The best Salesforce solutions for Cloud Kicks to deliver consistently branded content at every touchpoint are Distributed Marketing and Journey Builder. Distributed Marketing allows individual agents to send personalized and compliant messages to their customers, using pre-approved templates and content created by the corporate marketing team1. Journey Builder enables the marketing team to design and automate customer journeys across channels and devices, using data and analytics to optimize the customer experience2. Email Builder and Customer 360 (B) are not sufficient to ensure consistent branding and communication, as they only cover email marketing and customer data integration, respectively. Service Cloud and Letterhead © are also not the best solutions, as they only focus on customer service and email formatting, respectively. References:

• Distributed Marketing | Salesforce
• Journey Builder | Salesforce

To create visual consistency with regard to alignments, grids, spacing, and typography, the part of the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) that should be used is utility classes. Utility classes are CSS classes that provide common styling properties, such as margins, paddings, borders, colors, fonts, and text alignments. Utility classes can be applied to any HTML element to quickly and easily adjust its appearance and layout. Utility classes follow the BEM (Block Element Modifier) naming convention, which makes them easy to read and understand. Utility classes can help the designer to create visual consistency across the Lightning components and pages, without writing custom CSS or overriding the component blueprints. References: : Utility Classes | Lightning Design System : UX Designer Certification Prep: Designing with Lightning Design System | Trailhead

The best approach to improve the Sales team’s experience with Contact records in Sales Cloud is to run the Salesforce Optimizer App to identify fields not in use. The Salesforce Optimizer App is a free tool that scans the Salesforce org and provides a diagnostic report on the performance and health of the org1. It analyzes how the org uses various features, such as fields, triggers, layouts, profiles, reports, and more, and suggests customizations and improvements based on best practices1. By running the Salesforce Optimizer App, the Sales team can find out which fields are not being used or are redundant, and remove or hide them from the Contact record page. This way, they can simplify the page layout, reduce the page load time, and focus on the fields that are relevant to their sales activities2.

Moving all unused fields to a separate section at the bottom of the page is not a good option, as it does not solve the problem of having too many fields on the page. It would still affect the page load time and the user experience, as the users would have to scroll down to see the entire page. Moreover, it wouldnot help the users to find the information they need, as the fields would not be organized in a logical or meaningful way3.

Implementing In-App Guidance to help users focus on the most important fields is also not a good option, as it does not address the root cause of the problem, which is having too many fields on the page. In-App Guidance is a feature that allows admins to create custom prompts and walkthroughs to guide users through tasks or processes on Salesforce Lightning pages4. It can be useful for user training, onboarding, or adoption, but it cannot replace the need for a clean and efficient page layout. In fact, having too many prompts or walkthroughs on the page can be distracting and annoying for the users, especially if they are not relevant or helpful4. References:

• Run the Salesforce Optimizer App
• Improve Your Implementation with Salesforce Optimizer
• Page Layouts
• In-App Guidance in Lightning Experience

Card sorting is a UX research method where participants group ideas or information into different categories, based on what feels natural to them. Card sorting is ideal for the early stages of a website project, when the UX designer needs to understand how users organize and label content. Card sorting can help the UX designer to suggest a suitable architecture for the internal community, based on the employees’ mental model and expectations. Card sorting can also reveal any gaps or overlaps in the content, and provide insights for naming the categories and subcategories. References: Card Sorting / Tree Testing | Bentley University, Tree Testing vs. Card Sorting: Which is Right for You? | Maze

Relationship Design is a creative practice that drives social and business value by building strong relationships. It is based on four mindsets: compassion, intention, courage, and reciprocity. Cloud Kicks can incorporate Relationship Design principles into its business model and customer offerings by adopting these mindsets and applying them to its products, services, and interactions. Some examples of how Cloud Kicks can do this are:

• Prioritizing innovation over copying the competition. This shows that Cloud Kicks is courageous and intentional in creating unique and valuable solutions that meet the needs and expectations of its customers and communities. Cloud Kicks can use design thinking methods, such as empathy mapping, ideation, and prototyping, to generate and test new ideas that solve real problems and create positive impact 1.
• Reframing products in terms of user value over features and functions. This shows that Cloud Kicks is compassionate and reciprocal in understanding and communicating the benefits and outcomes that its products and services can deliver to its customers and stakeholders. Cloud Kicks can use value proposition design tools, such as the value proposition canvas, to identify and articulate the jobs, pains, and gains of its customers, and how its products and services can address them 2.
• Uncovering customer needs over broadcasting product benefits. This shows that Cloud Kicks is intentional and reciprocal in listening and learning from its customers and co-creating solutions with them. Cloud Kicks can use user research methods, such as interviews, surveys, and observations, to discover and validate the needs, preferences, and behaviors of its customers, and to involve them in the design process 3.

References: [Design Thinking] (https://www.salesforce.com/design/relationship-design/), [Value Proposition Design] (https://www.salesforce.com/blog/how-relationship-design-works/), [User Research] (https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/trails/get-to-know-relationship-design)

The tool that the UX Designer should use to plan and communicate the intended page layouts of a community portal is wireframes. Wireframes are low-fidelity sketches or diagrams that show the basic structure, content, and functionality of a web page or app screen. Wireframes help the UX Designer to visualize the layout of the portal, arrange the elements according to their importance and relevance, and communicate the design concept to the stakeholders and developers. Wireframes are one of thelearning objectives for the Salesforce User Experience Designer certification 1. References: [Wireframes - Lightning Design System]

https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/website-app-wireframe-examples/

In the context of an existing Customer Experience Cloud portal that is already performing well, the goal is to further increase customer engagement by adding elements that encourage interaction and participation. Recognizing peers with badges is a highly effective way to achieve this because:

• Personalization and Gamification:Badges introduce an element of gamification and personalization, which can significantly increase engagement. Users are motivated to participate and contribute to the community when they see a tangible recognition of their efforts and achievements.
• Community Building:Recognizing contributions with badges helps in building a stronger community by highlighting active members and encouraging others to contribute. It fosters a sense of belonging and appreciation among users.

While personalized branding (option A) and customizing page layouts (option B) can enhance the user experience, they do not directly incentivize user interaction and contribution as effectively as recognizing contributions through badges does.

References:For insights on implementing badges and gamification strategies in Salesforce Experience Cloud portals, Salesforce's official documentation and community resources offer guidelines and best practices. These resources discuss various ways to enhance user engagement and community building within the Salesforce ecosystem.

 The three considerations that should be made to improve the visual hierarchy of the page are:

• Grouping proximity and common regions. This principle states that elements that are close together or share a common boundary are perceived as belonging to the same group. This helps to create a sense of order and organization on the page and reduce the visual clutter.
• Scale using relative size to signal importance. This principle states that elements that are larger are perceived as more important or prominent than elements that are smaller. This helps to create a contrast and focus on the page and guide the user’s attention to the most relevant information.
• Color and contrast, saturation between the elements. This principle states that elements that have different colors or contrast levels are perceived as distinct or separate from each other. This helps to create a variety and interest on the page and highlight the differences or similarities between the elements.

