solutions. If a process failed, offer a button to restart it right away.
Effective Feedback Loops
Implement an easy way for users to suggest improvements. Regularly acknowledge and act on their feedback to demonstrate responsiveness.
Call Past Clients
When a client leaves, don't try to make them stay at all costs. Show them you care. If you can, call them. Ask what made them leave, what were the best and worst parts of the product. This is one of the most valuable information points for you!
Performance & Technical Excellence
Autosave Features
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Fast Loading Times
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Streamlined JavaScript
Reduce bundle sizes by lazy-loading components and using efficient coding practices to enhance performance.
Design Clarity & Simplicity
Grayscale UI with Accent Colors
Use colors to guide attention rather than overwhelm. A minimal color palette highlights important elements clearly.
Collapsible Panels
Allow users to hide secondary menus or settings, reducing visual clutter and improving usability.
Tabs for Better Organization
Group features logically using tabs, making your interface easier to navigate.
Customizable Workspaces
Empower users to personalize their interface by pinning, hiding, or rearranging elements, increasing comfort and efficiency.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Design in Realistic Contexts
Mock up designs within browser windows. Seeing your product alongside common apps helps spot visual clutter.
Feature & Roadmap Management
Feature Quality Over Quantity
Regularly assess features for actual use. Remove or hide rarely-used features to reduce complexity.
Strategically Aligned Roadmap
Align your roadmap clearly with your business goals and user needs. Avoid chasing every customer request.
Reducing UI Complexity
Avoid UI Overload
After many new features, your product can feel heavy. Instead of removing functionality, reduce visual noise and organize better.
Show Only What's Necessary
Use toggles, collapsible sections, and selective visibility to ensure users see only what matters right now.
Keep Focus Clear and Sharp
Simplify your UI elements and interactions so users can focus on their tasks without unnecessary distractions.
Offer Customization for Control
Allow users to adapt the UI to their workflow. If they don't want to use a section of your dashboard, just let them hide it. Note: this is a high-level fix. Do not focus on this till you have a solid base of functions and you have users that use your product frequently.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Center What's Important
Maintain a strong central focus on primary tasks and actions to reduce cognitive load and improve clarity.
39 must-fix issues I often find in products and landing pages
These are the most common mistakes I find when reviewing product. I am offering this list for free, because I believe you can make a big part of your pre-revenue design decisions yourself. You got this!
Messaging & First Impressions
Talk About Benefits, Not Yourself
Stop boasting about being the "leader" or "best." Customers care about results. Clearly state the tangible benefits you provide, like "Reduce invoice processing from 5 hours to 15 minutes."
Clear and Simple Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
Too many CTAs confuse users. Use one clear action per page, such as "Start Your Free Trial" or "Book a Demo."
Pricing Transparency
Avoid hiding prices behind a "Contact Sales" form. Transparent pricing reduces friction and builds trust.
Immediate Social Proof
Include logos, customer numbers, or testimonials right on the homepage. Show potential buyers they're in good company.
Skip the Mandatory Sales Demo
Don’t force prospects into a sales call right away. Offer a self-serve trial or sandbox environment to let users experience your value first-hand.
Don’t Copy Messaging from Established Brands
Companies like Notion or Slack have established authority and can afford to be minimalistic. Newer brands must clearly articulate benefits and build trust explicitly.
User Onboarding & Activation
Simplify Your Onboarding Process
Avoid lengthy videos or exhaustive forms. Ask one essential question and immediately guide users toward their first value.
Instant Access Without Credit Card
Require credit card details later. First, let users experience your product risk-free to increase activation rates.
Guided First-Time User Experience
New users should never feel lost. Use step-by-step walkthroughs or tooltips to quickly highlight key features.
Product Usability & UX
Stop Guessing – Use Analytics
Implement tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude to track feature usage and user behavior. Make data-informed decisions instead of guessing.
