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Zendesk Navigation

Role
Principal Product Manager
2025
for Zendesk

Led product strategy for Zendesk's unified navigation redesign across 4 acquired companies (Tymeshift, Local Measure, Ultimate, Klaus), serving 600+ builders and thousands of end users. Transformed a fragmented multi-app experience into a cohesive platform while preserving critical product-specific workflows.

EAP
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Links

WIP Navigation BriefFigma NavigationTechnical Preview

The Problem

After acquiring 4+ companies, Zendesk customers were buying 5 completely different apps:

  • User confusion: Each product had different navigation patterns, search placement, and UI conventions
  • Steep learning curve: Users would start in Klaus, jump to Zendesk Admin, discover settings weren't where they expected
  • Sales impact: Lost deals due to SKU confusion and perceived product fragmentation
  • Technical debt: 600+ people building on disparate systems with low design system adoption

Core challenge: How do you unify the experience without breaking established workflows that users depend on daily?

The Decision: Unified vs. Flexible

Three options considered:

  1. Port Zendesk's existing nav everywhere → Rejected: Our 10-year-old nav was inconsistent even within Zendesk
  2. Create guidelines, let teams implement → Rejected: Low design system adoption meant teams wouldn't compromise without forcing function
  3. Build unified experience with dual framework support → CHOSEN

Abstraction strategy:

  • UNIFIED (opinionated): Navigation shell, search placement, copilot location, login/logout → Creates "one product" feel
  • FLEXIBLE (product-specific): Features where users have muscle memory → Preserves workflow speed

Technical approach:

  • React AND Vue support
  • First submission to Zendesk's new monorepo
  • Layer above design system for shared higher-level components

The Impact

Business outcomes:

  • Modernized experience without breaking existing workflows
  • Reduced admin learning curve and improved consistency
  • Created foundation for centralized search and AI copilot integration
  • Established repeatable pattern for future acquisitions

Technical outcomes:

  • Unlocked faster feature development across product teams
  • Reduced code duplication with shared component layer
  • Enabled dual-framework support during transition period

Key lesson: Platform decisions aren't about control vs. chaos - they're about knowing where to be opinionated and where to stay flexible.

Team & Execution

Cross-functional team spanning:

  • Garden (design system) product, design, and engineering leads
  • QA design lead
  • Support engineering lead
  • Research, WFM design & engineering
  • Designers from all product areas
  • PST to Krakow timezone (daily meetings, 90% async progress)
  • Prototype delivered in 6 weeks
  • Shared component delivered in 4 months
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Monorepo Navigation component

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The controversial example - Support tabs:

  • Support has tabs in prime navigation real estate (every other product has clean spacing)
  • I wanted consistency across all products
  • Support agents answer 100+ tickets/day - workflow speed > visual consistency

Decision: Keep tabs, but improve them and add requested features

Rationale: Already changing navigation (disruptive) - don't break their most critical workflow