References:

• : Visual Hierarchy
• : Gestalt Principles

 The two design considerations that should be made when creating a customer support site in Experience Builder that will be internationalized across 12 different countries are:

• Countries may read text in a different direction (right to left vs. left to right) and layouts will need to be adjusted. This is because some languages, such as Arabic and Hebrew, are written from right to left, while others, such as English and French, are written from left to right. This affects not only the text alignment, but also the placement of UI elements, such as buttons, menus, icons, and images. To accommodate different reading directions, the site should use a flexible layout that can be mirrored or flipped based on the language setting. This also follows the principle of designing for accessibility and inclusion, which is one of the learning objectives for the Salesforce User Experience Designer certification12
• Colors may have different cultural meanings in different countries, changing the intent of UI elements. This is because colors can convey different emotions, associations, and messages depending on the cultural context. For example, red can mean danger, passion, or luck, depending on the country. Therefore, the site should use colors that are appropriate andrespectful for the target audience, and avoid colors that may be offensive or misleading. This also follows the principle of designing for the user’s context and environment, which is another learning objective for the Salesforce User Experience Designer certification34

References: [Design for Accessibility and Inclusion], [Add Languages to Your Aura Sites], [Design for the User’s Context and Environment], [Color Meanings by Culture]

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/ux-designer-certification-prep/design-for-accessibility-and-inclusion :  1 : https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/ux-designer-certification-prep/design-for-the-users-context-and-environment :  2 : https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-scripts :  3 : https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/color-symbolism-and-meanings-around-the-world :  4

Usability testing is a method of evaluating how easy and intuitive a product or service is to use by observing real users performing specific tasks. It can help identify usability issues, user needs, and user satisfaction. A goal of usability testing is to learn about the user’s behavior and preferences, such as how they interact with the design, what they expect from the design, what they like or dislike about the design, and what they find confusing or frustrating about the design. By learning about the user’s behavior and preferences, the UX designer can gain insights and feedback that can help improve the design and enhance the user experience. References:

• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 6: Validate User Interfaces
• : What is Usability Testing?

 In-app feedback is a method of collecting user feedback within the context of the product or service, without interrupting the user’s workflow. It allows the UX designer to gather insightsfrom a specific set of users at scale and measure their satisfaction, preferences, and pain points. In-app feedback can be implemented using various techniques, such as ratings, reviews, comments, suggestions, polls, or pop-ups . References:

• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 3: Conduct User Research
• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 4: Analyze User Research Data

The tool to install that the UX Designer needs is the Sketch plugin. This plugin allows the designer to quickly mock up Salesforce user interface experiences using a collection of prebuilt components, such as base components, tokens, design patterns, and more. The plugin also provides access to the Salesforce Lightning resources for their design and prototype, such as icons, fonts, colors, and images. The plugin is compatible with Sketch, a popular design tool for creating user interfaces.

References:

• : Salesforce Lightning Design System
• : Sketch Plugin

The best way to achieve the requirement of having a flag field on the case object that marks a case as sensitive and can be viewed by all users who have access to the case but only be edited by the assigned case assessor is to create a custom Lightning component. A custom Lightning component can use the Lightning Data Service to access the case record and its fields, and apply conditional rendering and editing logic based on the user’s role and the case assessor field. This way, the flag field can be displayed to all users who can view the case, but only be editable by the user who is the case assessor. This solution also follows the principle of designing for performance and scalability, which is one of the learning objectives for the Salesforce User Experience Designer certification. References: [Create Custom, Reusable Lightning Components], [Lightning Data Service Basics], [Design for Performance and Scalability]

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/lex_dev_lc_basics/lex_dev_lc_basics_intro : https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/lightning_data_service/lightning_data_service_intro : https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/ux-designer-certification-prep/design-for-performance-and-scalability

The SLDS utility that provides the most flexible system to meet the requirements of designing a responsive page is Grid. Grid is a utility that allows you to create a layout using a series of rows and columns that house your content. Grid uses a 12-column structure that can be adjusted based on breakpoints, which are predefined screen sizes that trigger a change in the layout. Grid also supports nesting, alignment, ordering, and offsetting of the columns. By using Grid, you can create a responsive page that can adapt to different screen resolutions and devices12 References: [Grid - Lightning Design System], [Mastering Salesforce Lightning Design System Grids and Lightning Layouts]

https://www.lightningdesignsystem.com/utilities/grid/

https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/developer-relations/2017/04/mastering-salesforce-lightning-design-system-grids-lightning-layouts

 Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design are values that can lead to positive business outcomes, such as less employee turnover, greater market share, and economic growth. These values can help create a more inclusive and innovative workplace, where employees feel valued, respected, and engaged, and where customers feel understood, represented, and satisfied. Some of the benefits of these values are:

• Less employee turnover: Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can reduce employee turnover by fostering a culture of belonging, trust, and collaboration, where employees can thrive and grow. According to a Salesforce report1, employees who feel a sense of belonging at work are 5.3 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work, and employees who feel their voice is heard at work are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. Moreover, employees who feel valued and included are more likely to stay loyal to their employer, reducing the costs and risks of hiring and training new staff.
• Greater market share: Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can increase market share by expanding the customer base, enhancing the customer experience, and improving the brand reputation. According to a McKinsey report2, companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. Moreover, companies that design products and services that meet the needs and preferences of diverse customers can gain a competitive edge and increase customer loyalty and retention.
• Economic growth: Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can contribute to economic growth by boosting productivity, innovation, and social impact. According to a World Bank report3, increasing women’s labor force participation and earnings could add $172 trillion to global wealth. Moreover, companies that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences of their employees can generate more creative and effective solutions, and companies that support social causes and environmental sustainability can create positive change and attract more customers and investors.

References:

• [Our 2023 Annual Equality Update: Where We Are and Where We’re Going - Salesforce]1
• [Diversity wins: How inclusion matters | McKinsey]2
• [Women, Business and the Law 2020 | World Bank]3

The designer should consider the traits similar to customer personas when selecting users for testing. Customer personas are fictional representations of the target users of a product or service, based on user research and data. Customer personas help the designer to understand the needs, goals, behaviors, and preferences of the users, as well as their pain points and challenges. Customer personas also help the designer to empathize with the users and design solutions that meet their expectations and requirements. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Roles and Personas]

When selecting users for testing, the designer should aim to recruit users who match the traits of the customer personas as closely as possible. This ensures that the users who participate in the testing are representative of the actual or potential users of the product or service, and that the feedback and insights gathered from the testing are valid and reliable. Selecting users who have traits similar to customer personas also helps the designer to evaluate the usability and user experience of the product or service from the user’s perspective, and to identify and prioritize the areas for improvement. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation]

Traits dissimilar to customer personas, traits similar to friends and family, and traits of the most common demographic and ability are not criteria that the designer should consider when selecting users for testing. These criteria can lead to biased or inaccurate results, as they do not reflect the diversity and complexity of the user population. Users who have traits dissimilar to customer personas may not have the same needs, goals, or expectations as the target users, and may provide feedback that is irrelevant or misleading. Users who have traits similar to friends and family may not be objective or honest in their feedback, and may have a different level of familiarity or expertise with the product or service than the target users. Users who have traits of the most common demographic and ability may not account for the variations and differences among the target users, and may exclude or marginalize the users who have special needs or preferences. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation] References: [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Roles and Personas], [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation]

The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) provides component blueprints that will ensure consistency for Cloud Kicks’ functional components. Component blueprints are ready-to-use HTML and CSS UI elements that provide the foundation for Salesforce experience development. They follow the design guidelines, accessibility standards, and best practices of Lightning Experience. They also include variants, states, and modifiers to handle different use cases and scenarios. By using component blueprints, Cloud Kicks can create functional components that are consistent with the look and feel of Lightning Experience without writing custom code or CSS. References:

• Component Blueprints
• Introduction to the Salesforce Lightning Design System

A sketch plugin is a tool that allows the UX designer to quickly mock up Salesforce user interface experiences using the Lightning Design System (SLDS) resources, such as base components, tokens, and design patterns. The sketch plugin is a free plugin for Sketch, a design toolkit that helps create wireframes, mockups, sample screens, and more. With the sketch plugin, the designer can search and drag the prebuilt components from the plugin into the canvas, and export the mockups as pdf, jpeg, or png files. The sketch plugin also supports synonyms and variants for the components, making it easier to find and use the desired elements. The sketch plugin can be downloaded from the SLDS website1 or from the AppExchange2. References:

