Simpplr One navigation refresh overview
Updated 2 months ago
Overview
The Simpplr One navigation UX refresh gives you more flexibility and customization controls to design the intranet experience around how your teams work. This update is designed to improve content discoverability and save your employees time.
In this article, you'll find a detailed look at the key features, a clear rollout timeline, and the resources you need to prepare your organization for the change. If you are looking on how to fully customize your navigation, we recommend reading our article, How to customize your navigation experience.
Who it is for: App managers
Roll out plan for App managers
We are rolling out the new navigation to Simpplr One customers in the following way:
January 5, 2026: New navigation UX pushed to Simpplr One sandboxes
January 12, 2026: Navigation is pushed to Simpplr One production environments
If you're going through your upgrade from Simpplr Classic to Simpplr One, reach out to your project manager to learn about when you will be getting the new navigation turned on in your sandbox and production environments.
⭐️ Pro Tip: When the navigation is pushed to production, it will roll out with the default settings. We recommend testing customizations in your sandbox and once you are happy with the look and feel, replicate those customizations in production.
Quick links and resources
Before diving into the details, here are the essential resources you need to manage this transition:
⬇️ Communication Plan: Use our pre-built, editable plan to roll out the new experience to your employees.
Try the new navigation: click through this interactive demo to get a feel for how to navigate.
What’s new: Key capabilities and value
The new navigation is designed to put the most relevant information front-and-center for every user.
Capability | Value for your organization |
Left hand side main navigation | Improved discoverability & time savings: Personalized for each user, improving content discoverability and reducing the time it takes to find information (confirmed through user testing). |
Customization of navigation | Tailored intranet experience: Gives you the ability to:
|
Centralized create modal | Faster Task Initiation: A permission-aware, centralized entry point for all "create" actions (Content, Feed, Recognition, etc.). Surfaces key actions with a single tap, eliminating the need to dig through menus. |
Role aware “mode navigation” | Streamlined workflows: Users only see options relevant to their role and can seamlessly switch between: User mode (Home, Sites, People, Feed) and Manager mode (Manage Features, Analytics, and App Settings) - if they have permission. |
Centered Search | The search bar is front and center, making it easier for people to find what they are looking for. |
New icons for apps & links | The header has been updated with new icons for apps and external links. |
Dedicated profile menu | We heard that profile settings were getting lost. Now users can easily update their profile and notification settings in one place. |
Enhanced accessibility | A better experience for everyone: Includes full keyboard navigation, WCAG 2.2 AA color contrast, and the same snappy performance even on low-bandwidth connections. |
Before and after
See the difference between the current navigation experience and the enhanced Simpplr One navigation.
Original navigation experience
Our original navigation is located at the top of the header.
New navigation
Launching in Simpplr One production environments January 12, 2026.
Here's a customer-facing version of the Knowledge Base article:
Simplified footer and background layout
The platform's appearance has been updated with a new, simplified footer and a cleaner page background. We've removed decorative curved styling and streamlined the footer to show only essential information, creating a more modern and uncluttered interface. Applies to: All users
What's New
Simplified footer: The footer now includes only essential links like legal notices, privacy, and help resources.
Cleaner background: We've removed the curved background elements for a flatter, neutral look that helps you focus on content.
Consistent spacing: You'll notice more standardized spacing at the bottom of pages for a smoother experience.
Why these changes matter
Improved readability: Less visual clutter makes it easier to read and understand information, especially on busy screens.
Better accessibility: A cleaner design with higher contrast can benefit users with visual sensitivities.
Modern look: The updated design aligns with current interface standards for a fresh, streamlined feel.
What you'll experience
No action needed: The update happens automatically, and your navigation and core workflows remain unchanged.
Fewer footer links: The footer will display fewer items, focusing on critical links.
Visual appearance: Pages will look flatter and cleaner, without curved gradients or ornamental shapes in the background.
Before vs. After
Before: The footer contained many extra links, and the page background had curved design elements.
After: The footer displays only essential items, and the background is simplified for a distraction-free view.
Footer content
You'll now find these items in the footer:
Essential legal: Terms, Privacy
Support: Help/Docs link
Platform info: Environment or version identifier (if applicable)
Some specialized links previously in the footer might now be found in the global navigation "Help" menu. This helps centralize support resources.
Note: The footer has a 198-character limit. If the information exceeds 18 characters, it is truncated with an ellipsis. Hover over the footer to view the complete text in a tooltip.
FAQs
Q. Does this change affect any permissions or roles?
Ans. No, this is a visual update only. Your permissions and roles are unchanged.
Q. Will the simplified footer vary by region or account type?
Ans. The core items will be consistent. While some legal links might reflect regional requirements, the minimal design remains the same for everyone.
Q. Can I restore the old curved background?
Ans. No, the previous background design has been replaced with this new, streamlined look.
Q. Is the new navigation experience mandatory, or can we opt out and keep the current top-header navigation?
Ans. The Simpplr One navigation refresh is a mandatory update designed to deliver significant improvements in user experience, discoverability, and accessibility. Once the feature is pushed to your production environment on January 12, 2026, all users will automatically see the new left-hand navigation.
Q. Are we able to customize the UI before it goes live in production?
Ans. When the navigation rolls out to production on January 12, 2026, it will initially appear with default settings. We recommend that you test all your intended configurations (custom links, feature reordering, branding) in the sandbox first. You can then apply your tested, finalized customizations directly in your production environment after the rollout.
Q. Why did the navigation change?
Ans. Our user research showed employees found content faster with a left-side layout that keeps key links visible as you scroll. We also received customer feedback requesting for options to customize the navigation for their organization. The redesign also aligns Simpplr with modern SaaS patterns and prepares the platform for future personalization.
Q. Will any of my existing links or bookmarks break?
Ans. No. All URLs, permissions, and integrations stay the same—your pages simply open inside the new frame.
Q. Will this impact performance or accessibility?
Ans. Navigation V2 meets WCAG 2.2 AA color-contrast and keyboard-navigation standards, and it runs on the same AWS infrastructure as the previous layout, so you’ll see the same performance on any connection.
Q. Will the mobile app navigation change when I make updates/customizations to my desktop navigation?
Ans. In the 26.01 release, the navigation customizations only apply to desktop. The ability to customize the mobile app navigation will come in a later release.
Q. How many custom items can I add to my navigation?
Ans. In the 26.01 release, you'll be able to add an unlimited number of items to your sections in your custom navigation experience.
Q. What specific elements of the navigation can I customize as an app manager?
Ans. As an app manager, you gain control over several key elements to personalize the user experience:
i. Branding: You can customize primary and secondary navigation elements related to the color of the navigation bar. We recommend staying away from using Yellow for icons, and text.
ii. Ordering of items: Customize the order of the default links, and custom links that appear on the Home secondary navigation panel.
iii. Custom sections/links/items: Add and organize your own sections, items, or groups of items (links, sites, or content) within the navigation structure.
iv. "People" feature naming: Update the display name of the "People" feature to match your company's internal naming conventions (e.g., "Team members" or "Employees")
Q. What training and documentation will be available to help my team manage and use the new navigation?
Ans. We highly recommend starting with our training videos right now, which provide a guided tour of all new capabilities. We are actively developing a series of new "How-to" articles and detailed knowledge base documentation, which will be made available closer to mid-December.
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