How Do I Navigate the ServiceNow UI? (ServiceNow Foundations #3)

Travis Toulson · an hour ago

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If you just logged into ServiceNow and are staring at a maze of menus and options, don’t worry. That’s completely normal. The ServiceNow platform supports a wide range of users, so it naturally has several interfaces designed for different roles and use cases.

In this post, we’ll walk through the main UIs and tools you'll encounter as a developer or creator, and explain when to use each one.

Next Experience UI: Your Home Base

When you first log in, you're dropped into the Next Experience UI. Think of it as the starting point or launchpad for your work. It’s designed to guide you to the specialized tools and interfaces you’ll need.

💡 Pro tip: Pin the “All” menu on the left for easier navigation while you're getting familiar with the layout.

Three Main Studios for Building Apps

Depending on how much coding you want to do, you’ll spend most of your time in one of these:

Creator Studio
No-code environment for quickly building apps using drag-and-drop tools.
Great for business users or anyone who wants to create without writing code.
ServiceNow Studio
Low-code environment with a modern, multi-tab IDE feel.
Ideal for most platform developers. You can work across app scopes efficiently.
ServiceNow IDE
Full-code editor with support for advanced development workflows.
Perfect for pro-coders who want full control over their logic and structure.

The best part is, you can switch between these environments without losing your place.

What You're Building For: Interfaces

Once you know how to build, you’ll need to understand who you’re building for. ServiceNow offers interfaces tailored for different user types:

Agent Experiences
Use Workspaces (like ITSM or CSM Workspace) for process users who handle tickets, cases, or incidents.
Build or customize these using UI Builder, which is great for building responsive, role-based interfaces.
Requester Experiences
Use Service Portal for users submitting requests, accessing knowledge, or tracking issues.
Often experienced via Employee Center or business portals, and great for intranet-style design.
Mobile Experiences
Now Mobile is for requesters on the go.
ServiceNow Agent is for agents who need to work processes on mobile.
Use Mobile App Builder to build custom mobile apps tailored to your org’s workflows.