How to choose between Salesforce LWC vs Screen Flows

Hutte expert panel

Sushrut Kumar Mishra

Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur

About

Sushrut is a skilled Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur. His expertise includes front-end dev, Web3, and DevRel. He leverages technology to craft exceptional digital experiences.

Matthias Rolke

Freelance DevOps Consultant

About

Matthias is a freelance DevOps consultant for the Salesforce platform and an advisor for Hutte. He loves open-source software and maintains a few SFDX-related tools.

These two tools offer distinct advantages, catering to different needs and preferences.

• Lightning Web Components (LWC) are the newer, sleeker option known for their performance and flexibility. They're great for Developers who prefer coding and want more control over their projects.
• Screen Flows provide a more visual approach, allowing users to build dynamic interfaces without diving too deep into code.

In this guide, I'll talk about LWC and Screen Flows and help you understand which one to choose for your requirements. But first, let's understand both to set some context.

Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC)

LWC is a lightweight framework for building web components on the Salesforce platform. It uses modern web standards like JavaScript and HTML, offering Developers a familiar and efficient environment in which to work. With features like data binding, lifecycle hooks, and event handling, LWC allows Developers to create highly interactive and responsive user interfaces.

Advantages of LWC

1. Performance: LWC is optimized for speed, delivering faster load times and smoother user experiences.
2. Flexibility: Developers have greater control over component structure and behavior, enabling them to tailor solutions to specific requirements.
3. Reusability: LWC promotes code reuse through modular components, reducing development time and maintenance efforts.
4. LWC is a lightweight framework for building web components on the Salesforce platform. It uses modern web standards like JavaScript and HTML, offering Developers a familiar and efficient environment in which to work. With features like data binding, lifecycle hooks, and event handling, LWC allows Developers to create highly interactive and responsive user interfaces.

Salesforce Screen Flows

Screen Flows offer a visual, low-code approach to building guided user experiences within Salesforce. You get a drag-and-drop interface for designing interactive Flows that guide users through predefined processes. They consist of screens, elements, and variables that can be configured without writing code, making them accessible to users with varying technical skills.

Advantages of Screen Flows

• Ease of use: You can create complex workflows without coding knowledge, accelerating development cycles and reducing reliance on Developers.
• Visual design: The intuitive interface allows for rapid prototyping and iterative refinement of user experiences.
• Integration capabilities: Screen Flows seamlessly integrate with Salesforce data and processes, enabling automation and streamlining business operations.

Comparative analysis: LWC vs Screen Flow

Now that we've explored Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC) and Screen Flows' individual strengths, it's time to compare them head-to-head.

Performance

Development flexibility

Customization capabilities

Reusability

Integration with other Salesforce features

Your decision to choose between both must result from the evaluation of upcoming points.

Decision-making framework

Choosing between Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC) and Screen Flows depends on a detailed analysis of your project's requirements and considerations. Let's break down each factor to provide a practical guide for your decision-making process.

Project requirements

• Complexity assessment: If your application demands intricate logic, extensive data manipulation, or integration with external systems, Lightning Web Components might be the better fit for you (due to their flexibility and coding capabilities).
• Performance consideration: Lightning Web Components are designed to handle such demands efficiently if you anticipate the need for high performance and responsiveness, especially for real-time data updates or heavy data processing tasks.

Developer skill set

• Coding proficiency: If your team is proficient in JavaScript and comfortable with coding, LWC provides the flexibility and control needed to implement complex solutions effectively.
• Low-code preference: Conversely, if your team doesn't include skilled Apex or LWC Developers and prefers a more visual, low-code approach, Screen Flow is the way to go. It offers a user-friendly interface for building guided user experiences without extensive coding requirements.

Long-term maintenance

• Scalability planning: Consider your application's long-term scalability. LWCs promote modularity and code reusability, making them easier to scale and maintain as your application grows and evolves.
• Maintenance ease: Evaluate the ease of maintenance and updates over time. While Lightning Web Components may require more initial development effort, their modular design and coding standards facilitate ongoing maintenance tasks, ensuring smoother updates and enhancements.

User experience

• Engagement needs: Analyze the level of user engagement and interaction expected in your application. Screen Flows excels in providing guided user experiences and step-by-step processes, making them suitable for applications requiring a seamless flow and interactive engagement.
• Task complexity: Determine the complexity of tasks users will perform in your application. If users need assistance or guidance through complex processes, Screen Flows can ease their journey with intuitive prompts and visual cues.

In short, your choice comes down to your requirements. But there are two more factors that – in my honest opinion – highly influence your decision. That is speed-to-market and team skills.

Use cases and best practices

I have now given you the parameters to consider when choosing between LWC and Screen Flow. To help you further with the decision-making, let's discuss the use cases and best practices for both tools.

LWC

Use cases

• Custom UI components: LWC is perfect for crafting tailored user interface elements, whether it's dynamic data displays or interactive features.
• Integration with external systems: They seamlessly integrate with external systems and services, enabling data retrieval and content embedding.
• Performance-critical appilications: LWC shines in applications demanding high performance, like real-time collaboration tools or data-rich dashboards.

Best practices

• Modular design: Break down complex functions into reusable components for scalability and maintainability.
• Optimized performance: Apply performance optimization strategies to ensure responsive user experiences.
• Testing and debugging: Implement thorough testing and debugging protocols to maintain reliability. LWC can be tested using LWC Tests.

Screen Flows

Use cases

• Guided user experiences: Screen Flows streamline complex tasks like lead qualification or customer onboarding by guiding users through interactive prompts.
• Automated business processes: They automate repetitive tasks such as case management or approval workflows, enhancing operational efficiency.
• Self-service portals: Screen Flows empower users to complete tasks independently by providing guided experiences for accessing information or submitting requests.

Best practices

1. User-centric design: Prioritize simplicity and clarity to ensure an intuitive user experience.
2. Progressive disclosure: Present information gradually to prevent overload and facilitate task completion.
3. Error handling and validation: Implement robust error handling and validation logic to guide users and prevent errors.
4. Scan Salesforce Flows: Use a tool called Salesforce Flow Scanner to scan Salesforce Flows automatically. It is also available for VS Code.

Driving Salesforce DevOps excellence with LWC and Screen Flows

Both Lightning Web Components (LWC) and Screen Flows are integral to Salesforce DevOps practices. They contribute to the efficient development, deployment, and management of Salesforce applications, aligning with continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) principles, and agile development methodologies within Salesforce environments.

Weigh up your options

In reality, the decision between Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC) and Screen Flows boils down to what fits best for your project and team. However, alternatives are available other than building Lightning Web Components or Screen Flows. For example, there are open-source Salesforce packages that can be installed and provide built-in components without having to rebuild them.

By weighing factors like complexity, your team's coding skills, speed-to-market, and long-term maintenance needs, you can make a choice that sets you up for success.