Keep Your UI Consistent and Simple
Using a well-established design system (like Shadcn) saves time and ensures consistency, helping your users navigate easily. Make sure you use Tailwind for consistency in your project.
Mobile Version for Pitching
If possibile, make sure your product looks good and functions smoothly on mobile. Decision-makers often review tools on their phones. When you are at a pitching event or a meetup, having a small version of your product, makes people remember you. If you can't make it mobile, have a horizontal video ready with no sound, so that you can show the functionality.
Error Management & Feedback
Clear, Helpful Error Messages
Generic error pages frustrate people. Clearly explain what went wrong and offer immediate solutions. If a process failed, offer a button to restart it right away.
Effective Feedback Loops
Implement an easy way for users to suggest improvements. Regularly acknowledge and act on their feedback to demonstrate responsiveness.
Call Past Clients
When a client leaves, don't try to make them stay at all costs. Show them you care. If you can, call them. Ask what made them leave, what were the best and worst parts of the product. This is one of the most valuable information points for you!
Performance & Technical Excellence
Autosave Features
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Fast Loading Times
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Streamlined JavaScript
Reduce bundle sizes by lazy-loading components and using efficient coding practices to enhance performance.
Design Clarity & Simplicity
Grayscale UI with Accent Colors
Use colors to guide attention rather than overwhelm. A minimal color palette highlights important elements clearly.
Collapsible Panels
Allow users to hide secondary menus or settings, reducing visual clutter and improving usability.
Tabs for Better Organization
Group features logically using tabs, making your interface easier to navigate.
Customizable Workspaces
Empower users to personalize their interface by pinning, hiding, or rearranging elements, increasing comfort and efficiency.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Design in Realistic Contexts
Mock up designs within browser windows. Seeing your product alongside common apps helps spot visual clutter.
Feature & Roadmap Management
Feature Quality Over Quantity
Regularly assess features for actual use. Remove or hide rarely-used features to reduce complexity.
Strategically Aligned Roadmap
Align your roadmap clearly with your business goals and user needs. Avoid chasing every customer request.
Reducing UI Complexity
Avoid UI Overload
After many new features, your product can feel heavy. Instead of removing functionality, reduce visual noise and organize better.
Show Only What's Necessary
Use toggles, collapsible sections, and selective visibility to ensure users see only what matters right now.
Keep Focus Clear and Sharp
Simplify your UI elements and interactions so users can focus on their tasks without unnecessary distractions.
Offer Customization for Control
Allow users to adapt the UI to their workflow. If they don't want to use a section of your dashboard, just let them hide it. Note: this is a high-level fix. Do not focus on this till you have a solid base of functions and you have users that use your product frequently.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Center What's Important
Maintain a strong central focus on primary tasks and actions to reduce cognitive load and improve clarity.
39 must-fix issues I often find in products and landing pages
These are the most common mistakes I find when reviewing product. I am offering this list for free, because I believe you can make a big part of your pre-revenue design decisions yourself. You got this!
Messaging & First Impressions
Talk About Benefits, Not Yourself
Stop boasting about being the "leader" or "best." Customers care about results. Clearly state the tangible benefits you provide, like "Reduce invoice processing from 5 hours to 15 minutes."
Clear and Simple Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
Too many CTAs confuse users. Use one clear action per page, such as "Start Your Free Trial" or "Book a Demo."
Pricing Transparency
Avoid hiding prices behind a "Contact Sales" form. Transparent pricing reduces friction and builds trust.
Immediate Social Proof
Include logos, customer numbers, or testimonials right on the homepage. Show potential buyers they're in good company.
Skip the Mandatory Sales Demo
Don’t force prospects into a sales call right away. Offer a self-serve trial or sandbox environment to let users experience your value first-hand.
Don’t Copy Messaging from Established Brands
Companies like Notion or Slack have established authority and can afford to be minimalistic. Newer brands must clearly articulate benefits and build trust explicitly.
