Let’s Talk About User Experience
November 12, 2021
If your team dreads opening Salesforce, something’s broken—and it’s not their attitude.
A well-built Salesforce org should feel like a tool, not a test. Too often, though, users are left wrestling with cluttered pages, confusing flows, or processes that feel like they were designed for the system—not for the people using it. That frustration isn’t about training or “resistance to change.” It’s a signal that the user experience (UX) needs attention.
Good UX in Salesforce isn’t about flashy design. It’s about reducing friction so users can focus on their work instead of fighting the system. When the experience is thoughtful, adoption happens naturally. When it isn’t, people invent workarounds that erode data quality and trust.
Why UX Matters in Salesforce
Salesforce is powerful, but power without clarity can overwhelm. Each click, field, and screen is either helping or hindering your team’s ability to get work done. A few seconds of delay here, an extra required field there—multiplied across hundreds of users—turns into hours of wasted time each week.
Even more damaging is the mental toll. If users see Salesforce as slow, confusing, or irrelevant to their goals, they’ll disengage. That means less reliable data, less accurate reporting, and ultimately less value from the platform.
Smarter Lightning Pages
Page design is one of the simplest and most effective levers to pull when improving UX.
Too many orgs rely on default layouts, which quickly become cluttered as fields and components accumulate. Users end up scrolling endlessly to find what they need, often ignoring half the screen because it doesn’t apply to their role.
A better approach is to design Lightning pages around user tasks. For example:
- Sales reps see lead qualification info up front, not buried under unrelated details.
- Service agents get case history and quick actions above the fold, with deeper data available in tabs.
- Managers can access metrics and related lists without hunting across multiple screens.
By prioritizing visibility and reducing clutter, Lightning pages can move from being a dumping ground of fields to a streamlined workspace.
Guided Flows & Quick Actions
Complex processes are where users often stumble. Without clear guidance, they’re left guessing which field to update or which button to click first. That not only slows them down but also introduces inconsistencies in data entry.
Guided flows and quick actions help bridge that gap. Instead of relying on tribal knowledge, the system can lead users through each step:
- Flows that walk a rep through onboarding a new customer.
- Quick actions that log a call, escalate a case, or update a status with one click.
- Paths that show progress and next steps without overwhelming detail.
These tools don’t just save time—they reduce errors by making the “right” way also the easiest way.
Feedback Loops
UX isn’t a one-time project. What works for users today might not work six months from now as processes shift and teams grow. That’s why continuous feedback is critical.
Admins can:
- Conduct short user interviews to identify pain points.
- Monitor adoption metrics to see which features are used and which are ignored.
- Release changes incrementally and gather reactions before rolling them out broadly.
When users feel heard and see improvements based on their feedback, they’re far more likely to stay engaged. Feedback loops transform Salesforce from something imposed on the team into something built with them.
Key Takeaways
- Poor user adoption is often a design problem, not a people problem.
- Smarter Lightning pages reduce clutter and prioritize the information that matters most.
- Guided flows and quick actions help simplify complex processes and ensure consistency.
- Feedback loops keep Salesforce aligned with real-world work, even as it evolves.
If your team isn’t using Salesforce the way you hoped, the problem might not be them. It might be the system. And the good news is: systems can be fixed.