Can we talk about the importance of ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) keeping the User Experience in mind when we are designing, implementing, administering a system?
Remembering that in the majority of cases, the end users of the tool we are designing/implementing/administering are not experts in the tool. They shouldn’t have to be. There also should not be a large leap for an end user to learn how to use the tool. That’s where designing for the end user comes into play.
Take an Object Record Page in the Salesforce Lightning Experience as an example.
There are a bazillion ways to bling it out. There is also the ‘out of the box’ page. Neither should be something you leave with your customer.
Learn about your audience. Get to know their processes. How they will be using the data on the record page to make decisions. How decisions might be easier if this or that were displayed differently.
Then find an end user and let them loose on that record page while you watch. Ask them to tell you about it. See if they understand what they are looking at and can explain it back to you. Watch where they click and how they navigate. Do this with a few different levels of end user.
Dynamic Forms and conditional visibility of fields is becoming something I’m seeing a lot – they are amazing features but a little can go a long way. With great power comes great responsibility. Don’t overdo it.
And (personal opinion incoming) for the love of all that is good in this world, don’t use the Accordion Lightning Component in conjunction with Dynamic Forms! I beg of you!
There is nothing more confusing to a user to see some fields, but then to get to more fields they have to click on the accordion section label and the ones they were just looking at go away. WAIT, I didn’t want those to go away, I wanted to see more! Can they even tell there are more? Or do the sections blend into the page so they think what they see is what they get? Don’t confuse your users.
Remember: K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly)
Give them what they need when they need it.
Design for function and use. And design for the people that will be using it.
As Solution Architects and Consultants, we spend a lot of time talking to Users and Customers about Requirements. As we are looking to configure and implement solutions we go through lots of meetings to get to the ‘Real’ needs.
One thing I like to dig into is whether a requirement is a ‘Red Paper Problem’?
What is that, you ask?
If you are, ahem, older (like me), you remember being in the office and printed documents and reports were the norm. You’d get lots of printed reports on your desk daily and weekly.
One week you started getting a report on red paper. Then every week it starts coming on red paper. Years later, someone new is hired and asks, ‘What’s important about this report? Why is it on red paper?’ And to be honest you don’t really know, it’s just a normal report.
Turns out that one day they ran out of the regular copy paper. All they had was red and the report needed to be printed so it was printed on red paper. That’s it. No special thing. But it was done for YEARS.
So when we are gathering requirements it’s important to dig in and find out whether something someone says ‘we HAVE to have this’….is it a red paper problem or a real problem?
Dig into why they have to have it. Who is using the information/data? Where is it being used? What actions does it drive? If they can’t answer these questions or point you to someone who can, then it’s likely a red paper problem.
And red paper problems aren’t real requirements! Just because ‘It’s always been done this way’ doesn’t mean it has to (or should) continue!
So look for those potential red paper problems and weed them out! You’ll be doing everyone a favor!
I’m a big believer that your level of <success, job satisfaction, contentment> is in direct relation to the level of effort and energy you put into it.
Most people (myself included) work to pay the bills. To keep the lights on. To fund trips. To be able to live the life you want to. We don’t live to work, we work to live.
But you can usually clearly tell those who actually enjoy the work they are doing and those who are punching the clock.
Punching the clock looks like: Not engaging in conversations or participating in discussions or activities (by choice); Showing up late to meetings (all the time); Not being prepared for meetings; Not paying attention during meetings (multi-tasking); Not working to get better.
Enjoying the work looks like: Being engaged at all levels when you can; Being on time and prepared; Giving your full attention to the topics at hand; Constantly looking to improve what you do and how you do it.
Now I’ll be real and say I work to pay the bills. I’ve got expensive kids. And my Peloton habit. And to pay for more pairs of running shoes.
BUT – I also really enjoy what I do. Not all the things (who loves all the things?), but I love working with amazing customers and figuring out solutions and designing flows and automations and ultimately helping people.
Because of that I show up. I give meetings my whole attention. I have high expectations for myself when it comes to the level of engagement I provide. And I work better with people who have a similar outlook. Who also love what they do. Because it shows. And ultimately it helps to ensure success.
Not only because you’ve been paying attention and engaged but because, usually, the people you are working with see your engagement and you build a trusted relationship.