• [Create Quick Salesforce UI Mockups: Lightning Design System Plugin for Sketch]1
• [Lightning Design System Sketch Plugin]2

 According to the Salesforce Design System guidelines for button usage, the brand button should be used for the primary action on a page or modal, such as “Save” or “Continue”. The neutral button should be used for secondary or tertiary actions, such as “Cancel” or “Back”. The brand button should have more visual weight and contrast than the neutral button, to indicate its importance and guide the user’s attention. Therefore, the best option for the Cloud Kicks custom component is to use a brand button for “Continue” and neutral buttons for “Cancel” and “Back”. References: Trailhead: Systems Design with SLDS, Salesforce Developers: Buttons, Lightning Design System: Buttons

To make the agent experience more efficient when handling cases submitted from their web form, two possible ways are to use Salesforce Flow and to complete relevant information about the customer using Lightning Record Pages. Salesforce Flow is a tool that allows the designer to automate business processes by creating guided, visual workflows. Flows can help agents to complete fields required for case closure by providing them with screens, logic, and actions that guide them through the process. Lightning Record Pages are customizable layouts that display information about a specific record, such as a case or a customer. Record pages can help agents to access and update relevant information about the customer using components, tabs, and related lists. Record pages can also be personalized for different profiles, roles, and app contexts. References: : Flow Builder | Salesforce Help : UX Designer Certification Prep: Designing with Flow Builder | Trailhead : Lightning Record Pages | Salesforce Help : UX Designer Certification Prep: Designing with Lightning Record Pages | Trailhead

To customize the theme in the external customer support site to match the style guide requirements, the recommended next step is to configure the Experience Builder Theme panel. The Theme panel allows the designer to customize the look and feel of the site by setting the logo, colors, fonts, and other branding elements. The designer can also create custom themes and assign them to different pages or audiences. The Theme panel is the preferred way to apply consistent branding across the site without writing any code or overriding any styles. References: : Theme Panel | Salesforce Help : UX Designer Certification Prep: Designing with Experience Builder | Trailhead

The design should be optimized for color contrast-ratio and screen-reading technology, as these are the best practices for designing for visually impaired people12. Color contrast-ratio is the difference in brightness and color between the foreground and the background of a text or an image3. A high color contrast-ratio makes the text or the image more visible and readable for people with low vision or color blindness4. Screen-reading technology is a software that converts text and images on a screen into speech or braille output for people who are blind or have severe vision loss. A design that is compatible with screen-reading technology ensures that the content and functionality of the product are accessible and understandable for these users. References: Accessibility Standards - Salesforce Help, How to Configure Salesforce for your Blind and Low Vision Users - Salesforce Admins, Color Contrast Ratio - WebAIM, Color Contrast Checker - WebAIM, [Screen Readers - WebAIM], [Screen Reader User Survey #8 Results - WebAIM]

The correct answer is B. When designing for a visually impaired audience, it is important to optimize for color contrast-ratio and screen-reading technology. This will ensure that the design is accessible to those with visual impairments. Color contrast-ratio ensures that the text is easily readable, while screen-reading technology allows people with visual impairments to access the content on the website using a screen reader. Additionally, Salesforce has some great resources on designing for accessibility, such as their Accessibility Design Guide [1] and their Accessibility Best Practices [2].

[1] https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/salesforce-accessibility-design-guide.pdf [2]  https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.salesforce_accessibility_best_practices.meta/salesforce_accessibility_best_practices/accessibility_best_practices_intro.htm

Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design are values that aim to create products, services, and environments that are accessible, welcoming, and fair for all people, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or other characteristics. Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can also bring positive business outcomes, such as economic growth, greater market share, and less employee turnover12.

Economic growth is a business outcome that represents the increase in the value of goods and services produced by an organization or a country over time. Economic growth can be influenced by various factors, such as innovation, productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness. Diversity, inclusion, andequality in design can contribute to economic growth by fostering creativity, innovation, and problem-solving, as well as by attracting and retaining diverse talent, customers, and partners12.

Greater market share is a business outcome that represents the percentage of sales or customers that an organization has in a particular market or industry. Greater market share can indicate the success and competitiveness of an organization, as well as its potential for growth and profitability. Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can help achieve greater market share by expanding the reach and appeal of products, services, and environments to diverse and underserved markets, as well as by enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy12.

Less employee turnover is a business outcome that represents the rate at which employees leave an organization and are replaced by new ones. Less employee turnover can indicate the stability and quality of an organization, as well as its ability to retain and develop its human capital. Diversity, inclusion, and equality in design can help reduce employee turnover by creating a positive and inclusive work culture, where employees feel valued, respected, and engaged, as well as by providing opportunities for learning, development, and career progression12.

References: 1: The business value of design | McKinsey 2: The Business Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Salesforce.com

An interactive prototype is a simulation of the final product that allows users to interact with it and test its functionality and usability. An interactive prototype can be created using tools such as Figma or Invision, and can be shared with stakeholders and users for feedback and validation. An interactive prototype can have several benefits for a UX designer, especially when planning to roll out a refreshed version of a mobile app with some new functionality for customers. Two of these benefits are12:

• To avoid added long-term cost from oversight-driven rework. An interactive prototype can help the UX designer to identify and fix any errors, bugs, or gaps in the design before the development stage. This can save time and money that would otherwise be spent on reworking the product after it is developed. An interactive prototype can also help the UX designer toensure that the new functionality is aligned with the customer needs and expectations, and that it does not compromise the existing functionality or performance of the app.
• To enable iterative feedback from the users. An interactive prototype can provide a realistic and engaging user experience, and allow the users to explore the app and provide their opinions and suggestions. The UX designer can use the user feedback to iterate and improve the design, and to validate the assumptions and hypotheses. An interactive prototype can also help the UX designer to measure the user satisfaction and loyalty, and to test the app’s usability and accessibility.

The following two reasons are not valid for using an interactive prototype in this situation:

• To increase the speed of design compared to paper prototyping. An interactive prototype is not necessarily faster than a paper prototype, as it requires more time and effort to create and refine. A paper prototype is a low-fidelity prototype that uses sketches or drawings to represent the app’s layout and functionality. A paper prototype can be useful for generating and testing ideas quickly and cheaply, and for involving the users in the co-design process3.
• To eliminate the need for journey mapping during discovery. An interactive prototype is not a substitute for journey mapping, but a complement. Journey mapping is a UX research method that visualizes the user’s journey across the app, and identifies the touchpoints, actions, emotions, and pain points. Journey mapping can help the UX designer to understand the user’s context, goals, and needs, and to discover the opportunities for improvement. An interactive prototype can help the UX designer to test and validate the journey map, and to communicate the design vision to the stakeholders and users4. References: Interactive Prototypes Without Coding - Studio by UXPin, What is Interactive Prototypes? — updated 2023 | IxDF, Paper Prototyping as a Usability Testing Technique, Journey Mapping 101 | Nielsen Norman Group

Customer interviews are a qualitative research method that allows the UX Designer to understand the needs, goals, pain points, and behaviors of the target users. To conduct effective customer interviews, the UX Designer should follow some best practices, such as:

