Checklists, Templates & Guides That Make Your SaaS Better - Free, No Strings Attached

We distilled lessons from 40+ SaaS projects into practical resources your team can use right now: UX audit checklists, onboarding playbooks, UI review guides, SEO frameworks, accessibility references, and handoff worksheets.

Most resources are intentionally ungated because we would rather you use them than hide them behind a form. A few heavier guides can be treated as email resources because they are longer, updated, and closer to working playbooks.

21 resource ideas from your markdown Checklists, guides, templates, worksheets Built for SaaS teams

Browse by Format

This is the quick-access resource library. Use the format tabs to filter the full set of downloadable checklists, guides, templates, playbooks, and worksheets pulled from your markdown content.

Checklist

The SaaS UX Audit Checklist - 100 Points to Check Today

The same 100-point UX audit checklist our team uses when reviewing SaaS products across onboarding, navigation, dashboards, forms, accessibility, mobile responsiveness, and performance.

Checklist (PDF, 12 pages) Free - no email required
Download UX Audit Checklist
Playbook

SaaS Onboarding UX Playbook - The First 60 Seconds That Matter Most

A longer playbook for designing onboarding that activates users instead of only welcoming them. It covers first-time psychology, aha moments, progressive onboarding, empty states, anti-patterns, and measurement.

Guide (PDF, 28 pages) Email required
Download Onboarding Playbook
Worksheet

UX Heuristic Evaluation Template - Nielsen's 10 Heuristics Applied to SaaS

A ready-to-use spreadsheet for heuristic evaluation with Nielsen's heuristics, severity levels, a findings log, and a priority matrix built in.

Worksheet (Google Sheets / Excel) Free
Download Heuristic Template
Template

User Journey Mapping Template - From First Touch to Renewal

A visual template for mapping discovery, signup, onboarding, support, renewal, and referral moments with emotion tracking and friction spotting.

Template (Figma / Miro) Free
Download Journey Map Template
Guide

SaaS Dashboard Design Guidelines - Turning Data Dumps Into Decision Tools

A practical dashboard design guide covering information hierarchy, chart selection, filters, drill-downs, power-user disclosure, and data-state design.

Guide (PDF, 18 pages) Email required
Download Dashboard Guidelines
Checklist

The UI Design Checklist - 80 Points for Pixel-Perfect Screens

A UI review checklist for typography, color systems, spacing, consistency, responsiveness, states, accessibility, and handoff readiness.

Checklist (PDF, 10 pages) Free
Download UI Design Checklist
Template

Design System Starter Kit - Token Architecture + Component Foundation

A starter Figma system with token architecture, core components, naming conventions, and auto-layout structure so teams can build on a real foundation instead of a loose UI kit.

Template (Figma file) Free
Download Design System Kit
Template

SaaS Color System Generator - Build an Accessible Palette in Minutes

A tool concept that takes one primary brand color and expands it into a SaaS-ready, WCAG-aware system including semantic colors and export options.

Interactive Tool (Web) Free
Launch Color System Generator
Checklist

The SaaS SEO Checklist - 60 Points From Technical to Content

A foundational SEO checklist that covers technical SEO, on-page optimization, content strategy, and link quality for SaaS teams.

Checklist (PDF, 8 pages) Free
Download SEO Checklist
Checklist

Landing Page Conversion Checklist - 40 Elements That Drive Clicks

A conversion checklist for headline clarity, value proposition, social proof, CTA design, form optimization, trust signals, mobile experience, and speed.

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free
Download Landing Page Checklist
Template

Content Marketing Calendar Template - 90-Day Editorial Plan for SaaS

A structured editorial calendar with topic clusters, keywords, search intent, funnel stage, publish dates, owners, and performance columns.

Template (Google Sheets) Free
Download Content Calendar
Guide

SaaS Meta Tags Cheat Sheet - Title Tags, Meta Descriptions & Schema for Every Page Type

A reference for writing page titles, meta descriptions, and schema recommendations across homepages, services, industries, blogs, case studies, pricing, and contact pages.

