What does Based Labs actually do?

Based Labs is a retention and conversion studio that also builds the software itself. I audit, build and consult on digital products — SaaS programs, mobile apps, marketing sites and onboarding flows — either from scratch or rebuilt from what already exists. Every recommendation is tied to one of seven peer-reviewed behavioural-science frameworks: Fogg's Behaviour Model, Self-Determination Theory, Completion Bias, Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence, Choice Architecture, Cognitive Load Theory and the Peak-End Rule. Not gut feel. Full reference at basedlabs.co.uk/frameworks.

Do you only fix existing products, or can you build from scratch?

Both. Most weeks I'm doing a mix — auditing one client's leaky app while building another's SaaS from a blank page. I've shipped full SaaS programs, iOS and Android apps and marketing sites end-to-end on a modern React, Next.js and Capacitor stack. The psychology layer is the same in either direction: design for behaviour first, then code.

How is Based different from a normal web agency?

Most agencies start with visuals or a template. Based starts with behaviour: why people drop, stall, churn or hesitate. Only once the behavioural model is clear does the technical rebuild begin — and it uses a modern React / Next.js / Capacitor stack, never WordPress or page-builder templates.

What is a Leak Audit and what do I get?

A Leak Audit is a one-week behavioural teardown of an existing site or app. You get a screen-by-screen friction log, an audit against seven behavioural-science frameworks, a prioritised fix list sorted by impact × effort, and a 60-minute walkthrough. Fixed price: £1,000.

Who are you built for?

Scottish founders and businesses, first. The mission is straightforward — help Scottish businesses build and keep customers. Based in Elgin, working across Scotland and the wider UK when there's a fit. Remote-first, so location within the country is never the blocker.

What tech stack do you use — and why not WordPress?

React, Next.js and Capacitor for cross-platform apps. WordPress and template builders trade short-term speed for long-term drag: slow page loads, plugin sprawl, fragile customisation and shallow behavioural control. A modern stack lets me design interactions around behavioural models down to the millisecond.

How fast can you deliver a Build?

Most Builds ship in 2–4 weeks. Landing pages and single onboarding flows sit at the fast end. Full SaaS programs and cross-platform apps run 4–8 weeks depending on scope. Rebuilds of existing products are quoted after a Leak Audit has mapped the behavioural problems.

What's the difference between retention engineering and CRO?

Conversion rate optimisation is about getting a user to do one thing once — click, sign up, buy. Retention engineering is about whether they come back tomorrow, and the day after that. Based does both, but retention is the harder problem and the one behavioural psychology is most useful for.

Ryan Geldart is the founder of Based Labs. He designs and engineers retention-focused products using behavioural psychology and a modern web stack. He is based in Elgin, Scotland, and is focused on helping Scottish businesses grow. Contact: ryan@basedlabs.co.uk.

Why is my app losing users in the first week?

Most week-one app churn comes from one of three things: an onboarding flow that demands too much before showing value; a missing or mistimed prompt at the moment a user might come back; or visual cues that signal 'not for me' to your actual audience. The fix isn't more push notifications — it's mapping where motivation, ability and prompt break down (Fogg's Behaviour Model). A Leak Audit identifies exactly which screen is the leak.

Why are users abandoning my signup form?

Signup abandonment is rarely about field count. It's about the perceived 'cost' the user is paying versus the value they're being shown. Long forms work when value is clear; short forms fail when motivation is weak. The fix is auditing the form against Fogg's Motivation × Ability × Prompt equation — and often, removing one specific friction screen rather than chopping fields.

How do I fix high churn in my SaaS?

SaaS churn breaks into three phases: activation churn (week one — they never got value), usage churn (months one to three — value faded), commitment churn (month four onwards — better alternative emerged). Each needs a different intervention. Behavioural retention work targets the first two by designing for relatedness, completion bias and variable rewards. The third is a product-market-fit problem.

Why are users dropping off during onboarding?