• Engage in a friendly and informal way: The UX Designer should try to establish rapport and trust with the interviewee, and make them feel comfortable and relaxed. This can help elicit honest and candid responses, and encourage the interviewee to share more details and stories. The UX Designer should use a conversational tone, smile, and show interest and empathy12
• Ask open-ended questions: The UX Designer should avoid asking yes/no questions, or questions that lead or suggest a specific answer. Instead, the UX Designer should ask open-ended questions that allow the interviewee to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words. The UX Designer should also probe deeper by asking follow-up questions, such as “why?”, “how?”, or “can you tell me more about that?” 12
• Listen actively and attentively: The UX Designer should focus on listening to the interviewee, and avoid interrupting, judging, or correcting them. The UX Designer should also use verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, eye contact, and paraphrasing, to show that they are paying attention and understanding the interviewee. The UX Designer should also take notes or record the interview, with the interviewee’s permission, for later analysis12
• Ignore vague or general answers: This is not a best practice, because vague or general answers can indicate that the interviewee is not comfortable, engaged, or clear about the question. The UX Designer should try to clarify the question, or ask more specific or concrete questions, to elicit more meaningful and relevant responses12
• Analyze findings in the moment: This is not a best practice, because analyzing findings in the moment can distract the UX Designer from listening to the interviewee, and bias their interpretation of the data. The UX Designer should wait until the interview is over, and review thenotes or recordings, before analyzing the findings and identifying patterns, insights, and opportunities12

References:

• Customer Interviews: The Ultimate Guide - User Interviews
• How to Conduct User Interviews - Interaction Design Foundation

Personalized Navigation Tabs are a navigational feature that allows the users to customize the navigation bar of the Salesforce mobile app with the items that they use most frequently. Users can add, remove, and reorder the tabs in the navigation bar, and access them with a single tap. Users can also mark their favorite items with a star icon, and access them from the Favorites tab. Personalized Navigation Tabs can help Cloud Kicks (CK) employees to quickly access the apps, objects, and other items that they need in the Salesforce mobile app12

• Console Navigation is a navigational feature that allows the users to work with multiple records and objects on a single screen in the Salesforce desktop app. Console Navigation is not available in the Salesforce mobile app, and it is not suitable for providing quick access to apps, objects, and other items3
• Utility Bar is a navigational feature that allows the users to access common productivity tools, such as notes, history, or macros, from a fixed footer at the bottom of the Salesforce desktop app. Utility Bar is not available in the Salesforce mobile app, and it is not suitable for providing quick access to apps, objects, and other items4

References:

• Personalize Your Navigation Bar in the Salesforce Mobile App - Salesforce Help
• Personalize Your Navigation Bar in the Salesforce Mobile App Unit | Salesforce Trailhead
• Console Navigation - Salesforce Help
• Utility Bar - Salesforce Help

 A user flow is a UX design method that creates a visual representation of a user’s series of steps to achieve a meaningful goal. A user flow shows the path that a user takes from their entry point to their final action, such as signing up, purchasing, or completing a task. A user flow helps designers understand and optimize the user experience, as well as identify pain points, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. A user flow can take various forms, such as diagrams, wireframes, or prototypes, depending on the level of detail and fidelity required. References:

• What Are User Flows In UX Design? [Full Beginner’s Guide] - CareerFoundry
• What is a User Flow in UX Design? — updated 2023 | IxDF
• User Flows in UX Design: Definition, Benefits, and Best Practices

Experience Cloud is the best cloud to design an appropriate solution for Cloud Kicks’ users. Experience Cloud allows the business to create an external facing site where users can manage and submit cases via the web, browse and search Knowledge Base articles, and contact Support via live chat. Experience Cloud also provides branding options, personalization features, and collaboration tools to enhance the user experience and engagement. Experience Cloud integrates with Service Cloud, which is the cloud that provides the case management, knowledge base, and live chat functionalities. Therefore, Experience Cloud is the cloud that enables the design of the user interface, while Service Cloud is the cloud that enables the backend service processes. References: [Experience Cloud Overview] (https://www.getapp.com/operations-management-software/a/salesforce-1-service-cloud/compare/salesforce-community-cloud/), [Service Cloud Overview] (https://titandxp.com/salesforce-experience-cloud-vs-service-cloud/)

The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) is a CSS framework that helps designers and developers create applications with the look and feel of Lightning Experience. SLDS provides a library of design tokens, icons, components, utilities, and patterns that can be used to build consistent, responsive, and accessible user interfaces1. One of the features that SLDS provides for designers and developers is semantic and accessible component markup. Semantic markup means using HTML elements that describe the meaning and structure of the content, rather than just the presentation. For example, using 

 for a main heading, 

 for a paragraph, or  for a button. Semantic markup helps to improve the readability, maintainability, and SEO of the code2. Accessible markup means using HTML attributes and techniques that enhance the usability and accessibility of the content for people with disabilities. For example, using aria-label to provide a descriptive label for an element, role to indicate the function of an element, or tabindex to control the keyboard focus order. Accessible markup helps to ensure that the content can be perceived, understood, operated, and interacted with by people using assistive technologies, such as screen readers, keyboards, or voice commands3. SLDS provides semantic and accessible markup for its components, which are reusable UI elements that can be customized and composed to create complex interfaces. SLDS components follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are the international standards for web accessibility4. SLDS components also use the BEM (Block Element Modifier)naming convention, which is a methodology for creating clear and consistent class names for CSS selectors5. By using SLDS components, designers and developers can create user interfaces that are not only visually appealing, but also meaningful and accessible for everyone. References: Introduction to the Salesforce Lightning Design System, Semantic HTML: How to Structure Web Pages, Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview, BEM — Block Element Modifier

When designing the experience for a 'Case Solver' user persona, especially in the context of Cloud Kicks' Service Cloud instance, the activities to consider should revolve around the primary responsibilities and tasks of this role. For a Case Solver, these would include:

• Troubleshooting customer issues:This involves identifying, analyzing, and solving problems reported by customers. The design should facilitate easy access to relevant information, tools for effective problem-solving, and a seamless workflow for diagnosing issues.
• Logging activities:Keeping a detailed record of interactions, solutions provided, and any follow-up actions is crucial. The user interface should support efficient logging and tracking of activities to ensure accountability and facilitate continuous improvement in customer service.

While training other agents and editing knowledge articles (option B) and viewing the status of cases and analyzing campaign metrics (option C) are important in certain contexts, they do not directly align with the core activities of a Case Solver persona focused on direct customer support and problem resolution.

References:Salesforce's own documentation, such as the Salesforce Service Cloud User Guide, provides insights into designing user experiences for specific roles within the platform. It offers best practices and recommendations for optimizing the interface and workflows for various user personas, including those involved in case management and customer support.

The best way to improve the user experience of a multiple-step custom Screen Flow is to create a Progress Indicator component that displays the flow’s stages. A Progress Indicator component provides a visual indication of the progress of a particular process, showing the number of steps, the current step, and the prior steps completed. This helps to reduce the user’s anxiety and uncertainty by letting them know where they are in the flow and how much is left to complete. A Progress Indicator component can be created using the lightning:progressIndicator or lightning-progress-indicator tags in Aura or Lightning Web Components, respectively. The component can be customized to match the branding and styling of Cloud Kicks, and can be integrated with the Screen Flow using attributes and events. References:

• : lightning:progressIndicator - documentation - Salesforce Lightning Component Library
• : lightning-progress-indicator - documentation - Salesforce Lightning Component Library
• : How to Add a Progress Bar to a Screen Flow

 A responsive user interface is a type of user interface that adapts to different screen sizes, resolutions, orientations, and devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It uses flexible layouts, grids, images, and media queries to optimize the user experience and ensure usability, accessibility, and performance across different devices. A responsive user interface can help Cloud Kicks create a site for its customers to manage events regardless of the device they are using, as it can provide a consistent and seamless experience that meets the user needs and expectations. A responsive user interface can also reduce the development and maintenance costs and efforts, as it can use the same code base and content for different devices, rather than creating separate versions for each device. References:

• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 5: Design User Interfaces
• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 7: Implement User Interfaces
• : What is Responsive Web Design?

