I redesigned the Rev.io PSA sidebar so every destination is visible at a glance, after clients said they couldn't find links or didn't realize the sidebar scrolled. The new navigation lists each category with its links, lets each user reorder both, and collapses fully to give back screen width. A switcher in the profile menu moves users between the classic and new versions.
New Rev.io sidebar navigation design
The Problem
Clients told us in the Community channel that they struggled to reach links in the sidebar. Some scrolled to find the link they needed; others didn't know the sidebar could scroll at all.
The classic sidebar is a narrow rail of 11 top-level categories: Sales, Customers, Inventory, Service, Scheduling, Projects, Billing, Analytics, Admin, Community and Knowledge Base. Two things sit behind the feedback:
The links inside each category weren't visible, so users couldn't see where they could go without extra clicks.
Links below the visible area were effectively hidden from users who didn't realize the rail scrolled.
Real feedback from a real Rev.io client
Example of the old navigation sidebar. Cramped, narrow, too many clicks.
Goals
The redesign had four goals, each tied to what clients reported or to the cost of fixing it:
Visible links
Break categories out so users see where they can go without hunting or scrolling to discover it.
Less clicks
Show destinations in the sidebar itself rather than behind an extra step.
Customizability
Reorder categories and the links inside them, with the order kept for each user.
Maximize screen width
A wider, always-expanded sidebar costs space, so it collapses fully.
One constraint shaped the rollout: the classic navigation stays available, with a switcher, so no one is forced across.
Demo of the new navigation sidebar
Research and References
The case rests on two inputs: what users said, and how comparable products solve the same problem.
Evidence of the problem. Multiple Community posts from clients, in their own words.
Reference for a solution. Notion and other comparable apps, where categories are broken out and their links are visible at once.
Design exploration. Designs I had already started in Figma for how the sidebar could evolve.
Key Features
Reorder categories and links
Users can rearrange the main categories and the links inside each one, so the sidebar matches how they work. This is the personalization layer that makes a long list of visible links manageable.
Persistent order
Changes are saved per user and browser instance, so a custom order survives logging out and back in.
Fully collapsible
A "Collapse navigation" control shrinks the sidebar away entirely, and an "Expand navigation" control brings it back. Users who want the whole width for dense tables, like the Roles & Permissions list, get it.
Switcher between old and new
The profile popover in the header carries a highlighted, sparkle-marked item: "Try new navigation" in the classic view and "Switch to classic navigation" in the new one. Anyone can move back and forth without changing a setting elsewhere.
Process and Tooling
I designed, researched and coded this myself, from the first Community signal to the shipped build.
Early Results
In the 30 days to Nov 8, more visitors went into the new navigation than back to classic: 128 visitors from 98 accounts clicked "Try new navigation", against 39 visitors from 32 accounts clicking "Switch to classic navigation".
Both toggles fell from August highs to early-September lows and have risen since. In the week of Nov 1, 52 visitors clicked into the new navigation and 19 clicked back.
Plans are in place to remove the "Switch to classic navigation" button altogether, allowing users to fully adopt the new navigation.
Source: Pendo, Rev.io PSA (web). Totals cover Oct 10 – Nov 8, 2026; weekly trends cover the weeks of Aug 9 – Nov 1, 2026.
