SaaS Product Design: How a B2C App Got to 4% Churn

SaaS product design that removes friction first, then creates the user delight that drives word of mouth. Product and UX lessons from a B2C writing app with 4% churn and nearly $2M ARR. 📈 SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@MicroConf?sub_confirmation=1 🎟️ JOIN US AT THE NEXT MICROCONF: https://microconf.com/upcoming-events Jacob Wright built Dabble, novel-writing software used mostly by hobbyist writers, around two books: Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think” and Aaron Walter’s “Designing for Emotion.” In this talk from MicroConf Europe 2026, he walks through four product principles from those books. He shows how each one shaped real decisions in Dabble, from how manuscripts are structured to what users see while the app loads. AI can copy features, but it can’t feel a user’s pain or know what will delight them. 00:00 Intro 00:57 Why product still matters in the age of AI 01:33 Principle 1: Don’t make me think 02:50 Principle 2: Conventions are your friends 03:18 Designing for emotion: make me feel 04:23 Principle 3: Give it personality 05:09 Principle 4: Surprise and delight 05:53 Case study: building Dabble 09:38 Making users feel something 11:06 The one-line takeaway You’ll learn: → The reservoir of goodwill: why every confusing label and error message drains a user’s patience → UI conventions: why the profile menu and settings gear belong where users already expect them → Walter’s hierarchy of user needs: from functional to pleasurable, and why you can’t skip levels → Satisfaction vs. word of mouth: why a merely satisfactory product doesn’t get recommended → Personality in the interface: using loading screens, dialogs and error messages to connect with users → Product constraints that reduce confusion: replacing generic files and folders with chapters and scenes Jacob Wright is the founder and CEO of Dabble, which he has grown to nearly $2M ARR over nine years. This talk was recorded live at MicroConf Europe 2026: Reykjavík.