To create a site for its customers to manage events regardless of the device they are using, Cloud Kicks should use the best practice of creating a responsive user interface. A responsive user interface is one that adapts to the screen size and orientation of the device, providing an optimal viewing and interaction experience for the user. A responsive user interface can use the same code base and content for different devices, reducing the development and maintenance costs and ensuring consistency and accessibility. A responsive user interface can also leverage the features and capabilities of the device, such as touch, gestures, camera, etc., to enhance the user experience.

References:

• : Responsive User Interface

Accordions are collapsible sections that can be used to separate different content areas. By using accordions, users can quickly navigate through the page and easily find thecontent that they need. The use of accordions also ensures that screen readers can access the content within each section, reducing the need for additional navigation. Additionally, a Lightning Console layout can be used to organize components, but this layout is optimized for customer service agents and not necessarily for screen reader users. Placing components in adjacent tabs or stacking them on the same page can make the page difficult to navigate and can make it difficult for screen readers to understand the page. For more information, see the Salesforce Accessibility Guide (https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=accessibility_overview.htm &type=5).

 According to the Salesforce Lightning Design System, accordions are a good way to organize components on a page for screen reader-assisted accessibility. Accordions allow users to expand and collapse sections of content, which can help reduce cognitive load and scrolling. Accordions also provide a clear heading structure and keyboard navigation for each section1. The other options are not recommended for screen reader-assisted accessibility, as they can create confusion, clutter, or inefficiency for users who rely on auditory feedback. For example, switching to a Lightning Console layout can make it harder for users to navigate between tabs and subtabs2. Placing components in adjacent tabs can also increase the number of keystrokes and commands needed to access the information3. Stacking components on the same page can create a long and overwhelming page that requires excessive scrolling and reading4.

References: Accordions - Lightning Design System, Lightning Console Apps - Salesforce Help, Tabs - Lightning Design System, Accessibility Standards - Salesforce Help

Changing the role hierarchy and reassigning account owners can have a significant impact on the data visibility and performance of Salesforce. An architect should consider the following points in this situation:

• Changing complex role hierarchy can cause a high level of sharing recalculation. Depending on the sharing settings, roles can control the level of visibility that users have into the Salesforce data. Users at any given role level can view, edit, and report on all data owned by or shared with users below them in the role hierarchy, unless the sharing model for an object specifies otherwise. When the role hierarchy is changed, Salesforce must recalculate the sharing rules and group membership for all the affected users and records, which can take a long time and consume a lot of system resources. Therefore, changing a complex role hierarchy should be done carefully and preferably during off-peak hours1.
• Replacing account records ownerships massively can cause data skew. Data skew occurs when more than 10,000 child records are related to the same parent record, or more than 10,000 records of any object are owned by a single user. This can cause performance issues, such as locking, timeouts, and failures, when updating or sharing those records. When account owners are reassigned massively, it can create or worsen data skew, especially if the accounts have many child records, such as contacts and opportunities. Therefore, replacing account records ownerships massively should be avoided or minimized23.

References:

• : [Design Your Data Model Unit | Salesforce Trailhead]
• : [Data Skew in Salesforce - Why it Matters | Salesforce Ben]
• : [Ownership Data Skew | Designing Record Access for Enterprise Scale | Salesforce Developers]

Themes and branding allow Salesforce app developers to customize the look and feel of their apps to match their company’s branding and accessibility standards. One of the features of themes and branding is the ability to select a brand color, which is the primary color used for buttons, links, and highlights. Salesforce automatically generates a color palette based on the brand color, which includes accessible colors that meet the WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio guidelines. This ensures that the app is visually appealing and accessible to users with different color vision abilities. Developers can also customize other aspects of the theme, such as the logo, page background, and default font. References: [Themes and Branding Basics], [Accessibility in Salesforce]

Dynamic Forms is a feature that allows users to customize the form fields and sections displayed to users on a page layout. Dynamic Forms can be used to create user-centric, intuitive,and dynamic record creation screens for custom objects, such as Appointment. When creating a record using Dynamic Forms, the UX designer should consider the following two aspects12:

• The use of tabs when creating the record is not allowed. Dynamic Forms does not support the use of tabs within the form, as tabs are not compatible with the record creation process. Tabs are only available for viewing or editing existing records, not for creating new ones. Therefore, the UX designer cannot use tabs to separate the fields for different record types or software options on the record creation screen.
• Fields can be organized into sections. Dynamic Forms allows the UX designer to group fields into sections, and place them anywhere on the page layout. Sections can have labels, collapsible headers, and visibility rules. The UX designer can use sections to create a logical and clear structure for the form, and to show or hide fields based on user input, data, or profile. For example, the UX designer can create a section for each software option, and use visibility rules to display only the relevant section based on the user’s selection.

The following two aspects are not true when creating a record using Dynamic Forms, and should be disregarded:

• The form will not be available on mobile devices. Dynamic Forms is compatible with mobile devices, and the UX designer can preview and test the form on different device sizes and orientations. The form will automatically adjust to the screen size and layout of the mobile device, and provide a responsive and consistent user experience3.
• All software option sections of the form will always be visible. Dynamic Forms allows the UX designer to use visibility rules to control the visibility of fields and sections on the form. Visibility rules can be based on user input, data, or profile. The UX designer can use visibility rules to show or hide software option sections based on the user’s selection of the record type or the software option. This can reduce the clutter and complexity of the form, and provide a personalized and flexible user experience4. References: Get Started with Dynamic Forms Unit | Salesforce Trailhead, Salesforce Dynamic Forms: Overview & Deep DiveTutorial, Dynamic Forms and Actions FAQ | Salesforce Help, Create Dynamic Forms with Visibility Rules | Salesforce Trailhead

 A service-blueprinting workshop is a process that involves mapping out the flow of a service, identifying the touchpoints, actors, processes, and systems that are involved, and highlighting the pain points and opportunities for improvement. A service-blueprinting workshop is a collaborative and creative way to redesign services with stakeholders, as it allows them to see the big picture, empathize with the users, and co-create solutions. A service-blueprinting workshop is suitable for Cloud Kicks (CK) after they have finished conducting research and synthesizing the findings, as it will help them address the issues uncovered in the study and design better service experiences for their customers. References: Service Design Service Blueprints, How to create a service blueprinting facilitation guide, Workshop exercise: Service Blueprint

 The two Salesforce features that should be suggested to improve the end-user experience are:

• Favorite the often-used object. This feature allows the users to bookmark the object’s tab and access it quickly from the Favorites menu in the header. This way, the users do not have to search for the object in the App Launcher or switch to a different app to use it.
• Personalize the navigation bar. This feature allows the users to customize the navigation bar in their Lightning app by adding, removing, or reordering the items. This way, the users can add the object they often use to their navigation bar and access it easily from any page in the app.