Guide (PDF, 6 pages) Free
Download Meta Tags Cheat Sheet
Worksheet

SaaS Feature Prioritization Framework - RICE Scoring Worksheet

A formula-based worksheet for prioritizing features using reach, impact, confidence, and effort so roadmap discussions are less subjective.

Worksheet (Google Sheets) Free
Download RICE Framework
Template

Competitive UX Analysis Template - How to Audit Your Competitors' Design

A structured way to compare 3 to 5 competitors across onboarding, navigation, dashboard design, mobile UX, pricing, discoverability, and error handling.

Template (Notion / Google Docs) Free
Download Competitive Analysis Template
Guide

SaaS Pricing Page Design Guide - The Page That Makes or Loses You Money

A pricing page guide covering tier architecture, comparison tables, anchor pricing, highlighted plans, trial psychology, enterprise CTAs, FAQ placement, and trust signals.

Guide (PDF, 14 pages) Email required
Download Pricing Page Guide
Checklist

Web Accessibility Checklist - WCAG 2.1 AA for SaaS Products

A checklist organized by the WCAG principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, with practical testing guidance for designers and developers.

Checklist (PDF, 10 pages) Free
Download Accessibility Checklist
Template

Color Contrast Checker & Remediation Guide

A quick reference for checking and fixing contrast issues, including WCAG ratios, tools, common failures, and a contrast-safe starter palette.

Guide (PDF, 4 pages) + Tool Free
Download Contrast Guide
Checklist

Design-to-Dev Handoff Checklist - Everything Developers Need From Designers

A pre-handoff checklist for states, breakpoints, spacing, animations, color tokens, typography, exports, and accessibility annotations.

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free
Download Handoff Checklist
Checklist

Frontend Code Quality Checklist - Ensuring the Build Matches the Design

A design QA checklist for verifying pixel accuracy, responsiveness, font rendering, spacing, interaction fidelity, accessibility, performance, and browser coverage.

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free
Download Code Quality Checklist
Playbook

The AI SaaS UX Playbook - Designing for Trust, Transparency & Adoption

A deep playbook for AI product UX covering explainability, confidence indicators, AI error handling, human review flows, progressive disclosure, and adoption metrics.

Guide (PDF, 32 pages) Email required
Download AI UX Playbook
Template

SaaS Metrics Dashboard Template - Track the Numbers That Matter

A metrics dashboard template covering MRR, ARR, churn, activation, trial-to-paid, NPS, CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC, and retention benchmarks.

Template (Google Sheets + Looker Studio) Free
Download Metrics Dashboard

UX Design Resources

The SaaS UX Audit Checklist - 100 Points to Check Today

Checklist (PDF, 12 pages) Free - no email required

The same 100-point UX audit checklist our team uses when reviewing SaaS products across onboarding, navigation, dashboards, forms, accessibility, mobile responsiveness, and performance.

  • What to look for
  • How to evaluate it
  • Why it matters
  • Priority level guidance

Target keywords: SaaS UX audit checklist | UX audit template | usability checklist for SaaS

Download UX Audit Checklist

SaaS Onboarding UX Playbook - The First 60 Seconds That Matter Most

Guide (PDF, 28 pages) Email required

A longer playbook for designing onboarding that activates users instead of only welcoming them. It covers first-time psychology, aha moments, progressive onboarding, empty states, anti-patterns, and measurement.

  • 12 onboarding patterns
  • 8 anti-patterns
  • Before and after case studies
  • Activation tracking framework
  • Onboarding audit worksheet

Target keywords: SaaS onboarding best practices | user onboarding playbook | activation rate optimization

Download Onboarding Playbook

UX Heuristic Evaluation Template - Nielsen's 10 Heuristics Applied to SaaS

Worksheet (Google Sheets / Excel) Free

A ready-to-use spreadsheet for heuristic evaluation with Nielsen's heuristics, severity levels, a findings log, and a priority matrix built in.

Target keywords: heuristic evaluation template | Nielsen heuristics checklist | UX evaluation template

Download Heuristic Template

User Journey Mapping Template - From First Touch to Renewal

Template (Figma / Miro) Free

A visual template for mapping discovery, signup, onboarding, support, renewal, and referral moments with emotion tracking and friction spotting.

