The document discusses the development and challenges in creating a user interface pattern library at Salesforce.com, emphasizing an agile approach to improve consistency and efficiency among designers and developers. It highlights past mistakes, such as insufficient internal validation and scope creep, and presents a new methodology for creating patterns using 'postcard patterns' and collaborative blitzes. Additionally, it outlines ongoing challenges, such as maintaining flexibility and integrating various design elements, while referencing resources and tools for effective design practices.

1. Ian Swinson Lead User Interface Designer [email_address] Postcard Patterns An Agile UI Pattern Creation Process

2. Safe Harbor Statement “ Safe harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This presentation may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to statements concerning the potential market for our existing service offerings and future offerings. All of our forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions proves incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. The risks and uncertainties referred to above include - but are not limited to - risks associated with possible fluctuations in our operating results and cash flows, rate of growth and anticipated revenue run rate, errors, interruptions or delays in our service or our Web hosting, our new business model, our history of operating losses, the possibility that we will not remain profitable, breach of our security measures, the emerging market in which we operate, our relatively limited operating history, our ability to hire, retain and motivate our employees and manage our growth, competition, our ability to continue to release and gain customer acceptance of new and improved versions of our service, customer and partner acceptance of the AppExchange, successful customer deployment and utilization of our services, unanticipated changes in our effective tax rate, fluctuations in the number of shares outstanding, the price of such shares, foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. Further information on these and other factors that could affect our financial results is included in the reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Information section of our website at www.salesforce.com/investor . Salesforce.com, inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

3. Agenda Salesforce.com – A Brief History Patternforce 1.0 – A Cautionary Tale Patternforce 2.0 – A New Beginning May the force be with us! Patternforce 3.0 – The Future Q & A

4. Our Applications & Platform

5. 51,800+ Customers

6. 1,200,000+ Subscribers

7. 200 Million Transactions Each Day

8. UE in 2004

9. UE in 2004 Me

10. UE in 2009 Almost here…

11. R&D in 2009

12. “ Houston, we have a problem…” Quality Assurance Documentation User Experience Product Management Development Customers & Partners Friends, Family & Ex’s

13. We need to retain consistency We already have multiple versions Can we choose one and move on? Comments added to the “bad” code New employees need to get up to speed quickly We need insight into other teams’ solutions A consistent, universally available location We don’t have designers for every feature Developers, Designers and PM’s are always asking questions We need to minimize distractions for the Designers Consistency Efficiency We Need a Pattern Library?

14. So, how do you build a Pattern Library? Apple Tidwell Yahoo! Welie Oracle

15. Structure of a Single Pattern This can get complicated

16. Structure of a Single Pattern This can get complicated

17. Scale of a Single Pattern How to make a Printable View…

18. Scale of a Single Pattern How to make a Printable View… This bit

19. Our valiant attempt…

20. We worked

21. We slept

22. We worked some more

23. We carefully rehydrated

24. We worked some more

25. We ate, we traveled, we had babies

26. And after a little more work we asked…

27. How did we do?

28. Oh, that’s not good 2 * patterns in 6 months < 5 percent *Note: They weren’t even done

29. Clearly, this is not going to work

30. What did we do wrong? External Research Only – We looked at examples but didn’t validate them internally Detail & Scale – We went way too deep, way too early Scope Creep – “Oooh, and wouldn’t it be cool?!” Incomplete Taxonomy – We didn’t have a complete idea of what we needed to document No Prioritization – Printable View? The number one pattern in our app? Um, no. Deaf Ears – We didn’t listen to our designers

31. Back to work…but with agility

32. The Agile Manifesto Individuals and interactions Working software Customer collaboration Responding to change over over over over processes and tools comprehensive documentation contract negotiation following a plan * Excerpted from “Subject to Change” by Adaptive Path

33. Agile Pattern Creation Individuals and interactions Working software Customer collaboration Responding to change We need to talk to each other, the developers, PM’s, etc. We need to work together (Pattern Blitzes)

34. Agile Pattern Creation Start small Go wide, get coverage across all patterns Add detail when necessary

35. Agile Pattern Creation Check progress regularly Share with our intended audience and make changes Listen to suggestions

36. Agile Pattern Creation Create something nimble – easy to create and easy to update Software changes all the time Designs change all the time

37. The High-Level Taxonomy Flows Pages Page Modules Pop-ups & Overlays Messages & Dialogs Widgets & Controls

38. Patternforce Taxonomy We ended up with a large, but relatively flat, list.

39. Enter “Postcard Patterns” Dear Mom & Dad, Having a great time. Miss you both. Met a girl, getting married. Love, John The Smiths 1 Main Street Springfield, ID 64006

40. What Makes a Good Postcard Pattern? Use the “Goldilocks” Principle If the pattern doesn’t fit on a single page, consider breaking it apart or reducing the amount of detail You can always add detail later If the pattern doesn’t fill a single page, consider grouping it with other similar elements – e.g. common web form elements You can always break it apart later Rule #1: Must fit on a single 8.5” x 11” page

41. Pattern - Anatomy of A Pattern Title Summary Category Author & Modification Date Variations (optional) Candidacy: Redesign? Componentize? Graphics Screenshots Illustrations

48. Enter “Blitzes” Intense, face-to-face collaboration

49. The Web Site

50. How did we do this time?

51. Hey, that’s more like it! Before After 2 43 6 3 < 5 95 # Mo %

52. What did we do right? Research First – Talk to your audience, show them examples Complete Taxonomy – Sure, it’ll grow but we knew the scale Time-Box – Blitzes & weekly deadlines Validation – Weekly meetings to review progress and sign-of Centrally Located – Everyone loved a single starting point Ownership – You’re the author. Have a question, contact the author

53. Patternforce 3.0 – Ongoing Challenges Flexibility for customers Taxonomy – multi-faceted, multi-layered & tagged Integrate visual design & code specs & examples Convert from PDF to Google Docs Show screenshots of Patternforce Internal marketing – emails, updates, detail Component model

54. Q & A

55. Links Pattern Libraries Apple Yahoo! Oracle Jenifer Tidwell Martijn Welie Tools FreeMind Google Spreadsheets Omnigraffle (OSX) O’Reilly: Designing Interfaces Browser Look and Feel Guidelines Apple Human Interface Guidelines Welie.com Yahoo! Design Pattern Library freemind/sourceforge.net Google Docs The Omni Group - OmniGraffle

56. Links Resources The GUI Bloopers series Johnson, Jeff 10 Commandments of Design Rams, Dieter Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design Shneiderman, Ben The 10 Commandments of Information Design Buchholz, Garth A. Eight Golden Rules (link) 10 Commandments of Design (link) http://www.gui-bloopers.com/ 10 Commandments of Info Design (link)