References:

• : Favorites in Lightning Experience
• : Personalize Your Navigation Bar

Consequence Scanning is a workshop method that helps teams to identify and mitigate the potential positive and negative impacts of their products or services on users, society, and the environment. When conducting a Consequence Scanning workshop, two important considerations are:

• Consider design ramifications to prevent misuse and protect communities: This means that teams should think beyond the intended use cases and benefits of their products or services, and also consider the possible unintended or harmful consequences that may arise from their design choices. For example, teams should ask themselves how their products or services could be misused, abused, or exploited by malicious actors, or how they could affect vulnerable or marginalized groups, or how they could contribute to environmental or social issues. By considering these design ramifications, teams can proactively address and mitigate the ethical risks and challenges that may emerge from their products or services, and protect the well-being and interests of their users and communities.
• Bring together a cross-function group with varied experiences: This means that teams should involve diverse and relevant stakeholders in the Consequence Scanning workshop, such as product managers, designers, developers, researchers, testers, marketers, legal experts, ethicists, users, or representatives from affected communities. By bringing together a cross-function group with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds, teams can gain a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the potential impacts of their products or services, and avoid blind spots, biases, or assumptions that may limit their vision or judgment. A cross-function group can also foster more creative and collaborative problem-solving, and generate more inclusive and responsible solutions.

References:

• How To Run a Consequence Scanning Workshop
• Consequence scanning: How to mitigate risks in your service
• Incorporate Ethics by Design Concepts

The best onboarding design practice for Cloud Kicks would be to identify the message, audience, and purpose for content. This would help them tailor the content to the different needs and preferences of their employees, and provide them with the most relevant and useful information. Providing written help documentation as the single source of truth for learning about new features (A) might not be engaging or effective for all users, especially those who prefer visual or interactive learning. Creating pop-ups to give users a full visualization of a product © might be intrusive or overwhelming for some users, and might not explain the benefits or features of the product clearly. Identifying the message, audience, and purpose for content (B) isa key step in creating user-centered onboarding design, as it helps to define the goals, scope, and tone of the content, and to align it with the user’s needs, expectations, and motivations. References:

• [UX Designer Certification Prep: Onboarding Design]
• [UX Designer Certification Prep: Content Strategy]
• [Salesforce Certified User Experience Designer Exam Guide]

Design tokens are the visual design atoms of the design system — specifically, they are named entities that store visual design attributes. We use them in place of hard-coded values (such as hex values for color or pixel values for spacing) in order to maintain a scalable and consistent visual system for UI development1. Design tokens are available for different platforms and frameworks, such as Lightning Web Components, Aura Components, CSS, iOS, and Android2. Design tokens can be customized to apply branding and theming to components and applications3. Utility classes are CSSclasses that provide common styling properties, such as margins, padding, borders, and textalignment1. Design patterns are reusable solutions to common design problems, such as navigation, forms, and data visualization. References: Design Tokens - Lightning Design System, SLDS Design Tokens | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide | Salesforce Developers, Styling with Design Tokens - Salesforce Developers, [Design Patterns - Lightning Design System]

A design thinking approach is a human-centered method for solving complex problems and creating innovative solutions. It involves understanding the needs and desires of the users, generating and testing multiple ideas, and iterating on the feedback and results. A design thinking approach can be divided into two types of thinking: divergent and convergent. Divergent thinking is the process of generating many possible solutions to a problem without judging or filtering them. It encourages creativity, exploration, and experimentation. Convergent thinking is the process of evaluating, selecting, and refining the best solution to a problem. It involves analysis, logic, and criteria. Divergent and convergent thinking are complementary and cyclical. They help the designer to expand the solution space and then narrow it down to the most feasible and desirable option. By using both types of thinking, the designer can encourage more creative problem-solving and avoid premature convergence or fixation on a single idea. Therefore, the best approach combination for the UX Designer at Cloud Kicks is divergent and convergent thinking. References: Trailhead: Design Thinking, Trailhead: Salesforce User Experience Designer Certification Prep, Divergent and Convergent Design Thinking

 Two best practices that should be considered when using a custom Lightning component to fulfill a specific business requirement are:

• Find the closest Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) Blueprint to help inform the custom Lightning component. The SLDS is a collection of design guidelines, UI components, and code samples that help you create consistent and beautiful user interfaces for Lightning applications. The SLDS Blueprints are examples of common UI patterns and components that are built with the SLDS and follow the design principles and best practices. The Blueprints can help you inform the custom Lightning component by providing inspiration, guidance, and code snippets that you can modify and reuse. The Blueprints can also help you ensure that the custom Lightning component is compatible and consistent with the rest of the Lightning application and the Salesforce platform. [UX Designer Certification Prep: Salesforce Design System], Lightning Design System Website
• Exhaust the list of available base Lightning components in the Component Library. The base Lightning components are a set of pre-built UI components that you can use to create custom Lightning components. The base Lightning components are built with the SLDS and provide the functionality and interactivity that you need for common UI elements, such as buttons, icons, forms, tables, charts, and more. The base Lightning components also handle the accessibility, security, and performance aspects for you, so you don’t have to worry about them. The Component Library is a reference guide that provides documentation and examples for the base Lightning components, as well as other Lightning web components and Aura components. The Component Library can help you explore the list of available base Lightning components and see how they work and how to use them. The Component Library can also help you avoid reinventing the wheel and save time and effort by using the base Lightning components as much as possible, and only creating custom Lightning components when there is no suitable base Lightning component for your requirement. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation], Developer Center’s Lightning Component Library

Prioritizing Aura markup even if there is a Lightning Web Component (LWC) available, and creating HTML markup and linking the SLDS stylesheet via static resource are not best practices that should be considered when using a custom Lightning component to fulfill a specific business requirement. These practices can lead to suboptimal performance, maintainability, and compatibility issues for the custom Lightning component. Aura markup is the older syntax for creating Aura components, which are the predecessor of Lightning web components. Lightning web components are the newer and faster way of creating custom UI components for Lightning applications, using modern web standards and best practices. Lightning web components also have better interoperability and compatibility with Aura components and other web components, as well as with the base Lightning components and the SLDS. Therefore, it is recommended to use Lightning web components over Aura components whenever possible, and to use LWC markup instead of Aura markup for creating custom Lightning components. [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Testing and Evaluation], Lightning Web Components Developer Guide

Creating HTML markup and linking the SLDS stylesheet via static resource is also not a recommended practice for creating custom Lightning components, because it can create unnecessary complexity and duplication for the custom Lightning component. A static resource is a file or a collection of files that can be referenced by a Lightning component, such as images,style sheets, JavaScript libraries, or fonts. However, linking the SLDS stylesheet via static resource means that you have to manually download and upload the SLDS files to your org, and update them whenever there is a new version of the SLDS. This can create maintenance and compatibility issues for the custom Lightning component, as

The SLDS BEM naming convention consists of three parts: block, element, and modifier. A block is a standalone component that can be reused across projects, such as a button, a card, or a modal. An element is a part of a block that has no standalone meaning, such as a label, an icon, or a header. A modifier is a flag that changes the appearance or behavior of a block or an element, such as size, color, or state. The modifier is separated from the block or element by two hyphens (–), and can have a value separated by a single hyphen (-), such as .slds-button–brand or .slds-button–neutral. The class .slds–size-l-of-2 does not follow thisconvention because it has no block or element name before the modifier. It should be something like .slds-grid–size-l-of-2 or .slds-col–size-l-of-2. References:

• [1]: Salesforce Lightning Design System - Introduction
• [2]: Salesforce Lightning Design System - Naming Con

A heuristic evaluation is a method of inspecting the usability of an interface by comparing it to a set of general principles or heuristics. It can help identify potential problems and areas for improvement in the design. A heuristic evaluation is usually done before creating any prototypes, as it can provide insights and guidance for the design process. A low-fidelity prototype is a rough sketch or mockup of an interface that can be used to test and validate design ideas with users. It is usually created after conducting some research and analysis of the user needs and goals. A design template is a pre-made layout or structure that can be used to create an interface. It can help save time and ensure consistency in the design, but it may not suit the specific needs and preferences of the users or the business. A design template is usually applied after defining the content and functionality of the interface. References:

• [Heuristic Evaluation]: This is a Trailhead module that explains what a heuristic evaluation is, how to conduct one, and how to use the results to improve the design of an interface.
• [Low-Fidelity Prototyping]: This is a Trailhead module that covers the benefits and best practices of creating and testing low-fidelity prototypes with users.
• [Design Templates]: This is a Trailhead module that introduces the concept of design templates and how to use them in Experience Cloud.

