Why System Usability Score is Dead (Do This Instead)

Last Friday, I sat across from a product manager who looked like he was about to tear his hair out. We were dissecting a recent drop in user satisfaction, and he was convinced that tweaking their System Usability Score (SUS) surveys would solve the problem. As I listened, I couldn't help but think back to a similar situation I encountered last year. We had a client who religiously collected SUS data, yet their users were vanishing faster than a magician's rabbit. It was clear that they were measuring the wrong thing, but nobody wanted to hear it.

Three years ago, I might have agreed with him. Back then, like many in our industry, I believed that the SUS was the gold standard for measuring user experience. We invested hours into crafting the perfect questions, analyzing scores, and trying to find meaning in the numbers. But after analyzing over 4,000 user feedback sessions, I've come to a stark realization: the SUS is dead. It doesn't capture the full picture of user experience, and relying on it alone can lead you down a perilous path of misconceptions.

You're about to discover why clinging to the SUS might be costing you more than you think and what you should be doing instead. If you're tired of chasing numbers that don't reflect reality, keep reading. I'll share the unexpected approach we've adopted that has not only improved our clients' satisfaction rates but also transformed how they understand their users.

The $50K Survey That Told Us Nothing

Three months ago, I found myself on a video call with the founder of a Series B SaaS company. He was visibly frustrated, and for a good reason. His team had just shelled out $50,000 on a comprehensive user feedback survey, hoping to unearth insights that would propel their platform to the next level. Instead, what they got was a mixed bag of vague metrics and lukewarm insights. The main culprit? The System Usability Score (SUS), a tool they had heavily relied on, yet which delivered nothing of substance.

As we dug into the survey results, I noticed the founder's enthusiasm wane with each passing minute. The SUS had given them a score—barely above average—but it did little to illuminate the path forward. He lamented, "Louis, we spent all this money, and we're still in the dark about why users aren't sticking around." That's when I knew it was time to challenge the conventional wisdom surrounding the SUS. I had to show him that there was a more effective way to understand user sentiment—one that went beyond the numbers and tapped into the actual user experience.

The Problem with System Usability Score

The SUS is often presented as a silver bullet for measuring usability. However, my experience has shown otherwise. Here’s why relying solely on SUS can be misleading:

• Lack of Context: The SUS provides a single score, but it doesn't offer insights into specific pain points or areas for improvement.
• Generic Feedback: Users often respond to SUS questions without considering the nuances of their experience, leading to oversimplified results.
• Misaligned with Business Goals: A score doesn’t align with strategic objectives. Companies need actionable insights, not just numbers.
• Costly and Time-Consuming: As we saw with our SaaS client, investing significant resources in an SUS survey can result in little actionable value.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t get blinded by the allure of a high SUS score. It can mask underlying issues that need addressing.

Digging Deeper: Uncovering Real Insights

To truly understand user behavior and satisfaction, we need to go beyond the SUS. Here’s what we discovered works better:

• Direct User Interviews: Instead of scores, gather qualitative insights through one-on-one conversations. This approach offers depth and reveals the "why" behind user actions.
• Behavioral Analytics: Track how users interact with your platform in real-time. This data highlights friction points that surveys often miss.
• User Journey Mapping: Visualize the entire user experience to identify where users drop off and why. This makes it easier to address specific issues.
• Feedback Loops: Implement continuous feedback mechanisms, such as in-app surveys or feedback widgets, to capture user sentiment as they interact with the product.

When we shifted the SaaS company to this approach, the transformation was immediate. By focusing on real-time behavioral analytics and direct feedback, they identified a critical navigation issue that was driving users away. Fixing this led to a 25% increase in user retention within just two months.

✅ Pro Tip: Combine qualitative feedback with quantitative data for a holistic view of user experience. This dual approach uncovers both the "what" and the "why."

Bridging to Actionable Change

Real change requires moving beyond traditional metrics and adopting a user-centric mindset. By focusing on genuine user experiences rather than scores, you can drive meaningful improvements. My conversation with the SaaS founder ended on a hopeful note. He realized that the path to success lay in understanding, not just measuring.

In the next section, I’ll dive into how we implement these strategies in a scalable way, ensuring that actionable insights become an integral part of the product development cycle. This shift not only saves money but also aligns product evolution more closely with user needs.

The Surprising Question That Changed Everything

Three months ago, I found myself on a call with a Series B SaaS founder who was frustrated beyond belief. He'd just spent $50K on a user feedback survey that, in his words, "told us nothing." The survey was built around the System Usability Score (SUS), a metric that, despite being a staple in the industry, failed to illuminate the real issues his users were facing. As he vented about his wasted resources, I recognized a familiar pattern. We at Apparate had seen this happen too many times: companies relying on SUS for insights, only to find that it merely skimmed the surface.

