Reimagining Salesforce UX: Exploring the New UI & SLDS 2.0 Enhancements

Salesforce’s Summer ’24 Release brings more than just a visual refresh — it redefines the Lightning Experience through a blend of modern design, improved accessibility, and scalable customization. Central to these enhancements are Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) 2.0 and the elegant new Cosmos theme.

These updates ensure a smoother, more intuitive user journey. Whether you’re a developer building Lightning components or an end-user navigating daily workflows, the changes prioritize clarity, performance, and consistency. At Winfomi, a trusted Salesforce Partner, we help organizations harness these innovations for seamless Salesforce implementation and optimization.

This blog explores:

Visual refinements that uplift usability and design consistency
How SLDS 2.0 enhances developer productivity and flexibility
Practical steps to enable the Cosmos theme and improve user experience

Let’s dive in.

What’s New in the Salesforce UI (Summer ’24 Release)

Salesforce's updated Lightning Experience balances aesthetics with functionality. Without altering existing processes, the interface gains a modern feel with improved layouts, enhanced accessibility, and future-ready design capabilities.

Cosmos Theme: A Modern, Professional Look

The Cosmos theme introduces:

Sleek typography and clean color schemes
Softer, rounded corners on UI elements
Balanced spacing for better readability
A cohesive layout across standard and custom pages

The theme enhances visual clarity and encourages user engagement, making Salesforce feel both intuitive and visually appealing.

Enhanced Accessibility and Consistency

Salesforce has improved contrast ratios and spacing to help visually impaired users and improve readability for all. Key benefits include:

Better text-background contrast
Streamlined layouts across Lightning pages
Consistent structure for faster user onboarding and daily tasks

These updates help ensure every user enjoys a smoother, more inclusive experience.

SLDS 2.0: Customization Without Compromise

What is SLDS 2.0?

Salesforce Lightning Design System 2.0 builds on its predecessor by introducing public styling hooks. These replace rigid design tokens and empower developers with flexible, maintainable design customization.

Key Benefits:

Future-Proofing: Your components adapt automatically to future UI updates
Customization Flexibility: Easily tweak individual styles without affecting overall layout
Improved Maintenance: Clean, modular code with clearly defined CSS variables

For example, instead of modifying SLDS classes directly (e.g., slds-button_brand), developers can define custom classes that inherit SLDS styling behavior. This promotes a more robust and upgrade-friendly codebase.

Enabling the Cosmos Theme in Salesforce

To start using the Cosmos theme:

Go to Setup > Search for Themes and Branding
Locate Cosmos Theme and click Activate
Preview before rollout, then apply across standard pages
Ensure custom Lightning components use SLDS 2.0 styling hooks

This process ensures your entire organization experiences the benefits of the new UI consistently.

Why SLDS Validator is a Must-Have Tool

The SLDS Validator (available in VS Code) ensures your custom components comply with Salesforce's design principles. Key benefits include:

Enforcing Consistency: Aligns custom styles with Salesforce standards
Catching Errors Early: Flags potential violations before deployment
Accessibility Compliance: Guides inclusive design practices
SARIF Reporting: Detailed reports help identify and fix issues quickly

Using the SLDS Validator strengthens the quality, performance, and maintainability of your custom Salesforce apps.

Why Winfomi Recommends Adopting These Changes

At Winfomi, we assist enterprises in leveraging the latest Salesforce UI and SLDS 2.0 enhancements through:

Expert Salesforce Implementation & Customization
Lightning Component Development aligned with SLDS best practices
Seamless Cosmos Theme Enablement
UI/UX Optimization for Admins and Developers

We ensure your Salesforce org isn’t just up-to-date—it’s future-ready.

Conclusion

The Summer ’24 updates, featuring the Cosmos theme and SLDS 2.0, set a new standard for usability, consistency, and flexibility within Salesforce. With public styling hooks, streamlined design, and validation tools like SLDS Validator, Salesforce has empowered both developers and users with a more refined, adaptable platform.

As a Salesforce Partner, Winfomi is here to help you implement these upgrades efficiently, while ensuring a consistent and modern digital experience for your teams and customers.