Lightning console apps are designed to help users work faster and more efficiently by providing a workspace where they can access multiple records and their related records on the same screen. Users can complete actions with a single click, such as creating records, logging calls, sending emails, and updating fields, without losing context or switching tabs. Lightning console apps also support keyboard shortcuts, macros, and quick text to speed up common tasks. Lightning console apps are especially useful for sales representatives who need to provide quick, competitive pricing and close deals faster. They can also use Lightning console apps to view and manage their pipeline, collaborate with team members, and track their performance. Organizing items in the utility bar and adding records to Favorites are features that are available in any Lightning app, not just Lightning console apps. References: Salesforce Console in Lightning Experience, Create and Edit a Custom Lightning Console App, Create a Lightning Console App

A UX Designer should take the following steps to create and deliver responsible and transparent AI technology12:

• C. Document model cards to clarify intended context and use cases. Model cards are standardized documents that provide essential information about a machine learning model, such as its purpose, performance, limitations, and ethical considerations3. Model cards can help UX Designers to communicate the design choices and trade-offs of their AI systems, and to ensure that they are aligned with the user needs and expectations4.
• D. Provide clear explanations of AI predictions or recommendations. Explanations are user-facing descriptions of how and why an AI system produces a certain output, such as a prediction, a recommendation, or a decision5. Explanations can help UX Designers to increase the transparency and trustworthiness of their AI systems, and to empower users to understand, control, and evaluate the AI outcomes6.

References: Salesforce Debuts AI Ethics Model: How Ethical Practices Further Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI: 5 Guidelines for Responsible Development - Salesforce, Model Cards for Model Reporting, Model Cards: A Framework for Increasing Trust in AI Systems, Explainable AI: A Guide for Making Black Box Machine Learning Models Explainable, Salesforce Supports AI Regulation Advancing Digital Trust and Innovation - Salesforce

C. Document model cards to clarify intended context and use cases.

Model cards are documents that describe the intended use, performance, and limitations of AI models. They help ensure that the AI technology is being used responsibly and transparently, as they provide clear information about the model's context, data, and assumptions. This can help reduce the risk of unintended consequences and build trust with users.

D. Provide clear explanations of AI predictions or recommendations.

Clear explanations of AI predictions or recommendations help build trust with users and increase understanding of how the AI technology works. By providing an understandable explanation of how a prediction or recommendation was made, users can gain a better understanding of the technology and how it is intended to be used. This can also help reduce the risk of unintended consequences and improve accountability.

A top-of-page validation is a type of validation rule that displays an error message at the top of the page when a user tries to save a record that does not meet certain criteria. A field validation is a type of validation rule that displays an error message next to a specific field when a user tries to save a record that does not meet certain criteria. The advantage of using field validations over top-of-page validations is that they provide more clarity and guidance to the user about which fields need to be corrected and why. They also reduce the cognitive load and the scrolling effort for the user, as they can see the error message right next to the field they are editing. Therefore, to help the Client Service team at Cloud Kicks efficiently find the correct fields when editing an order record, the UX designer should replace the top-of-page validation with two field validations, assigning the respective fields that are required to validate and save the order changes. References:

• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 5: Design User Interfaces
• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 7: Implement User Interfaces
• : Validation Rules

 To implement a brand style guide using out-of-the box Experience Builder features, the best option is to apply brand fonts and colors. This can be done by using themes and branding sets in Experience Builder. Themes are collections of information that define the visual flow of a site, such as colors, fonts, and spacing. Branding sets are groups of assets that can be applied to a theme, such as logos, images, and icons. By using themes and branding sets, CK can customize the look and feel of their site without coding or using a different template. References: Add Style to Your Experience Builder Site with Themes, Use Branding Sets in Experience Builder

 The two UX design principles that are key to creating excellent mobile user experiences are:

• Consistency across device experiences. This means that the design of a mobile app or website should match the design of the desktop version, as well as other platforms and devices. Consistency helps users to recognize and trust the brand, as well as to navigate and use the product more easily. Consistency also reduces the cognitive load and confusion for users who switch between different devices12
• Prioritization of content and UI elements on the screen. This means that the design of a mobile app or website should focus on the most important and relevant information and actions for the user, and eliminate or minimize the unnecessary or secondary ones. Prioritization helps users toachieve their goals faster and more efficiently, as well as to avoid distractions and clutter. Prioritization also improves the readability and usability of the product on smaller screens34

References: [Mobile UX Design: The Comprehensive Guide — updated 2023], [Mobile UX design principles and best practices], [Mobile UX Design: The Ultimate Guide 2023 - Bluespace], [Mobile UX Design: Key Principles. by Nick Babich - UX Planet]

https://uxcam.com/blog/mobile-ux/ https://uxplanet.org/mobile-ux-design-key-principles-dee1a632f9e6

A Salesforce Console application is designed to optimize the user experience for service representatives who work on multiple records and tasks at the same time. The console navigation features allow the user to access multiple records and related information in a single screen, without switching back and forth between tabs or windows. The features that are relevant to the designer recommendation are:

• More than one detail item can be open at a time. This allows the user to work on multiple records simultaneously and switch between them easily.
• Multiple subtabs can be beneath a single parent record. This allows the user to view and access related information, such as activities, emails, notes, and attachments, without leaving the parent record.
• A split list of records and individual record detail can be seen on the same screen. This allows the user to browse through a list of records, such as a queue or a report, and see the details of the selected record on the same screen.

The feature that is not relevant to the designer recommendation is:

• Service representatives with lower resolution monitors will have a better user experience. This is not true, because a Salesforce Console application requires a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels to display properly. Users with lower resolution monitors may experience scrolling issues or truncated information.

References: What Features Are Available in Lightning Console Apps?, Personalize the Navigation Menu for Lightning Console Apps, Navigate Around

When the Service team at Cloud Kicks faces difficulty due to an overload of list views, the most effective way to improve their experience is by decluttering the list views to make relevant ones easier to find. This can be achieved by:

• Streamlining the List Views:Removing less frequently used or irrelevant list views from the public view helps in reducing clutter and focusing on the most pertinent information. This streamlining process makes navigation more intuitive and efficient for the service team members.

Options B (Updating Sharing Rules) and C (Allowing users to manage public list views) might help in managing access to records and customization, but they do not directly address the issue of having too many list views, which is the primary concern impacting the team's ability to find relevant information quickly.

References:Salesforce's documentation on managing list views provides strategies for organizing and customizing list views to improve usability and efficiency. This includes guidelines on creating, editing, and managing visibility of list views to ensure that users have access to the most relevant and useful information.

Card sorting is a technique that helps UX designers understand the mental model of users and how they organize information into categories. Card sorting involves giving users a set of cards, each with a piece of information or a feature, and asking them to sort them into groups that make sense to them. The designer can then analyze the results and identify patterns, similarities, and differences among the users’ categorizations. Card sorting can help the designer suggest a suitable architecture for the new internal community, based on how the employees think about the site’s content and functionality. Card sorting can be done in person or online, using tools like OptimalSort or UserZoom1. References:

• [Salesforce Certified User Experience Designer Exam Guide], Section 2.1: Conduct user research
• [UX Designer Certification Prep: User Research], Unit 3: User Research Methods
• [Prepare for Your UX Designer Credential], Trailmix: User Research
• [Card Sorting: A Definitive Guide]1

The alternative (alt) text is a short block of text that describes the content and function of an image or other non-text element on a web page. The alt text is read aloud by screen readers and other assistive technologies to provide access to people who cannot see the image. The alt text also helps with search engine optimization and displays on the page if the image fails to load1.

