New Format of BCO is a DISASTER

The new format is disappointing, to say the least.  Aside from the privacy and mechanical issues discussed in detail above, the look of the board is amatuerish and cumbersome to use. 

Like many other posters  I don't like the recommended articles ---

• • New Obesity, Smoking, Drinking Linked to Risk of Second Breast Cancer
  • How do you  know I am overweight?  That is not in my profile and I don't smoke.
• • New Arimidex-Faslodex Combo Improves Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer
  • have not be diagnosed with metastatic BC.
And the blank portion of the screen is bothersome.    never before have I seen a site have so much unused space!  On a positive note - I like the number next to the 'favorite topics' menu.

I don't like it either!

I agree, I don't like the site either.  Not user friendly.  I'm not sure I will return just to hang out, only if I have a pressing and important question that needs to be answered.  I too am horrified that fundraised money was used to fix something that wasn't broken.  This WAS the best site on the internet about breast cancer.  I always thought the information you provided was too broad so the discussion board was great to answer specific questions that other women might of experienced.

Trying to answer some of the questions you've posted:

At this point you can use a version of "ignore" for entire categories (not for individual forums or threads, at least not yet). How? Go to the All Topics tab in the Dashboard. When you're viewing All Topics, you'll see a grey circle to the right of each category title, with a minus sign in it.

Click on the minus sign to turn it to a plus, and that entire category will be hidden when you look at the All Topics list. If you want to make it active again, click the plus sign.

Absolutely hate the new format. Lots of wasted space, awful colors and not at all user friendly. Was so much easier to look thru the forums now takes forever. Not enough active topics per page....Just crap!

Well, as usual, I'm going to say too much... but here goes. This is a cut-and-paste from a Word file:

Login:
I really liked the old-style login we used to have.  There were blank lines for username and password at the top of every Discussion Board page. I could login right there, without leaving the page I was on.  Now, I have to click on the “Log In” button and wait for the login page to load, enter my login info, submit that page, and wait for the “All Topics” page to load, before I can pick my way through the forum list to find where I want to go.
 
“All Topics” list:
I much preferred the old, table-style “All Topics” (all forums?) list.  It was easy to see the groupings of related forums under the category headings.  Scrolling down through the forum titles to find relevant forums or forums with recent activity was a fast, simple process.  Visually, the style was plain – perhaps some would call it clunky – but it was easy on the eyes. The contrasting colors and well-marked rows & columns delineated everything nicely. 

Now, the list of forums on the “All Topics” page seems to go on forever. Because it displays only 4 forum titles per page in default format, the new layout requires far too much scrolling. (It took me 20 pages to scroll from top to bottom of the list.)  Having so few titles per page also makes it difficult to tell where I am in the list.

Another reason why the “All Topics” list is difficult to navigate is because of poor use of color and lines. The forums are grouped into categories as before, but it’s difficult to detect the transition from one category to the next at a glance.  The category names (“Tests, Treatments & Side Effects,” etc.) use the same font style and size as the forum titles, although though they’re in different colors.  The category names do have a faint off-white background, but the difference from white is too subtle to make the category names stand out the way they did before.  Even though the large red font used for the forum titles makes them quite legible, distinctions between the forum categories and individual titles are too subtle.  The thin, gray lines between forum titles are impossible to see. 

Beneath each forum title on the “All Topics” list is, apparently, the topic (a.k.a. “thread”) with the most recent post (“Latest Post”).  The font used for the title of that thread is the same style, color, and size, as the font for the username of the person who posted there most recently.  The thread title and username seem to run together on that line.  Contrasting font style or size would have made the thread titles more visible.

The forum subtitles (descriptions) should be listed in line with, or directly beneath, the forum titles, not underneath the title of the thread with the “Latest Post.” The new order gives an incorrect impression of the subject of the most recent post.  Here’s an example:
Lymphedema
3,222 Topics 38,561 Posts
Latest post: So fed up by lionessdoe 34 minutes ago
Risks, tips for prevention, and info about products that can address the symptoms of lymphedema.

Forum pages:
Like the “All Topics” list, the list of threads within a forum requires far too much scrolling.  Only 4 threads can be displayed per page on my screen with the default setting, instead of the dozen or so that could be viewed at a glance with the old format.  Even with that old format, it was sometimes hard to locate a not-so-active thread once it passed on to the 2nd or 3rd page.  Now, I can’t imagine scrolling through a dozen pages of threads, trying to find an older thread.  Anything that’s not on the 1st or 2nd page (first 8 threads) will be forgotten.
 
“My Profile” page:
When I go to “My Profile,” the very first thing I see is an array of 4 boxes:  My Articles, My Diagnoses, My Treatments, and Settings.  The only other content on my profile page is a list of “Recommended Articles,” followed by a list of “Archived Articles.” How is that a profile? This new BCO “My Profile” page is the least relevant user “profile” I’ve ever seen.

