A heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method that involves having evaluators examine a user interface and assess its compliance with established usability principles (or “heuristics”). These heuristics are guidelines or rules of thumb that help identify common us ability problems. During a heuristic evaluation, evaluators inspect the interface and identify potential usability issues based on the heuristics. The evaluators then report their findings to the designers or developers, who can use this feedback to improve the interface. Heuristic evaluation is a cost-effective and efficient way to identify usability problems early in the design process. It can be done quickly and does not require large groups of participants.  It is particularly useful for identifying problems that may not be detected through user testing or surveys 1 .

A heuristic evaluation is the most suitable method for determining the portal’s compliance with recognized standard usability principles, such as Nielsen’s 10 heuristics for user interface design 2 . These heuristics cover aspects such as visibility of system status, match between system and the real world, user control and freedom, consistency and standards, error prevention, recognition rather than recall, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design, help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors, and help and documentation. By applying these heuristics to the portal, the UX team can identify and prioritize the usability problems that need to be fixed.

An intuitive review is a less formal and less rigorous method of usability inspection, where an evaluator relies on their own intuition and experience to judge the usability of an interface. An intuitive review does not follow a set of predefined heuristics or criteria, and it is more subjective and prone to bias.  An intuitive review can be useful for getting a quick overview of the interface, but it is not as reliable or comprehensive as a heuristic evaluation 3 .

User testing is a usability evaluation method that involves observing and collecting data from actual or potential users as they perform tasks with the interface. User testing can provide valuable insights into how users interact with the interface, what difficulties they encounter, and what their preferences and expectations are. User testing can also measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the interface. However, user testing is not the best method for determining the compliance with standard usability principles, as it does not directly assess the interface against the heuristics.  User testing is also more time-consuming, resource-intensive, and complex to conduct than heuristic evaluation 4 .

 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 methods 1 2 .  References :

Usability Testing

Usability Testing Methods

The discovery phase is a crucial stage in any UX design project, as it helps to understand the user needs, business goals, and technical constraints of the problem 1 .  The discovery phase typically involves various research methods, such as interviews, surveys, observations, and analytics, to gather data and insights about the users and the context of use 2 . The outputs of the discovery phase are artifacts that synthesize and communicate the findings and insights from the research. Some of the practices that should be considered for planning out the strategy for an upcoming discovery phase are:

Gather insight from end users: One of the main objectives of the discovery phase is to empathize with the end users and understand their goals, motivations, pain points, behaviors, and preferences.  This can be done by conducting user research, such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, or usability tests, to collect qualitative and quantitative data from the target audience 3 . Gathering insight from end users helps to validate the assumptions and hypotheses about the problem and the solution, as well as to identify the user requirements and expectations for the design.

Establish the research plan and timeline: Before conducting any user research, it is important to establish a clear and realistic research plan and timeline. The research plan should define the research objectives, questions, methods, participants, and deliverables.  The research timeline should specify the duration, frequency, and sequence of the research activities, as well as the deadlines and milestones for the deliverables 4 . Establishing the research plan and timeline helps to ensure that the discovery phase is well-organized, efficient, and effective, as well as to communicate the expectations and responsibilities to the stakeholders and the team members.

Understand the problem before moving to solutions: Another key practice for the discovery phase is to focus on understanding the problem before jumping to solutions. This means defining the problem statement, the scope, and the constraints of the project, as well as identifying the root causes, the symptoms, and the impacts of the problem. Understanding the problem before moving to solutions helps to avoid wasting time and resources on creating solutions that do not address the real needs and pain points of the users, or that are not feasible or viable for the business or the technology.

The other two options, considering platform-based before custom solutions and determining user acceptance criteria, are not practices that should be considered for planning out the strategy for an upcoming discovery phase.  Considering platform-based before custom solutions is a practice that belongs to the design phase, not the discovery phase, as it involves choosing the best solution option based on the user research findings and the design principles 5 .  Determining user acceptance criteria is a practice that belongs to the testing phase, not the discovery phase, as it involves defining the criteria that the solution must meet to be accepted by the users and the stakeholders 6 .

The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) is a collection of design guidelines, resources, and tools that help create consistent, beautiful, and accessible user experiences across the Salesforce platform 1 . Component blueprints are one of the key resources that the SLDS provides.  They are framework-agnostic, accessible HTML and CSS code snippets that can be used to create UI elements such as buttons, cards, menus, and more 2 .  A UX Designer who is asked to design a new application built on Salesforce should become familiar with the SLDS component blueprints as their first step, because they can help them to 3 :

Understand the structure, behavior, and appearance of the standard Salesforce components and how they can be customized or extended.

