Cloudy at #DF16: Take the #PageLayoutChallenge!

We spend so much of our Salesforce time and dollars shooting for big game:

that we sometimes forget the “little things” like usability. But in this case, the little things are really the big things; if your users don’t like using Salesforce, you’ll have trouble getting the expected value from your trophy Apps and Flows!

At Dreamforce 2016, Scott Kincaide from the Usability Sciences Corporation presented the #PageLayoutChallenge. Page layouts are a “little thing” that can have a HUGE IMPACT on the usability of your Salesforce org. Take the challenge with us, and tweet your results @CloudyCumulus with the #PageLayoutChallenge hashtag!

Here is what to do:

PRINT OUT your page layouts for your most-used pages.  Print both the EDIT and VIEW layouts! Sit down with a small group, or 1:1 with your users. With a red pen, start making notes about what is working and what needs to change.  Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• PRIORITIZE: Important & required fields should be near the top of the page.
• MOVE: Fields that are alike in theme or content should appear near each other.
• SECTIONS & SPACES: Make sure you have enough visual space and organization.
• SECTION HEADERS: Should be ON or OFF for both View and Edit.
• SECTION TAB-ORDER: Should be consistent and logical for data-entry.
• LONG TEXT FIELDS: Should be given their own section so that blocks of text don’t throw off the balance of a 2-column section.
• HELP TEXT: Help bubbles should explain WHAT should be entered and WHY?
• CAREFULLY CONSIDER: The use of required fields. If there are too many, users will employ “off line processes” to get around heavy handed rules! It’s not enough to think “we need this data” – you should also be able to answer the question “what are we going to do with this data?”.
• ALSO CONSIDER: Can some fields be eliminated? If you are not sure, the free App “Field Trip” can help you easily see a report of field usage – any field that is used 0% or 1% of the time is probably not mission-critical. This tool might be exactly what you need to finally convince your executive team that some fields are ready to meet their natural end!
• MAKE RELATED LISTS RELATABLE: Consistency is key for related lists. Keep list order consistent across objects. Use consistent “order by” criteria, such as a date field. Use consistent LINK placement for related record links, such as all on the right, or all on the left.

Cloudy is certain that if you take the #PageLayoutChallenge, you will find some easy wins and hear some happy feedback from your Users. (Which might be more than you can say for your last big integration project!)

Remember to tweet at us with your results if you take the challenge!

• @CloudyCumulus
• @redpathgroup
• @scottkincaid_sf

Or, if you’d like some help, Contact Us!