Customizable Navigation Tabs for Communities Live!

Photo by Marian Kamenistak on Unsplash

We manage a growing community as part of our business software, and having control over how members navigate that space matters more than we expected. The platform now lets community admins choose exactly which navigation tabs appear in the community bar. That small change gives us clarity, reduces noise, and aligns the community experience with our business goals.

Quick summary

• What it is: Admins can enable or disable specific navigation tabs in a community.
• Where it lives: Community settings under Navigation or Settings.
• Core tabs supported: Discussion and About remain always visible. Learning, Events, Leaderboard, and Members can be toggled on or off.
• Benefit: Tailor navigation to how you want members to engage—simpler, clearer, and more focused.

What changed and why it matters

Previously, community navigation included a fixed set of tabs. That worked for many scenarios, but not for all. We wanted a way to simplify the interface when we ran targeted programs, or to surface resources when onboarding new members. The update gives us that flexibility.

Core controls

• Discussion — always visible. This is the main feed for community posts and the default place members interact.
• About — always visible. Contains community details and guidelines.
• Learning — optional. Show this when you offer courses, tutorials, or onboarding content.
• Events — optional. Use when you want members to see upcoming sessions or replays.
• Leaderboard — optional. Turn this on to recognize top contributors and boost engagement.
• Members — optional. Display a directory when networking and introductions are important.

How this helps our business day to day

We run programs, host events, and onboard new customers, so every interaction in the community supports a business outcome. Being able to tailor navigation makes the community easier to use for members and easier to manage for our team.

Fewer distractions, more focus

When we launched a short-term cohort course, we hid the Leaderboard and Members tabs and kept Learning and Events visible. That helped members focus on course content and sessions instead of getting distracted by rankings or the full member directory.

Better onboarding

For new customers, we showed the Learning tab and a clear Events schedule. That guided them to the essentials on day one and reduced follow-up questions. New members were less likely to miss required training, which saved us time on reminders.

Cleaner networking or privacy settings

Some of our programs needed a private discussion space where networking wasn’t the main goal. Disabling the Members tab gave participants comfort and helped keep conversations on-topic.

Highlight what matters to your goals

We use different tab configurations for different types of communities:

• Product support community: Discussion + About only. Keeps the space focused on troubleshooting and announcements.
• Training cohorts: Discussion + Learning + Events. Direct path to courses and sessions.
• Membership/Networking groups: Discussion + Members + Leaderboard. Encourages connections and recognition.

How to apply this in minutes

The change is simple and quick to implement. We adjusted our navigation in under a minute and immediately saw a cleaner interface.

Step-by-step

1. Open the community you want to tailor.
2. Go to Settings or Community settings.
3. Find Navigation or Tabs configuration.
4. Check or uncheck the tabs you want visible: Learning, Events, Leaderboard, Members.
5. Save changes and verify the community navigation updates as expected.

Best practices for choosing tabs

We treat the navigation choices like a product roadmap. Each tab should earn its place by helping members take a specific action.

Match tabs to member intent

• If members come to learn, show Learning first.
• If events and live sessions are the anchor, show Events.
• If community reputation matters, show Leaderboard.
• If networking and connecting peers are central, show Members.

Limit options for new members

New members can feel overwhelmed. Start with fewer tabs and gradually surface more as they become active. That reduces confusion and improves the first-week experience.

Use the About tab to set expectations

About is always visible, so use it to explain navigation. A short note like "If you want live sessions, check Events; if you need onboarding, check Learning" helps members find what they need without asking.

Common scenarios and recommended setups

Scenario: Product support community

• Recommended tabs: Discussion, About
• Why: Keep focus on problem-solving and official updates. Avoid extra noise.

Scenario: Customer onboarding and training

• Recommended tabs: Discussion, Learning, Events, About
• Why: Direct members to training content and scheduled sessions while still allowing questions.

Scenario: Peer networking group

• Recommended tabs: Discussion, Members, Leaderboard, About
• Why: Encourage introductions, relationship building, and recognition for active contributors.

Scenario: Limited-time cohort or bootcamp

• Recommended tabs: Discussion, Learning, Events
• Why: Keep everything cohort-related front and center while keeping the experience compact.

How this impacts team workflows

We found a few operational gains after customizing tabs:

• Fewer support requests: When onboarding paths were clear, we received fewer "Where do I start?" messages.
• Better content adoption: Course completion improved when Learning was easier to find.
• Clearer moderation: Moderators could focus on fewer areas, making community management more efficient.
• Consistent messaging: With About always visible, community rules and goals stayed front and center.

Practical tips for rolling this out

• Test with a small group: Try a configuration with a pilot cohort before applying it platform-wide.
• Communicate changes: Announce the navigation update inside About so members aren’t surprised.
• Monitor engagement: Check which tabs members use and adjust if something is underused.
• Document choices: Keep a simple note for your team explaining why a configuration was chosen.

Testimonials from our perspective

As a business managing our own community, we noticed a visible drop in questions about where to find resources once we simplified navigation. Team members appreciated having fewer places to monitor, and new members found the onboarding process less confusing.

Another benefit was focus. For short-term programs, hiding nonessential tabs reduced multitasking and helped members complete core tasks more consistently.

Pricing and offering clarity

The tab customization is part of the community feature set in our business software. From our experience, this control is a simple usability improvement rather than a separate add-on. That makes it easy to adopt without renegotiating plans or changing billing.

For businesses evaluating or already using the platform, the value is practical: less clutter, clearer member journeys, and fewer support headaches. The change is straightforward and predictable, so it fits well into existing workflows.

FAQ

Which tabs are always visible and cannot be turned off?

Discussion and About are always visible. Those two tabs are the foundation of the community space: the main post feed and the community details.

Which tabs can administrators enable or disable?

Administrators can toggle Learning, Events, Leaderboard, and Members on or off from the community settings. This allows tailoring the navigation to different community objectives.

How do we change the visible tabs?

Open the community, go to Settings or Community settings, find the Navigation or Tabs configuration, then check or uncheck the tabs you want to show. Save changes and confirm the navigation updates.

Will changing tabs affect member access to content?

Hiding a tab does not delete the content behind it; it only removes that entry point from the navigation bar. Admins can re-enable tabs at any time to restore visibility.

Can we use different tab configurations for different communities?

Yes. Each community can have its own settings. That makes it easy to run different programs or target different member segments without a one-size-fits-all interface.

Does enabling tabs change pricing or billing?

The tab controls are part of the community feature set. Adjusting navigation is a usability option and does not typically affect billing or create separate charges.

What configuration is best for new member onboarding?

Start with Discussion, Learning, Events, and About. This directs new members to onboarding content and scheduled sessions while preserving a space for questions.

How should we measure whether a configuration is working?

Look at engagement in the tabs you’ve prioritized: course completions, event attendance, discussion activity, and the number of support inquiries about navigation. Use those indicators to iterate.

Final thoughts

Small configuration options can have a big impact. For businesses like ours, the ability to choose which navigation tabs appear in a community reduces friction for members and lowers maintenance for the team. It helps us tailor the experience to specific goals—whether that is onboarding, learning, networking, or support—without extra complexity.

If you manage a community, consider reviewing your navigation settings. A targeted configuration could simplify member journeys and free your team to focus on what drives value.