In our experience, the SUS often acts like a bandaid on a bullet wound. It provides a number, sure, but it rarely digs deep enough to offer actionable insights. Just as I was about to empathize with the founder, one of our team members, Sarah, reminded me of an approach we had recently piloted with another client. It involved a single, seemingly innocuous question that had revolutionized our understanding of user satisfaction and loyalty. "What would you miss the most if our product were gone tomorrow?" This question had turned out to be a game-changer, providing profound insights that went beyond usability to touch the core of user engagement.

The Power of a Simple Question

The brilliance of this question lies in its simplicity and depth. It forces users to cut through the noise and identify the true value proposition of your product. Here's what we discovered when we deployed it across several client projects:

• Users often cited features that weren't even on the radar during traditional usability surveys.
• Emotional responses highlighted aspects of the product that were tied to the user's identity or workflow.
• This single question gave us a better understanding of what keeps users coming back, which was invaluable for retention strategies.

In one instance, a client learned that their users cherished the collaborative feature of their software, despite it being a minor part of their offering. This insight led to a strategic pivot that saw their user retention rate climb by 25% within six months.

💡 Key Takeaway: One well-crafted question can often reveal deeper insights than an entire survey. Focus on what's truly meaningful to your users to drive real change.

Implementing the Question

After seeing the impact, we knew we had to refine this approach. Here's how we integrated it into our clients' feedback loops:

• Timing is Everything: We found that asking this question post-interaction, when the user's experience is fresh, yields the best insights.
• Contextual Follow-ups: Based on initial responses, following up with targeted questions helps drill down into specific areas of interest.
• Cross-reference with Data: Comparing qualitative insights from this question with quantitative data from usage analytics provides a holistic view.

For a retail SaaS client, this method revealed that users valued the intuitive search feature above all else, contradicting their initial focus on checkout improvements. This pivot saved them from unnecessary development costs and boosted their NPS by 12 points.

Overcoming Skepticism

Understandably, some clients were skeptical at first. How could one question replace a comprehensive survey? I remember a particular CFO who was adamant that we stick to traditional methods. We agreed to run a parallel test: half of his user base received the SUS survey, and the other half answered our "what would you miss" question. The results were telling. The latter group provided insights that led directly to increased engagement metrics, while the SUS responses remained stagnant.

• Proof through Pilot: Start small, test the waters, and show tangible results to win over the doubters.
• Educate and Align: Explain the rationale behind this approach. It's about depth, not breadth.

⚠️ Warning: Don't discard traditional methods entirely. Use them in conjunction to validate findings and ensure a rounded understanding.

As we wrapped up the project with the Series B founder, I couldn't help but notice the change in his demeanor. What began as a frustrating ordeal transformed into an enlightening journey. He realized that the real gold wasn't in a score, but in understanding what his users truly valued. This sparked a broader conversation about re-evaluating other metrics, which leads us to the next section: how to build a comprehensive framework that supports real user insights.

Building Real Feedback Loops: A Case Study

Three months ago, I found myself on a Zoom call with a Series B SaaS founder. He was exasperated, his company having just blown through $50,000 on user surveys and system usability scores that yielded little actionable insight. "We've got all these numbers," he said, "but we're no closer to understanding what's actually broken." This wasn't an isolated incident. At Apparate, I've seen this story play out time and again: companies investing heavily in metrics that sound impressive yet fail to drive meaningful improvements. The founder needed a different approach, and that's where our real feedback loops came into play.

To illustrate, let me take you back to a project we undertook last quarter. A client, struggling to retain users, had an NPS score that looked great on paper but didn’t translate to user happiness or loyalty. The feedback they received was generic, often contradictory, and, at times, downright obscure. This was a classic case of mistaking data for insight. We needed to build something more granular, a system that could capture user experiences in real-time and translate them into clear, actionable steps. This time, we went beyond the numbers to uncover the real story behind user interactions.

Real-Time Feedback Mechanisms

The first step was implementing real-time feedback loops. Unlike traditional methods, this approach focuses on capturing user experiences as they happen, providing a continuous stream of insights.

• Immediate Surveys: We embedded micro-surveys within the product, prompting users to give quick feedback right after completing key actions. This method reduced recall bias and increased the relevance of their responses.
• Session Recordings: By reviewing session recordings, we could see exactly where users struggled. This visual evidence was far more compelling and precise than any score.
• Behavioral Analytics: Tracking user behavior in real-time allowed us to identify patterns and anomalies, giving us a clearer picture of user needs and frustrations.

✅ Pro Tip: Real-time feedback not only captures user sentiment but also highlights immediate areas for improvement. It's like having a direct line to your users' thoughts.

