Simpplr One navigation refresh overview

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 

Jump to a section: 

• Rollout plan for app managers 
• Quick links and resources
• What’s new: key capabilities and value 
• Before and after   
• FAQ 

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.
  • You can download it by clicking here
• Try the new navigation: click through this interactive demo to get a feel for how to navigate. 
  • Interactive demo

What’s new: Key capabilities and value  

The new navigation is designed to put the most relevant information front-and-center for every user. 

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.  

FAQ

1. Is the new navigation experience mandatory, or can we opt out and keep the current top-header navigation?
   1. 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. 
2. Are we able to customize the UI before it goes live in production? 
   1. 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.
3. Why did the navigation change?
   1. 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. 
4. Will any of my existing links or bookmarks break?
   1. No. All URLs, permissions, and integrations stay the same—your pages simply open inside the new frame. 
5. Will this impact performance or accessibility?
   1. 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.
6. Will the mobile app navigation change when I make updates/customizations to my desktop navigation? 
   1. 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. 
7. How many custom items can I add to my navigation? 
   1. In the 26.01 release, you'll be able to add an unlimited number of items to your sections in your custom navigation experience. 
8. What specific elements of the navigation can I customize as an app manager? 
   1. As an app manager, you gain control over several key elements to personalize the user experience:
      1. 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. 
      2. Ordering of items: Customize the order of the default links, and custom links that appear on the Home secondary navigation panel.
      3. Custom sections/links/items: Add and organize your own sections, items, or groups of items (links, sites, or content) within the navigation structure. 
      4. "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")
9. What training and documentation will be available to help my team manage and use the new navigation? 
   1. 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.