Target keywords: user journey map template | customer journey mapping SaaS | UX journey template

Download Journey Map Template

SaaS Dashboard Design Guidelines - Turning Data Dumps Into Decision Tools

Guide (PDF, 18 pages) Email required

A practical dashboard design guide covering information hierarchy, chart selection, filters, drill-downs, power-user disclosure, and data-state design.

  • Dashboard layout framework
  • Chart-type selection guide
  • 10 dashboard anti-patterns
  • Before and after examples
  • Accessibility guidance for data views

Target keywords: SaaS dashboard design guide | dashboard UX best practices | data dashboard layout

Download Dashboard Guidelines

UI Design Resources

The UI Design Checklist - 80 Points for Pixel-Perfect Screens

Checklist (PDF, 10 pages) Free

A UI review checklist for typography, color systems, spacing, consistency, responsiveness, states, accessibility, and handoff readiness.

Target keywords: UI design checklist | UI review checklist | design QA checklist

Download UI Design Checklist

Design System Starter Kit - Token Architecture + Component Foundation

Template (Figma file) Free

A starter Figma system with token architecture, core components, naming conventions, and auto-layout structure so teams can build on a real foundation instead of a loose UI kit.

Target keywords: design system template Figma | design token starter | UI component library template

Download Design System Kit

SaaS Color System Generator - Build an Accessible Palette in Minutes

Interactive Tool (Web) Free

A tool concept that takes one primary brand color and expands it into a SaaS-ready, WCAG-aware system including semantic colors and export options.

Target keywords: SaaS color palette generator | accessible color system | UI color scheme tool

Launch Color System Generator

SEO & Marketing Resources

The SaaS SEO Checklist - 60 Points From Technical to Content

Checklist (PDF, 8 pages) Free

A foundational SEO checklist that covers technical SEO, on-page optimization, content strategy, and link quality for SaaS teams.

Target keywords: SaaS SEO checklist | technical SEO checklist | SEO audit checklist

Download SEO Checklist

Landing Page Conversion Checklist - 40 Elements That Drive Clicks

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free

A conversion checklist for headline clarity, value proposition, social proof, CTA design, form optimization, trust signals, mobile experience, and speed.

Target keywords: landing page checklist | CRO checklist | conversion rate optimization checklist

Download Landing Page Checklist

Content Marketing Calendar Template - 90-Day Editorial Plan for SaaS

Template (Google Sheets) Free

A structured editorial calendar with topic clusters, keywords, search intent, funnel stage, publish dates, owners, and performance columns.

Target keywords: content marketing calendar template | SaaS content plan | editorial calendar template

Download Content Calendar

SaaS Meta Tags Cheat Sheet - Title Tags, Meta Descriptions & Schema for Every Page Type

Guide (PDF, 6 pages) Free

A reference for writing page titles, meta descriptions, and schema recommendations across homepages, services, industries, blogs, case studies, pricing, and contact pages.

Target keywords: meta title formula | SEO meta description template | SaaS page title optimization

Download Meta Tags Cheat Sheet

Product & Strategy Resources

SaaS Feature Prioritization Framework - RICE Scoring Worksheet

Worksheet (Google Sheets) Free

A formula-based worksheet for prioritizing features using reach, impact, confidence, and effort so roadmap discussions are less subjective.

Target keywords: RICE scoring template | feature prioritization framework | product roadmap prioritization

Download RICE Framework

Competitive UX Analysis Template - How to Audit Your Competitors' Design

Template (Notion / Google Docs) Free

A structured way to compare 3 to 5 competitors across onboarding, navigation, dashboard design, mobile UX, pricing, discoverability, and error handling.

Target keywords: competitive UX analysis template | competitor audit template | UX competitive benchmark

Download Competitive Analysis Template

SaaS Pricing Page Design Guide - The Page That Makes or Loses You Money

Guide (PDF, 14 pages) Email required

A pricing page guide covering tier architecture, comparison tables, anchor pricing, highlighted plans, trial psychology, enterprise CTAs, FAQ placement, and trust signals.