User Onboarding & Activation
Simplify Your Onboarding Process
Avoid lengthy videos or exhaustive forms. Ask one essential question and immediately guide users toward their first value.
Instant Access Without Credit Card
Require credit card details later. First, let users experience your product risk-free to increase activation rates.
Guided First-Time User Experience
New users should never feel lost. Use step-by-step walkthroughs or tooltips to quickly highlight key features.
Product Usability & UX
Stop Guessing – Use Analytics
Implement tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude to track feature usage and user behavior. Make data-informed decisions instead of guessing.
Keep Your UI Consistent and Simple
Using a well-established design system (like Shadcn) saves time and ensures consistency, helping your users navigate easily. Make sure you use Tailwind for consistency in your project.
Mobile Version for Pitching
If possibile, make sure your product looks good and functions smoothly on mobile. Decision-makers often review tools on their phones. When you are at a pitching event or a meetup, having a small version of your product, makes people remember you. If you can't make it mobile, have a horizontal video ready with no sound, so that you can show the functionality.
Error Management & Feedback
Clear, Helpful Error Messages
Generic error pages frustrate people. Clearly explain what went wrong and offer immediate solutions. If a process failed, offer a button to restart it right away.
Effective Feedback Loops
Implement an easy way for users to suggest improvements. Regularly acknowledge and act on their feedback to demonstrate responsiveness.
Call Past Clients
When a client leaves, don't try to make them stay at all costs. Show them you care. If you can, call them. Ask what made them leave, what were the best and worst parts of the product. This is one of the most valuable information points for you!
Performance & Technical Excellence
Autosave Features
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Fast Loading Times
Automatically save user inputs to prevent frustration and churn from lost work.
Streamlined JavaScript
Reduce bundle sizes by lazy-loading components and using efficient coding practices to enhance performance.
Design Clarity & Simplicity
Grayscale UI with Accent Colors
Use colors to guide attention rather than overwhelm. A minimal color palette highlights important elements clearly.
Collapsible Panels
Allow users to hide secondary menus or settings, reducing visual clutter and improving usability.
Tabs for Better Organization
Group features logically using tabs, making your interface easier to navigate.
Customizable Workspaces
Empower users to personalize their interface by pinning, hiding, or rearranging elements, increasing comfort and efficiency.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Design in Realistic Contexts
Mock up designs within browser windows. Seeing your product alongside common apps helps spot visual clutter.
Feature & Roadmap Management
Feature Quality Over Quantity
Regularly assess features for actual use. Remove or hide rarely-used features to reduce complexity.
Strategically Aligned Roadmap
Align your roadmap clearly with your business goals and user needs. Avoid chasing every customer request.
Reducing UI Complexity
Avoid UI Overload
After many new features, your product can feel heavy. Instead of removing functionality, reduce visual noise and organize better.
Show Only What's Necessary
Use toggles, collapsible sections, and selective visibility to ensure users see only what matters right now.
Keep Focus Clear and Sharp
Simplify your UI elements and interactions so users can focus on their tasks without unnecessary distractions.
Offer Customization for Control
Allow users to adapt the UI to their workflow. If they don't want to use a section of your dashboard, just let them hide it. Note: this is a high-level fix. Do not focus on this till you have a solid base of functions and you have users that use your product frequently.
Centralized Content
Position the most critical data and actions in the center, where users naturally focus their attention.
Progressive Disclosure
Reveal additional complexity only as needed, helping new users avoid overwhelm while allowing power users easy access.
Center What's Important
Maintain a strong central focus on primary tasks and actions to reduce cognitive load and improve clarity.
Stop losing clients today
Let's connect and fix your product together
Our first meeting will be a free one-hour consultation to talk about your product!
Stop losing clients today
Let's connect and fix your product together
Our first meeting will be a free one-hour consultation to talk about your product!
Stop losing clients today
Let's connect and fix your product together
Our first meeting will be a free one-hour consultation to talk about your product!