Salesforce UX

Passing the Salesforce UX Design Certification Exam.

My thoughts about the exam. And oh yeah, I passed! 😬

I am so proud of this 🤩

I. Passed.

Can you believe it?

I passed.

The moment I saw the final message at the end of the exam, I could not believe it.

I. PASSED!

I am now, officially, a Salesforce certified User Experience Designer.

Wooooo! 🤩 🥳

I am so proud of myself for doing this. I am.

Upon launching the exam and seeing the questions, I was sure I wouldn't get through this test. Answering some of the questions, which I was 100% certain of, gave me some extra confidence. The rest, I used some common sense during the review time, to answer. I am guessing they turned out right! 😅

The exam 📝

It's as mentioned in the official exam guide.

• 60 multi-choice and multiple selection questions.
• 105 minutes.

Only that the time is much, but that extra time you have is great to review the answers you are unsure of, in your first attempt. I finished my first round of answering in 30 minutes and the second round in 10 minutes (the questions I skipped answering). And spent the remaining time reviewing the responses. I finished answering all the questions and then two rounds of reviews in 101 minutes.

Let me be clear on one thing here. I haven't done any Salesforce certification before this. I got through the exam because of my solid UX base and the constant brushing up of Salesforce fundamentals. Even before the certificate came out, I was on Trailhead, taking all the introductory courses to get a basic understanding of Salesforce. I guess that helped a little. Boy, am I glad I did those modules. There are many questions that test your knowledge of the basics, so keep familiarizing yourself with the fundamentals.

80% of the questions were scenario based. I love scenario-based questions — they make you think and are fun. But Salesforce makes you second guess your answers because all the multi-select or multiple choice options look and read similarly. Be sure to read the questions as carefully as possible before answering.

Topics covered in the exam.

My previous article on my week-long study log captures most of the topics you need to focus to pass the exam. I'm adding the modules you need to focus on a tad more and the ones I missed in my studies but, by chance, did revise them in my final reading, right here. All the modules are part of the Prepare for you UX Designer credential trail on Trailhead —

1. UX Personas for Salesforce — had multiple questions. Get a fair idea of the personas and their responsibilities.
2. UX Research Basics — Go through the module, but read through this link to get into details of all the research methods. A surface-level understanding is enough.
3. Lightning Experience Features — Spend time here.
4. Designing for Web Accessibility — Also here, and read through the WCAG guidelines too.
5. Writing for Web Accessibility
6. SLDS — Component Blueprints, Platforms, Design Guidelines, Accessibility, Utilities, Design Tokes, Iconography. (As mentioned in my previous article, haunt the website like a ghost till the site gets sick of you!)
7. Lightning Experience for Salesforce Mobile App
8. Human-Centred Design, Inclusive Design, Relationship Design
9. Systems Design with the Salesforce Lightning Design System
10. Lightning Experience Productivity
11. User Engagement — pay a lot of attention to this module. I mean a lot.
12. Path and Workspaces
13. Build a Custom Theme Layout Component for Experience Builder Sites — read through the theory. I was taken aback by seeing these questions. Please take extra notes if you find more modules of the Experience Builder subject on Trailhead.
14. Service Cloud Basics
15. Service Cloud Agent Productivity
16. Testing — every kind of testing you can uncover, read them all. You never know what questions can pop up. Some important ones — Card Sorting, A/B testing, and Usability Testing — should be read thoroughly. Refer to my previous article for the links or the one above mentioned for research. It covers all the topics). A surface-level understanding is enough.

One thing to remember …

I mentioned the topics from which I got asked during the exam. Most of these are common across the links I went through while studying. Word of caution — Be prepared to get surprised along the way because I sure was taken aback by a few of the questions 🧐

And …

As mentioned, I took this certification without completing any other Salesforce certification. Yes, it is a bonus if you complete the Admin certification before this, but I think, even without it, you can still get through. As UX Designers, we have strong basics, which should help you through the design portion of the exam. Continue ensuring your fundamentals are always on point.

As for Salesforce, here are a few modules I started with and have helped me understand the concepts before I went through the preparation trail —

1. Salesforce Platform Basics
2. Get to Know Salesforce
3. Data Modelling
4. Lightning Experience Basics
5. Lightning Design System Basics

These are the ones I began with, but I implore you to explore Trailhead, and I am sure you will find plenty more to help you understand the platform.

Another piece of advice? Talk to someone who works extensively with the platform to get a better understanding. They can shed more light on getting your basics right. I work extensively with a Salesforce development team at the office, so I could pick a few brains anytime I had questions. It helped, truly.

That's all, folks! I am super psyched that I got through the exam and am glad my preparations paid off. It took me a while, but I got there eventually.

And you can do it too.

If you'd like to chat more about the exam or preparation for the certification, you can buzz me on LinkedIn or book a meeting with me on ADPList.

Cheers! 🥂

PS. Don’t take this exam with a cold. Just don’t. 🤧