When designing a custom component that includes a clickable icon in a Lookup field, the alt text should be concise, descriptive, and meaningful. The alt text should convey the purpose and action of the icon, rather than its appearance or format. Therefore, the best option for the alt text of the icon is “Search button”, as it describes what the icon does and how the user can interact with it. The other options are not suitable for the alt text, as they either include unnecessary words, such as “image of” or “photo of”, or omit important information, such as “button”. For example, the option “Image of a search button” is redundant, as the screen reader will already announce that the element is an image. The option “Search” is incomplete, as it does not indicate that the element is a button that can be clicked. The option “Image of amagnifying glass” is irrelevant, as it describes the appearance of the icon, rather than its function.

References: Everything you need to know to write effective alt text and Write helpful Alt Text to describe images

 Tiles are standard components that display records or objects as a collection of boxes that contain a photo and additional information1. Tiles are suitable for Cloud Kicks (CK) to display contact information, including avatar, name, and title, for people who are related to a customer on a Record page, as they provide a compact and visual way to show the relevant data. Tiles also allow users to interact with the records by clicking or tapping on them1. Tiles can be customized to fit the availablespace and layout of the Record page2. References: Components - Salesforce Lightning Component Library, Tiles - Lightning Design System

 Interactive cards are compact components that can displayinformation such as avatars, names, and titles in an organized way. Additionally, Interactive Cards are designed to be responsive and can be used to display information on smaller screens, such as mobile devices, without taking up too much space. This makes them ideal for CK's use case, as they can display all of the required information within the limited title space. For more information, see the Salesforce Lightning Design System documentation (https://lightningdesignsystem.com/components/cards/#interactive-cards).

 Usability testing is a type of testing that evaluates how easy and intuitive a product or service is to use by observing real users performing specific tasks. Usability testing can help the UX Designer to measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the new form for the call center staff. Usability testing can also help to identify any usability issues or areas for improvement in the form design. Usability testing can be conducted in various ways, such as moderated or unmoderated, remote or in-person, qualitative or quantitative, or using various tools and methods12. References:

• Usability Testing
• Usability Testing Methods

 The next phase after discovery, research analysis, and ideation is prototyping, which is the process of creating low-fidelity or high-fidelity representations of the design solution that can be tested and validated with users and stakeholders. To prepare for this phase, the UX designer should determine what to prototype, which means deciding on the scope, the level of detail, the format, and the tools for creating the prototype. The UX designer should consider the following factors when determining what to prototype:

• The goals and objectives of the prototype: What is the purpose of the prototype? What questions or hypotheses does it aim to answer or test? What feedback or data does it seek to collect?
• The target users and audience of the prototype: Who are the users and stakeholders that will interact with or evaluate the prototype? What are their needs, expectations, and preferences? How will they access and use the prototype?
• The features and functionality of the prototype: What are the key features and functionality that the prototype should include or exclude? How will they support the user goals and tasks? How will they demonstrate the value proposition and the design principles of the solution?
• The fidelity and interactivity of the prototype: How realistic and detailed should the prototype be? How interactive and responsive should the prototype be? How will the prototype convey the look and feel, the content, and the behavior of the solution?
• The tools and methods of the prototype: What tools and methods will be used to create and present the prototype? How will they affect the time, cost, and quality of the prototype? How will they facilitate the testing and validation of the prototype?

References:

• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 5: Design User Interfaces
• : User Experience Designer Certification Prep: Module 6: Validate User Interfaces
• : What is Prototyping?

The next phase for a UX designer after completing discovery, research analysis, andideation is to determine what to prototype. Prototyping is the process of creating a model, mock-up, or simulation of a user interface to test out ideas and gain feedback from users. Prototyping can be done in a variety of ways, from low-fidelity paper prototypes to high-fidelity digital prototypes. It is important to consider the purpose of the prototype and the amount of detail needed to accurately test out the user experience.

To prepare for the prototyping phase, a UX designer should review the researchdata and user insights gathered during the discovery, research analysis, and ideation stages. They should determine what needs to be tested out and create a plan for creating the prototype, considering the level of fidelity needed, the resources available, and the timeline. Additionally, they should consider what metrics they want to measure when testing the prototype, such as user engagement, usability, and satisfaction.

References: [1] https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2019/12/ux-design-prototyping.html [2]  https://uxplanet.org/the-importance-of-prototyping-in-ux-design-process-dd4b4a8f76e [3] https://uxdesign.cc/prototyping-a-comprehensive-guide-e87f3d3fbb37

A grid system is a set of columns and rows that help to organize and align the layout and content of a web page. The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) provides a responsive grid system that adapts to different screen sizes and devices. The SLDS grid system is based on the CSS Flexbox layout module, which allows for flexible and dynamic positioning of elements. The SLDS grid system consists of the following components1:

• Containers: These are the outermost elements that wrap the grid. They have a fixed width that changes according to the breakpoints defined by the SLDS. Breakpoints are the points at which the layout changes based on the screen size. The SLDS has four breakpoints: small, medium, large, and x-large2.
• Grids: These are the direct children of the containers. They are the main elements that define the grid structure. They have a display property of flex, which enables the flexbox layout. They can also have modifiers that control the alignment, direction, and wrapping of the grid items3.
• Grid items: These are the direct children of the grids. They are the elements that contain the actual content of the page. They have a flex property that determines how much space they take up in the grid. They can also have modifiers that control the order, offset, and visibility of the grid items4.

A UX Designer should use the SLDS grid system to design responsively within the SLDS, as it provides a consistent and flexible way to create layouts that work across different devices and screen sizes. The SLDS grid system also follows the SLDS design principles and best practices, such as clarity, efficiency, consistency, and beauty5.

References:

• Grid - Lightning Design System, Grid - Lightning Design System Grid HTML/CSS: Dev Ready Responsive Terms of Service Privacy Responsible Disclosure Trust Cookies Settings Your Privacy Choices © Copyright 2015-present Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners.
• Breakpoints - Lightning Design System, Breakpoints - Lightning Design System Breakpoints HTML/CSS: Dev Ready Responsive Terms of Service Privacy Responsible Disclosure Trust Cookies Settings Your Privacy Choices © Copyright 2015-present Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners.
• Grid - Lightning Design System, Grid - Lightning Design System Grid HTML/CSS: Dev Ready Responsive Terms of Service Privacy Responsible Disclosure Trust Cookies Settings Your Privacy Choices © Copyright 2015-present Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners.
• Grid - Lightning Design System, Grid - Lightning Design System Grid HTML/CSS: Dev Ready Responsive Terms of Service Privacy Responsible Disclosure Trust Cookies Settings Your Privacy Choices © Copyright 2015-present Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners.
• Design Principles - Lightning Design System, Design Principles - Lightning Design System Design Principles HTML/CSS: Dev Ready Responsive Terms of Service Privacy Responsible Disclosure Trust Cookies Settings Your Privacy Choices © Copyright 2015-present Salesforce, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners.

According to the SLDS documentation, icons require a containing element with the class slds-icon_container for accessibility support. If the icon is used without a visible, descriptive label, a title attribute is needed on the containing element. The title should describe the icon. For example:

The title attribute provides a tooltip for the icon when the user hovers over it, and it also helps screen readers to announce the icon’s meaning. The other attributes (href, class, and for) do not provide this functionality.

References: Icons - Lightning Design System