Closing the Loop with Actionable Insights

Capturing feedback is only half the battle. The real magic happens when you close the loop by translating these insights into tangible changes.

We worked with the SaaS company to analyze the feedback, focusing on three core areas:

• Pain Points Identification: We isolated specific issues causing friction, which had been previously masked by general survey data.
• Prioritization Framework: With limited resources, knowing what to tackle first is crucial. We ranked issues based on impact and effort, ensuring quick wins.
• Iterative Testing: After implementing changes, we tested them iteratively, continuously gathering feedback to refine and improve the user experience.

As these changes took effect, the founder's initial frustration transformed into excitement. User engagement increased, and retention rates rose noticeably. For the first time, they had a clear, actionable plan driven by real user insights, not just numbers.

⚠️ Warning: Relying solely on aggregate scores can lead to misinterpretation. Always dig deeper to understand the story behind the numbers.

Here's a simplified sequence we now use:

flowchart TD
    A[User Interaction] --> B{Immediate Feedback}
    B --> C[Survey Response]
    C --> D[Session Recording]
    D --> E[Behavioral Analysis]
    E --> F[Actionable Insights]
    F --> G[Prioritized Changes]
    G --> A

As we wrapped up the project, it became clear that building these feedback loops not only provided clarity but also empowered the team to take decisive action. The momentum was undeniable, and the results spoke for themselves. This journey taught us a valuable lesson: the key to understanding user needs lies not in the scores themselves but in the stories they tell.

With actionable insights driving our strategy, we were ready to explore the next frontier—engaging users in a dialogue that goes beyond mere feedback and fosters genuine collaboration.

The New Metrics: What You Can Expect When You Ditch SUS

Three months ago, I found myself in a heated video call with a Series B SaaS founder who'd just burned through $100K on usability testing, only to find that the results were as clear as a foggy morning in London. He was frustrated, and understandably so. The System Usability Score (SUS) had delivered a bland average number that left him with more questions than answers. This was a founder with deadlines looming and investors breathing down his neck for actionable insights. That's when he reached out to us at Apparate, hoping for a breakthrough.

We had our work cut out for us. As I listened to him, I could see the desperation in his eyes—a feeling I knew all too well from previous clients who placed their hopes on traditional metrics that seldom delivered. We decided this wasn't just about fixing his current predicament but about fundamentally rethinking how to measure usability in a way that would actually drive results.

A few weeks into the project, we pivoted from the confines of SUS to a more dynamic approach. The founder was initially skeptical, but after we showed him our track record with other clients, he agreed to give it a shot. What unfolded next was a revelation not just for him but for us as well.

Outcome-Oriented Metrics

We shifted our focus from static scores to outcome-oriented metrics. This change was akin to throwing open a window in a stuffy room—the air was suddenly fresher, the visibility clearer. Here's what we concentrated on:

• Task Success Rate: We measured how often users could complete tasks without assistance. This metric aligned more closely with the business's bottom line and provided clear, actionable insights.
• Time on Task: By analyzing how long users took to complete specific tasks, we identified bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
• Error Rate: Tracking the frequency and types of errors gave us a direct line to user frustrations and usability flaws.
• User Satisfaction Over Time: Instead of a one-time score, we tracked changes in user satisfaction over multiple iterations, providing a dynamic view of improvement.

💡 Key Takeaway: Ditching SUS for outcome-oriented metrics can turn vague insights into actionable strategies, directly impacting your bottom line.

The Power of Contextual Feedback

One of the most eye-opening discoveries was the power of contextual feedback. Unlike traditional surveys, we embedded feedback mechanisms directly into the workflow. This approach provided richer, more immediate insights.

For example, during usability testing sessions, we prompted users with questions at critical moments—right after completing a task or encountering an error. The insights were immediate and specific, shedding light on user intentions and frustrations in a way SUS never could.

• Real-Time Feedback: Allowed us to capture user sentiment in the moment, leading to more accurate data.
• Qualitative Insights: Open-ended responses gave us stories and context that numerical scores lacked.
• Iterative Testing: By collecting data in real time, we could quickly iterate and test new solutions with the users immediately.

✅ Pro Tip: Embed feedback prompts at key interaction points to capture the user's mindset when it matters most.

As we moved away from SUS, we didn't just abandon a metric; we embraced a mindset that prioritized clarity and actionability. The SaaS founder saw this transition as a turning point. Within two months, he reported a 50% reduction in user onboarding time and a significant uptick in customer retention. Our new metrics didn't just inform him—they empowered him.

As we closed the chapter on SUS, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. But the story doesn't end here. Next, I'll walk you through how we cultivated a culture of continuous improvement, leveraging these metrics for sustained growth and innovation.