The links under “My Articles” aren’t mine at all.  They’re articles some BCO algorithm picked for me because of data it found on my original BCO profile… which I’ve since edited.  So, BCO is offering me 49 articles it thinks might be relevant to my diagnosis and treatment.  Sorry, but that’s both insulting and creepy.  How could a computer algorithm possibly know what types of articles I would like to read now, 4-1/2 years after my cancer dx?  And, I’ve changed the entries for “My Diagnosis” and don’t plan to include any for “My Treatment,” which makes the list of “Recommended Articles” even less relevant.  (AnnNYC, some of mine deal with treatments for mets, too.)

Even more annoying was my inability to dump that “Recommended Articles” list or delete the links individually.  The only options I could find were “Save” or “Archive”.  I don’t know the difference between those, and I don’t want to do either of them anyway.  What happened to a simple “Delete” button – or, better yet, “Delete ALL”?
 
Miscellaneous:
There’s a blue square (an active button) at the top right of my screen, labeled “Menu”.  What’s that for?  The blue square contains a red & white circle with a number in it.  Apparently, the number refers to the number of threads I’ve marked as “favorite topics,” even though there was nothing to suggest that’s the case until I tested it by adding and deleting topics from the list. Keep in mind that many of these things aren’t intuitive.

Overall appearance:
The biggest disappointment is the overall appearance of the new Discussion Boards site. Every page looks the same, whether it’s the “All Topics” list, the list of threads within a forum, or the threads themselves.  It’s monotonous.  I am not a right-brain person, but it seems to me that there could have been better use of lines, colors, and contrasting fonts, to break up the pages visually and make categories and transitions more obvious.  In a Discussion site with the size and complexity of this one, it’s important for users to be able to find things easily and see where they are at a glance.

And, finally... unlike most of you, I see a full-width screen.  There are no huge blank margins on the sides of the screen -- the text runs edge to edge. This is good.  The text of the post I'm typing right now is far too small -- much smaller than it will be once I hit "Submit" (I've tested it).  Still, re-sizing the text in the Comment window would be nice. The color of the page is not white -- it's a faded off-white, a decent contrast with the black or colored text. That's not what's hard on my eyes.  I just hate scrolling and searching and hunting for things as much as I am needing to do with this new format.  I wouldn't call it a "disaster", but I sure hope it's a work in progress.

otter

New members, and old Mods, recognize the help that so many members offer to newbies who arrive on the site urgently looking for help. Although the new design does show those threads with just one or a couple of replies, is this something that needs to be clearer? Here's how it looks in a typical forum:

What otter said about the organization - I think those articles are insulting and creepy too. Excellent observations - as usual.

Another thing: the BCO Rules should be conspicuous. They are nowhere obvious. Every discussion form that is moderated should have that prominently displayed.

If you MUST have half of the screen blank (otter doesn't have this but many of us do), can the menu items to the left "move" down alongside you as you scroll so that we won't have to keep scrolling up to access them?

I think this was designed mostly for mobiles. But 25 percent of users shouldn't dictate terms. I believe you should have surveyed EVERYONE (that is, given all of us the option of input through an electronic survey) before these changes.

Just too much lip service to smartphone pop culture. I don't need money wasted on enabling me to enter my treatments. That is private medical data and frankly no one should really be encouraged to post that on a mobile!This isn't Facebook - Thank God. I understand Facebook's disrespect for privacy in that they make money out of spilling everyone's beans. But a non profit that deals with sensitive health issues should NOT follow that model. 

Thanks, otter, for enabling me to better express what bothers me most. 

And thank you, again, mods, for listening.

Off to bed.

mamadog53 if you are on a PC  hold down the "Ctrl" key while tapping the "+" key to make the type larger or the "-" to make the type smaller
On a Mac it's the command (apple) key instead of "Ctrl"

I'm afraid I agree with Day. This is very difficult to navigate and hate the wasted space and I do not like the whole app thing. Way too much scrolling. I can't find anything even when I've gone to my favorites or tried to at least three times tonight - I can't get to any of them. Very difficult.

Sorry hadn't finished - I won't re type all my personal information either... why did it disappear. Don't appreciate the recommended articles at all - no I do not smoke, no I am not obsese. Where are they getting these? Why do I want to read them? Then you are stuck you can't go anywhere. Oh Please Please bring back the old style. What what wrong with it. Yes I read about email and mobiles but why is that a problem. Facebook is very easy to navigate on mobile - not sure that I understand why this has to change so dramatically. Very sad about this

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I'm one of those who thinks the new format is going to be a stumbling block to older women who are very basic in their understanding of website. 

I dare say, it going to turn some of  them off or intimidate them.

I dont find the new look inviting at all.... 

Oh no I just started getting email notifications!!! How do I get rid of that? Never had that before never wanted it... I can't figure this out. I can't even find my profile - I just find all these awful articles but no profile so I never changed anything... Ack!! Can't do this....