Navigation redesign & IA revamp

Overview

In 2025, two major product design initiatives were launched to improve Information Architecture (IA) and navigation for a leading customer support platform. The goal was to modernize the user experience, reduce cognitive load, and increase adoption of key productivity features. One effort focused on introducing a collapsible global navigation and refining layout flexibility—particularly for support agents who spend most of their time in the ticket view. The second centered around reorganizing the complex settings menu, which had grown to 31 items across 6 loosely grouped sections. Both projects aimed to simplify user flows, enhance scalability, and align UI with a new design system.

Problems

Feedback from usability research, NPS surveys, and usage data revealed consistent pain points across both navigation and settings. The static and always-visible navigation bar contributed to visual clutter, especially with the introduction of a dedicated ticket panel. Meanwhile, the settings page suffered from overwhelming sprawl, lacking intuitive structure or logical groupings. Admins struggled to find key items quickly, and agents felt the interface was dated and rigid. Additionally, low visibility of Automate tools and onboarding flows hindered feature adoption—impacting both user satisfaction and revenue potential.

Solution

To tackle these issues, the design team applied user-centered methods including card sorting, A/B testing, stakeholder interviews, and iterative prototyping. The collapsible navigation introduced a hover-reveal global menu with simplified icons, adaptive width, and improved search access—freeing up screen real estate while maintaining discoverability. Concurrently, the settings overhaul introduced a new IA model categorized by functionality (e.g., Productivity, Ticket Data, Channels), using accordion menus, saved user states, and a consistent page layout. Automate tools were moved into a prominent "Productivity" section to encourage exploration, and designs were aligned to a scalable system prepared for future product launches like AI Agent and multi-store support.

Results

Both redesigns shipped incrementally through Q1 and Q2 2025, guided by stakeholder alignment, internal QA, and usability testing. Early metrics showed reduced navigation-related support tickets and higher engagement with restructured Automate settings. The collapsible nav gave agents a cleaner, more focused workspace, while admins benefited from quicker access to key tools. The new settings structure laid the foundation for future scalability—accommodating growth without compromising clarity. These updates also supported brand consistency across the platform, improved adoption of high-impact features, and created a foundation for a more modern and intuitive user experience.