Working with people who are just punching the clock is hard. The level of effort is usually very unbalanced. Which causes strain on the entire team.
So now to the Real Talk:
What are the areas of your life where you are Enjoying the Work?
And how that feels…how these are the areas that light you up….
What about the areas where you are Punching the Clock?
Think about the why behind it. Is there a reason? Is it something you can work to change? Or is it time for a change?
I know sometimes there are other factors leading to less satisfaction, difficult customers, coworkers phoning it in, unrealistic expectations, and more. Is it just temporary or something that won’t change? Can you enjoy your parts and set aside the others?
Wouldn’t it be great if most of the things in your life could be classified as Enjoying the Work? What can you do to get to more of that?
Ours lives aren’t mapped out. There isn’t a set path we have to follow. We get to make choices. They aren’t always easy choices. Sometimes they are downright hard. But, bottom line, we have choices.
Choose to Enjoy the Work.
Whether it’s your actual job, or your personal life or something as mundane as doing the dishes. Find a way to enjoy it. See how it makes you feel. Then try to replicate that.
Don’t just punch the clock on life. We only get one.
This was my 10th Dreamforce (9th in person since last year was fully virtual). It’s taken me a week to process my in-person experience this year.
While it was so very different from ‘normal’ Dreamforce, there were some fundamental things that were the same. This post is a play by play of my time at DF21 – where on the Trail was Nana Gregg?
If you look close you’ll see my Bitmoji in all the cool spots!
When I accepted the invitation I had to upload my vaccination card to the Salesforce Health Cloud site designed for us. Super easy and it was quickly followed by a webinar where we could get more info about the health and safety protocols that would be followed this year. The Thursday before I had to Activate a Covid test online, swab myself and drop the vial off at FedEx to be overnighted to SF for evaluation. Friday morning I had to go through the same routine. I was also sent 2 more tests to pack and bring with me for Monday and Tuesday.
I flew in on Sunday and was pleased to see that in SF, restaurants and bars were requiring a vaccination card and masks were the norm. (Definitely different than in Texas.) I visited my favorite spot out on Ft. Mason, Greens restaurant, along with The Interval bar and FLAX Art, a cool Art Supply store I love to visit. San Francisco is my favorite city so I try to get a little extra time each time I visit.
Monday morning I woke up, wrote a short parody song about the Day before Dreamforce, activated my onsite Covid test, swabbed the nose, packed it up and dropped it in the easy drop-off bin at the hotel and headed over to pick up my badge.
Normally, during registration and badge pickup there is a line out the door. Everyone is excited and coordinating schedules and developing a plan of attack for the week. This year, I walked over the day before for registration and was literally the only person in line. So I guess technically I wasn’t in line. I WAS the line. Surreal.
From there I went over to treat myself with a DryBar blowout (if you haven’t tried it once you totally should!) then met up with my friend and fellow MVP Ashima for lunch and some quality catch-up time. The friendships I’ve been privileged to foster from this community are like no other.
The Trailhead Community Team always hold a great meet & greet event for Salesforce MVPs and this year was no exception. Missed all those who were not able to attend but really enjoyed the dedicated time to catch up, hug, bump elbows or just wave hello. Always grateful for the hard work of the community team to put together events for us. Then a few of us headed over to the only partner event I was invited to this year – GetFeedback Karaoke at Pandora! Shonnah and her team always put together an amazing event and this year was no exception. So much fun seeing people get up and sing and dance and just enjoy being together. Got back to the hotel and an email saying the Covid test I took this morning passed (yay) and got my QR code so I could attend the conference on Tuesday! Great way to end the day.
Dreamforce Day 1
Woke up so incredibly excited! Hard choices to make between cute shoes and comfy shoes (comfy shoes won out), put on my ‘Parker is My Homeboy’ t-shirt from a Dreamforce past, activated my last Covid test, swabbed the nose, grabbed my badge and bag, dropped the test in the bin at the hotel and headed to Howard Street! It was Go-time!
Best feeling ever to go through security where they were quick and efficient and head into the DF campus and hear the amazing tunes of LT Smooth getting everyone warmed up for the Keynote. People start pouring into the meadow and it is just a great big family reunion. Get some great seats for the Keynote and settle in for one of my favorite parts of every Dreamforce start – when Danny & Anna Akaka to lead the traditional Hawaiian blessing for the event. It always brings a tear to my eye.