Follow the SLDS design principles and best practices, such as clarity, efficiency, consistency, and beauty.

Ensure that the application is responsive, adaptive, and compatible with different devices and screen sizes.

Leverage the SLDS design tokens, icons, and utilities to create a coherent and scalable visual language.

Reduce the development time and effort by reusing the existing code and avoiding duplication.

The other options are not the best first steps for a UX Designer who is asked to design a new application built on Salesforce.  Creating branding sets for each audience using Experience Builder is a later step that involves applying the visual identity and style of the application to different user segments and channels 4 .  Finding and reviewing relevant AppExchange packages is a research step that can help to identify existing solutions or features that can be integrated or adapted to the application 5 . Designing a series of custom web components for the app is a development step that can be done after defining the requirements, wireframes, and prototypes of the application.

One of the best ways to increase the acceptance of the results of a usability testing session is to invite the development team members to observe the usability sessions. By observing the sessions, the developers can see how the users interact with the product, what difficulties they face, what feedback they provide, and how they react emotionally. This can help the developers to empathize with the users, understand their needs and expectations, and appreciate the value of usability testing. Observing the sessions can also help the developers to identify and prioritize the issues that need to be fixed, and to collaborate with the UX designer on finding the best solutions.  References:  [How to Get Stakeholders to Buy into User Research] (https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/31222/what-is-the-difference-between-usability-testing-and-user-acceptance-testing), [How to Involve Developers in User Research] (https://bing.com/search?q=usability+testing+acceptance)

The best way for the designer to illustrate the existing process, including the pain points and opportunities, is to observe the complaints process and create a journey map. A journey map is a visual representation of the customer’s or user’s experience with a product or service, from their perspective. It shows the steps, interactions, thoughts, feelings, touchpoints, context, and opportunities for improvement along the way. A journey map can help the designer to understand the current state of the complaints process, identify the pain points and gaps, and prioritize the areas for intervention. A journey map can also help to communicate the user’s needs and expectations to the stakeholders and developers, and align them on a common vision for the solution.  References :

:  Start Your Journey Map Unit | Salesforce Trailhead

:  Add Journey Mapping to Your Solution Toolbox Unit | Salesforce Trailhead

:  Customer Journey Mapping Resources - Salesforce

The designer should describe SLDS styling hooks as custom CSS properties that can easily style base and custom components. Styling hooks are placeholders in the SLDS style sheet that allow developers to customize the look and feel of their Lightning components by using the corresponding CSS custom properties. For example, the developer can change the background color of a button by setting the value of the --slds-c-button-brand-color-background custom property. Styling hooks are especially useful when working with web components and shadow DOM, as they enable component-level customizations without affecting the global styles. Styling hooks also provide consistency and performance benefits, as they leverage the SLDS design tokens and the native browser support for CSS custom properties.  References :

:  Styling Hooks - Lightning Design System

:  SLDS Styling Hooks | Lightning Web Components Developer Guide | Salesforce Developers

:  SLDS Styling hooks in Lightning web components - Forcetrails

The designer should describe the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) styling hooks as using standard CSS properties to easily style base and custom components. SLDS styling hooks allow developers to quickly and easily apply CSS classes to HTML elements, enabling consistent styling across both base and custom components. This allows developers to quickly and easily apply branding and styling to their Lightning Web Components, without needing to write custom CSS. For more information about SLDS styling hooks, please see the following Salesforce documentation: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library/documentation/lwc/lwc.use_slds_styles_hooks

The usability of accordion elements in a mobile environment could be improved by expanding the first section by default.  This is because it can provide the user with a clear indication of what kind of content is hidden in the accordion, and encourage them to explore the rest of the sections 1 .  Expanding the first section by default can also reduce the user’s cognitive load, as they do not have to make a decision on which section to open first 2 .  Moreover, expanding the first section by default can improve the accessibility of the accordion, as it can help screen reader users to understand the structure and purpose of the widget 3 .

Using the Back browser button to collapse content is not a good option, as it can confuse the user and break the expected browser behavior.  The Back button is meant to navigate to the previous page, not to collapse an accordion section 4 .  Using the Back button to collapse content can also create navigation issues, as the user might lose their current page or state 4 .

Moving an expanded section to the top of the screen is also not a good option, as it can disrupt the user’s spatial memory and orientation.  Moving an expanded section to the top of the screen can change the order and position of the accordion sections, which can make it harder for the user to find and access the section they want 5 .  It can also create a jarring and inconsistent user experience, as the user might not expect the content to move around the screen 5 .