Transcripted Summary
In Salesforce, the User Interface (UI) encompasses everything visible on screen after logging in—including pages, tabs, buttons, record details, and navigation layouts. Salesforce offers two primary user interface categories: Salesforce Classic and Salesforce Lightning Experience. Understanding the distinction between these two interfaces is fundamental for every QA engineer.
# Understanding Salesforce Classic vs. Lightning Experience
Salesforce Classic is the legacy user interface. It features a text-based, simple layout with limited interactive capabilities. Conceptually, Classic is like an older mobile phone: reliable and functional for core operations, but lacking a modern User Experience (UX). Many organizations with legacy implementations continue to use Classic for specific business workflows.
In contrast, Salesforce Lightning Experience is the modern, dynamic interface designed for productivity and speed. Analagous to a modern smartphone, Lightning offers a rich UI with interactive dashboards, drag-and-drop capabilities, and advanced component architecture.
| Comparison Feature | Salesforce Classic | Salesforce Lightning Experience |
|---|---|---|
| User Interface (UI) | Simple, traditional, text-based | Modern, dynamic, visually rich |
| Performance | Standard, basic rendering speed | Optimized, faster performance |
| Customization Capability | Limited customization options | Highly customizable |
| Underlying Technology | Visualforce | Lightning Web Components (LWC), Aura, LWR |
| Future Support & Updates | Minimal updates; legacy status | Primary focus for active Salesforce innovation |
# Navigating and Switching Between Interfaces
When you log into a Developer Org, you are greeted by default with the Lightning Experience, featuring tools like the App Launcher, Setup, and Object Manager. Objects such as Leads or Opportunities present tabbed layouts, interactive list views, and activity timelines.
To switch between user interfaces in your testing environment:
Switch to Classic: Click your profile avatar in the upper-right header and select Switch to Salesforce Classic.
Switch to Lightning: Click the Switch to Lightning Experience link located in the top navigation header within Classic.
Testing across both environments helps QA engineers identify interface-specific behaviors, assess user experience differences, and verify that business workflows operate smoothly regardless of the UI context.
Quiz
The quiz for this chapter can be found in 3.2.
