Let’s dive into the world of User Experience Research methods and user-centered design thinking to craft the perfect Opportunity page. Opportunities, a prevalent feature in Salesforce, represent deals that are in progress but not yet finalized. This salesforce object helps you track the progress of deals in progress. Even if you have existing Opportunity pages, the steps here can take their usability up a notch.
Assuming you already have your roles and apps defined, you are ready to build an opportunity page for each role. If not, no worries – check out our previous blog on Identifying Roles Identifying Roles before you dive into page creation.
Understanding Your Sales Process and Roles
Before even looking at the components, actions, fields, etc. that you can add to your page, you’ll want to identify your sales process and the needs of the various roles involved in the sale. To optimize the use of opportunities, start with a blank slate, and only add what your user will need to get the job done. Conduct interviews with your team to document the stages an opportunity goes through, according to each role’s understanding, from start to finish. Create a comprehensive list of everything the team needs to view or edit at each stage of the opportunity. Starting to build the page without taking this crucial first step is like wandering into Target without a shopping list. You’ll end up with a bunch of unnecessary items that you don’t need. Adding extraneous information will slow down the user as they sift through it all, and that leaves us with less than desired productivity. Less clutter, more productivity!
Building the Page
Keep your shopping list handy as you build the rest of the page. Ensure that the components added to the page align directly with the research for that role at that stage. Providing fewer options speeds up decision-making, so only include actions applicable to the current opportunity stage. This is the part where you successfully leave Target with only the items from your shopping list, congrats! Here are some considerations to get you started:
- Most every opportunity page will need a way to visualize progress – enter the Path component. Salesforce includes some default opportunity stages; match those with your process and whip up custom stages for anything left out.
- When using dynamic forms, we are able to choose which information to display at each stage of the opportunity.
- Understanding the actions users take at each stage helps set up action buttons in the header.
- If there are five or less fields that your team wants to view at a certain stage, consider using the highlights panel, which displays below the header.
Partnering for Success
If you’re looking to call in backup for conducting user research, building out the page, or both, consider reaching out to Red Argyle. Our expertise in both UX and Development can complement your efforts in optimizing the Salesforce experience for your organization.
By combining user-centered design principles, thorough research, and strategic customization, you can create Opportunity pages that truly meet the needs of your team, facilitating efficient sales processes and enhancing overall productivity.