The Keynote this year was a good one – lots of Trailblazer love, Slack talk, leading off with a look at how the world has changed and we need to roll with it and meet each other where we are now. Working from homes, not offices and collaborating/doing business in new ways.I loved the line ‘We need a new Vision, not a new Version.’ We got a (pre-recorded) song from Metallica and Lionel Richie came out to close the show.
From there many of us try to crowd up and speak to some of the execs. I got to hug and get a picture with Sarah Franklin and Parker Harris. And the grab a boxed vegan lunch (they had amazing options this year) and sit down to catch up with so many people. People I’ve known for years. People who I’ve only ever met online. People who I am meeting for the first time. All amazing. All as fired up as me. All of us filled with so much joy for this event.
The rest of the afternoon is filled with sessions to learn about new announcements, new features, and celebrate trailblazers along the way. (Can’t forget about the Salesforce Ranch.) I kept looking around thinking how cool this was. We were all able to get together, safely. Finally. After so long. And the small size meant the level of access to the speakers and teams was unprecedented. Community Campfire sessions were popular and went a long way to help make the event feel more than just corporate marketing.
Foo Fighters
Day 1 closed out with a bit of a happy hour with beverages and finger foods and a crazy concert by the Foo Fighters where he challenged the Mascots to a headbanging dance off!! Special thanks to my new DF Concert buddy Chris McDonald who helped my short self find a spot to see the stage and who has been doing some amazing Salesforce stuff for his company! Riding a wave from the amazing day, many of us hit the rooftop bar at the Marriott Marquis to continue conversations and build deeper connections. Nothing beats this time together.
Got my email saying the Covid test I took this morning passed (yay) and got my QR code so I could attend the second day of the conference! Phew – those tests were a little nerve-wracking!
Dreamforce Day 2
No covid tests to take this morning so only have to agonize between comfy sneakers and cool Doc Martens. Opted for the Docs today – smaller Dreamforce means less walking. Easier on these old feet! Wanted to get to campus early today and managed to get front row seats for Soledad O’Brien’s conversation with Parker Harris. I’ve loved Soledad for years and have always felt that Parker is the heart of Salesforce. Such a good session, loved hearing stories from Parker I haven’t heard. And I must admit to being the one who yelled out about the costumes. (Sorry (not sorry) Parker!)
For me, the best part of the event was the Executive ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions arranged in the Community Campfire areas. Brett, Parker, Sarah, Srini, & David all came over and made themselves fully available for questions and challenges and fun. The openness of the executive team, the willingness for them to make themselves available and listen and say ‘email me and I’ll find out for you is unparalleled. And Bret I’m all in for the new Salesforce Campground Confessions series for Salesforce+! For this girl who never finished college, who became an accidental admin, who is goofy and uncool and middle-aged and loves working on the platform and geeking out about flows to get to come to an event like this and be heard – really listened to. It just feels surreal. Am amazed and grateful to be a part of this.
As always, Dreamforce wraps up with some inspirational sessions and we end the day with more pictures, hugs, fist bumps and promises to do this again very soon! Back in 2012 at my first Dreamforce, a co-worker took me to House of Nanking – the most amazing restaurant in the universe. It’s been a must-visit every year so a fellow MVP from Dallas and amazing Golden Hoodie winner and I went there and stuffed ourselves. When you visit, just tell the chef your preferences, you don’t even need the menu – they will bring you food. And it’s amazing. They are a San Francisco landmark. And if you need a buddy to go with at the next Dreamforce I’m your gal!
A Time To Say Goodbye. Until We Meet Again.
Too quickly it was time to head home. SFO airport has changed so much since I was there last. Always sad to leave, but with my bucket overflowing. Have missed this face to face interaction with all of you. Have missed dancing to LT Smooth in person. Have missed tearing up when Danny & Anna present the blessing. Have missed my peeps. Will miss the new peeps I met. Let’s do this again real soon!
Not enough ways to say thank you to those at Salesforce who made this happen. From the coordination to the testing to the event itself. Thank you from the bottom and top of my heart (and all the space inside as well). It’s swollen with love and gratitude for this community.
Nana Knows Some Stuff 