Dana SmithamAnaconda
Reinventing Navigator
Leading a research-led desktop redesign that helped people discover more of what Navigator could do.
Redesigned Anaconda desktop dashboard with recent work, applications and models · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.A familiar tool. A bigger ambition.
Navigator had been part of people’s workflows for years, with millions of downloads. Our team set out to give the desktop application a substantial update, grounded in how people wanted to get their work done.
The work went beyond the interface. We conducted extensive user research, overhauled the information architecture, deprecated obsolete features, and brought capabilities that had been hidden or hard to find to the forefront.
I led the team and strategy. The team translated that direction into a redesigned experience, new interaction patterns, and design system integration.
Make the work easier to reach.
Start with people’s work.
Research revealed that people thought Navigator was only for launching Jupyter notebooks. They were missing capabilities such as creating environments, browsing packages, and installing applications.
Reconsider what belongs.
We retired the homepage grid of application tiles and surfaced better navigation. Usage analytics and a cutoff threshold guided the retirement of features people no longer used.
Give the interface a foundation.
A substantial UI update introduced new patterns and integrated the design system.
From the launcher to the workspace.
The earlier Home screen centered on application tiles. The redesigned dashboard brings recent work, applications, models, and documentation into one view.
Home: application tiles, environment selection, and launch controls. · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.Dashboard: recent work alongside applications, models, and documentation. · Click to enlarge
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Catalog: a dedicated destination for exploring available tools and models. · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.A clearer structure for a broader toolset.
The navigation shows the shift: Home, Environments, Learning, and Community give way to a workspace with distinct destinations for environments, AI models, model servers, and discovery.
Environment management, brought into focus.
The earlier experience placed environments and packages side by side. The redesign gives the environment list and an individual environment’s packages their own views.
Earlier environment and package-management interface. · Click to enlarge
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Redesigned environment overview. · Click to enlarge
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An environment detail view with package search, versions, and contextual actions. · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.Earlier interaction details
Application and environment controls. · Click to enlarge
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Python version interaction. · Click to enlarge
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Getting started and creation interaction. · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.Consistency across the details.
Persistent navigation, clear page hierarchy, searchable tables, and contextual actions provide a common structure across the redesigned screens.
Designing beyond a single screen.
Navigator sat within a broader product ecosystem. My work at Anaconda also included guiding product convergence and establishing shared design foundations. That wider integration was still underway when I left in September 2026.
Most of the desktop redesign shipped across the initial and subsequent releases. The work brought its research-led direction, information architecture, and interface foundations into the product.
Product architecture reference. · Click to enlarge
Click the image again to return to the compact view.Your next challenge.
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