ServiceNow offers Configurable Workspaces as the modern alternative to the legacy Core UI and Agent Workspace. This guide provides an overview of the strategic and tactical considerations for migration, ensuring alignment with business objectives while meeting efficient execution.
Why Migrate: Functional & Technical Drivers
Functional Benefits:
- Unified View: Workspaces consolidate everything agents need into a single view all while scaling their productivity with advanced AI features that boost efficiency and collaboration.
- AI powered skills to recommend new content, summarize records, provide sentiment analysis, suggested related information, and more.
- Collaborate with other agents using the Sidebar Chat.
- Contextual information (ie Requester details, SLAs, and more) in one place.
- Process-Specific Features: Over 70+ prebuilt product specialized workspaces (e.g., Service Operations Workspace for ITSM or HR Agent Workspace for HRSD) come with persona-driven functionality, reducing the need for custom development.
- Training content: A wide range of training content for workspaces is available across multiple platforms to ensure continual learning and enablement such as: YouTube, community blogs, Now Learning, and official ServiceNow documentation. Content is usually updated on a quarterly basis.
Technical Advantages:
- UI Builder Configuration: With UI Builder, teams can visually construct and modify workspace layouts, components, and data binding all while using a drag-and-drop interface.
- Flexible Component Toolbox: The platform provides access to a growing library of over 150+ components built using standard Javascript web components. If you need more flexibility to accommodate advanced use cases, teams can also create custom components using the ServiceNow Command Line Interface (CLI) or the new Component Builder.
- Centrally Managed Components: Next Experience components are centrally managed and immutable. This design decision reduces technical debt, while also ensuring backward compatibility and compliance with accessibility standards.
- Webinar with more details on how List and Record features have evolved over the years can be found here
Terminology & Context
|
Term |
Description |
|
Next Experience UI Framework |
This UI framework is internally referred to as "Seismic" and provides a foundation for developing immersive user experiences. |
|
Next Experience UI |
Modern user interface that was release in San Diego and is built on the Next Experience UI framework. |
|
Configurable Workspace |
Latest generation of Workspace UI that replaces the legacy Agent Workspace. |
|
Agent Workspace (Legacy) |
The initial version of Workspace was introduced in Madrid, but it's not recommended for new projects because of its limited configurability. |
|
Core UI (UI16) |
Previous UI used prior to the Next Experience UI that leveraged the CoreUI app shell. |
Migration Strategy & Phases
Discovery & Planning
- Define Business Process, Personas, & Goals: Select the process you intend to modernize (ie IT Service Mgmt or HR Service Delivery) and focus on implementing one workspace at a time. For each selected process, identify all relevant user personas involved in the day-to-day work and document their functional requirements so that their needs are supported within the workspace.
- Note: Workspaces can be limited based on system roles so it is essential to determine which personas need what degree of access
- Review Existing Product Workspaces: Check if ServiceNow provides a pre-built configurable workspace (e.g., Service Operations Workspace) that aligns with your process, review the documentation to view OOB features, and note that each of the 70+ workspaces may have unique functionalities to suit their unique personas.
Environment Setup & Activation
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Engage Implementation & Licensing Teams: Coordinate with your ServiceNow account team to confirm licensing and entitlements allotted to the instance of choice.
Configuration & Reimagination (future blog post coming on this topic)
- Reimagine, Do Not Recreate: Workspaces are a new way of working due to its three-panel view in addition to its sidebars located on both sides. Use this opportunity to streamline and do not simply lift-and-shift previous Core UI views as many Core UI customizations were often the result of technical limitations from the past technologies.
- Configure Workspace Experience: Recommend reviewing the following in order to curate the appropriate workspace experience:
- List and panel configurations: on the left side of a workspace, you may need to modify the default options including: L1 menu (1), UX List Categories and Menus (2), New Record Menu (3) , and UX Highlighted Values (4). See hands on lab for step by step guidance.
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Record configuration: on the record page of a workspace, you may need to use Form Builder (1) to modify the form to add/remove fields as needed. Additionally, you may need to modify any Declarative Actions (2).
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Declarative Actions, an update to traditional UI Actions, now work across any ServiceNow interface, including lists, forms, playbooks, and catalog wizards. Previously, UI Actions were limited to lists and forms. More information can be found here.
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- Sidebar panel: modifying the Sidebar panel to include the appropriate page(s) may assist agents. Common use cases include:
- Custom use cases previously fulfilled by Formatters
- Displaying checklists
- Displaying related record information
- Displaying recommended actions
- Viewing attachments
- Viewing related calendars/schedules
Testing & Validation
- Test in Sub-Production: Validate configurations, UI behavior, and functional accuracy. Verify navigation behavior, component interactions, and data integrity.
- Debugging techniques include:
- Next Experience Developer Tool: Google Chrome plugin that allows one to inspect components, logs, and view performance. More information can be found here.
- System Logs > Client Interactions can be used to review response times and API calls
Deployment & Change Management
- Deploy Carefully: Transition agents to the new workspace in phases; ensure fallback options to Core UI are available during cut-over.
- Communicate & Train: Use ServiceNow training (e.g., UI Builder Fundamentals and UI Builder Advanced on Now Learning) as well as Community guides to onboard users.
Technical Considerations & Features
- Component Library Growth: As of 2025, UI Builder includes over 150+ components. The Horizon Design System centralizes the most up to date guidelines, patterns, components, and resources for builders creating experiences on the platform.
- Extensions & Custom Components: You can extend with custom web components within UI Builder.
- Feature Parity Awareness: Updates made within UI Builder may not always be reflected across all Workspaces (ex. Service Operations Workspace) because each product team adopts features on their own timeline.
- Maintain Store App: Store apps are updated on a quarterly basis vs on a bi-annual family release schedule. As these updates include both bug and net new features, it is important to ensure all store apps are updated on a frequent basis, particularly since UI Builder and most workspaces are released as store apps.
Organizational Readiness & Training
- Use Now Learning Courses: Take advantage of free UI Builder Fundamentals and Advanced courses (Yokohama edition) to build staff expertise.
- Join COE Resources & Community: Leverage Next Experience Center of Excellence content, live webinars, and community forums.
- Change Communication: Prepare stakeholders via workshops, communications templates, and training to help adoption.
Summary & Customer-Ready Checklist
|
Phase |
Key Deliverables |
|
Planning |
Mapped processes, personas, goal definition |
|
Activation |
Next Experience & workspace plugins enabled |
|
Configuration |
Workspace built in UI Builder, components configured |
|
Testing |
UI behavior validated, fallback options ensured |
|
Deployment |
Phased rollout, communication plan executed |
|
Training |
User training completed, support channels open |
Appendix: Resources & Reference Links
- Next Experience Center of Excellence: comprehensive knowledge repository of Workspace resources
- Training:
