Pre-launch testing checklist for SaaS founders

You have tested your product a hundred times. That is the problem. You know where every button is, so you can't see what a new user sees. This checklist walks through a product in the order a stranger meets it.

1. The first 10 seconds on your homepage

• Can someone say what your product does after reading only the headline?
• Is it clear who it is for?
• Is there one obvious next step?

If a tester has to scroll to understand what you sell, rewrite the headline before anything else.

2. Signup

• Count the fields. Remove every one you don't need on day one.
• Test the confirmation email on a phone. Links that open blank pages on mobile are common.
• Try signing up with an email that already exists. The error should say what to do next.

3. The first screen after signup

This is where most new users leave. Check:

• Is there an example, a template or sample data, or is it an empty page?
• Is the first action obvious?
• Can someone reach the core result in under five minutes?

4. Pricing page

• Are the limits of the free plan written down?
• Can someone tell which plan they need without asking you?
• Do the numbers on the pricing page match what the app enforces?

5. Bugs that block money

Test these on a slow connection and a small screen:

• upgrading, downgrading and cancelling
• the checkout page
• password reset

6. Copy and trust

• Replace internal words (workspace, entity, pipeline) with the words your users use.
• Add a way to contact you. A real email address builds more trust than a form.

Get people who are not you to run it

Give this list to three people who have never seen your product. Ask each of them for the three things you should fix first. When the same problem shows up twice, fix it before launch.

On TestedAndOK you can add these steps as a checklist on your project. Other founders then follow them and send you a structured report.