  • 2 vs 3 vs 4 tier guidance
  • Highlighting and anchor pricing tactics
  • Enterprise CTA patterns
  • Pricing page teardowns

Target keywords: SaaS pricing page design | pricing page best practices | pricing page optimization

Download Pricing Page Guide

Accessibility Resources

Web Accessibility Checklist - WCAG 2.1 AA for SaaS Products

Checklist (PDF, 10 pages) Free

A checklist organized by the WCAG principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, with practical testing guidance for designers and developers.

Target keywords: WCAG checklist | accessibility audit checklist | web accessibility checklist 2026

Download Accessibility Checklist

Color Contrast Checker & Remediation Guide

Guide (PDF, 4 pages) + Tool Free

A quick reference for checking and fixing contrast issues, including WCAG ratios, tools, common failures, and a contrast-safe starter palette.

Target keywords: color contrast checker guide | WCAG color contrast | accessible color palette

Download Contrast Guide

Developer Handoff Resources

Design-to-Dev Handoff Checklist - Everything Developers Need From Designers

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free

A pre-handoff checklist for states, breakpoints, spacing, animations, color tokens, typography, exports, and accessibility annotations.

Target keywords: design handoff checklist | developer handoff template | Figma handoff guide

Download Handoff Checklist

Frontend Code Quality Checklist - Ensuring the Build Matches the Design

Checklist (PDF, 6 pages) Free

A design QA checklist for verifying pixel accuracy, responsiveness, font rendering, spacing, interaction fidelity, accessibility, performance, and browser coverage.

Target keywords: design QA checklist | frontend review checklist | design implementation verification

Download Code Quality Checklist

AI & SaaS-Specific Resources

The AI SaaS UX Playbook - Designing for Trust, Transparency & Adoption

Guide (PDF, 32 pages) Email required

A deep playbook for AI product UX covering explainability, confidence indicators, AI error handling, human review flows, progressive disclosure, and adoption metrics.

  • 12 AI UX patterns
  • 5 trust-killing anti-patterns
  • Case studies from AI products
  • Figma component examples
  • AI adoption measurement framework

Target keywords: AI SaaS UX design guide | AI product design playbook | designing for AI trust

Download AI UX Playbook

SaaS Metrics Dashboard Template - Track the Numbers That Matter

Template (Google Sheets + Looker Studio) Free

A metrics dashboard template covering MRR, ARR, churn, activation, trial-to-paid, NPS, CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC, and retention benchmarks.

Target keywords: SaaS metrics dashboard template | SaaS KPI tracker | MRR tracking spreadsheet

Download Metrics Dashboard

Getting the Most From the Library

1

For SaaS founders

Start with the UX Audit Checklist and the SaaS Metrics Dashboard. They help you see where the product stands and what to fix first.

2

For product managers

Use the Feature Prioritization Framework and the Onboarding Playbook to improve sprint planning and activation work.

3

For designers

The Design System Starter Kit and UI Design Checklist are strong day-to-day foundations for shipping cleaner work.

4

For developers

The Handoff Checklist and Code Quality Checklist reduce design drift and save hours of back-and-forth.

5

For marketers

The SEO Checklist, Content Calendar, and Landing Page Checklist give you a working organic and conversion playbook.

Questions Teams Ask About the Resources

Are these really free?
Most resources are free and ungated. More comprehensive guides can be gated so updates can be shared with the people who download them.
Can I share these with my team?
Yes. These resources are meant to be shared internally with founders, product teams, designers, marketers, and developers.
Do you update these resources?
Yes. The resources are designed to be refreshed as best practices, standards, and tools evolve.
Can I use these commercially with my clients?
They can be shared with attribution, but they should not be rebranded, resold, or redistributed as your own product.
What if I need help applying one of these frameworks?
That is exactly where Desisle can help. We can apply these frameworks directly to your product through audits, strategy, and design work.

Want the Customized Version? We Can Build It for Your Product.

These resources are generalized frameworks. If you want them applied to your product, we can turn the checklist or template into a live audit, roadmap, redesign plan, or execution sprint.