Onboarding drop-off almost always tracks Fogg's Behaviour Model: somewhere between 'arrived' and 'activated', the user lost motivation, hit an ability blocker, or didn't get the right prompt. Counting screens won't fix it — counting drop points by step will. A Leak Audit produces this map screen-by-screen.

How do I improve activation rate on my product?

Activation rate is mostly a Completion Bias problem. People who feel they've started something are pulled toward finishing it. The trick is designing the first-session experience as an explicit progress sequence — even when the underlying steps don't strictly require one. A multi-screen onboarding flow with a visible counter ('2 of 9') is one example. There are others.

Why is my conversion rate so low?

Low conversion is almost never one thing. It's usually three to five small frictions stacking together — each tiny on its own, lethal in combination. The Leak Audit's job is to find them all in one week and rank them by impact × effort, so you fix the ones that matter and ignore the noise. Often a single button-copy change moves the number more than a redesign.

How do I reduce mobile app churn?

Mobile churn is usually relatedness or variable-reward starvation. Single-player apps lose to apps where users feel witnessed, tracked, or part of something. Adding social mechanics is one fix. Adding unpredictable reward feedback (without dark patterns) is another. The starting point is a behavioural audit of what your current loop actually trains the user to do.

What causes users to leave a website without converting?

Three categories: they don't understand the value within five seconds (motivation problem), they understand but it feels too hard to act (ability problem), or there's no clear next step (prompt problem). Fogg's Behaviour Model maps directly onto these. The fix is auditing your above-the-fold copy and primary CTA against all three — not redesigning the page.

→ Privacy

Privacy policy.

Last updated: 24 April 2026

The short version

Based Ltd, trading as Based Labs ("we", "us"), runs basedlabs.co.uk. We do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any third-party tracker. We do not set advertising cookies. We do not sell or share your data. The behavioural counters you see in the UI (reading time, scroll depth, visitor "status") are client-side only and are discarded the moment you close the tab.

Who we are

Based Ltd (trading as Based Labs)
Company number: SC885222 (registered in Scotland)
Elgin, Scotland, United Kingdom
Data controller contact: ryan@basedlabs.co.uk

What we store on your device

A single sessionStorage entry called based_callout_shown — used only to make sure the 40%-scroll callout appears at most once per visit. It is erased automatically when you close the tab. No cookies are set. No localStorage. No IndexedDB.

Because this is strictly functional and stores no personal data, no cookie consent banner is required under UK GDPR / PECR.

What we collect when you contact us

If you email, call, or message us on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or Instagram, we will see what you choose to send us: your name, contact details, and the content of your message. We use that information only to reply and to discuss potential work. We do not add you to any mailing list. We do not share your details with third parties.

Lawful basis (UK GDPR Art. 6): performance of a contract where you have asked us to quote or deliver work; legitimate interests for initial replies to unsolicited enquiries.

Retention: we keep correspondence from active and prospective clients for up to 7 years (the UK company record-keeping period). You can ask us to delete it sooner — see "Your rights" below.

Server logs

The site is hosted on Vercel. Vercel keeps standard access logs (IP address, user agent, URL, timestamp) for security and abuse-prevention purposes. These logs are controlled by Vercel under their own privacy policy. We do not query or analyse these logs for marketing.

International transfers

Vercel stores edge cache and logs on infrastructure that includes servers in the United States. Any transfer of personal data outside the UK/EEA is covered by the Vercel Data Processing Agreement and the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum.

Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

be told what data we hold about you (right of access)
ask for a copy of that data (right to data portability)
ask us to correct inaccurate data (right to rectification)
ask us to delete it (right to erasure)
ask us to restrict processing (right to restrict)
object to processing (right to object)
complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk

To exercise any of these, email ryan@basedlabs.co.uk. We respond within 30 days.

Children

Based Labs is a B2B service. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe a minor has contacted us, let us know and we will delete the record.

Changes

If this policy changes, the "last updated" date at the top will change with it. Material changes will also be reflected in the site footer.