Get involved: your thoughts on forum board structure

[Marjo]

Hi everyone!

We have seen feedback and comments related to the forum board structure from many of you, so it would be awesome to collect your views and ideas in more detail in this thread and get a discussion going.

We would like to make the forum boards structure easier and clearer so that it would be better for both old and new members to find the content and help they're looking for and easily engage with each other.

Please let us know your thoughts on how you think we could improve:

• Board structure: what categories/boards would you remove or add and why?
  
• How would you improve the clarity of board names and descriptions? For example, would 'Guides & Reviews' be clearer than 'Community Knowledge Base'?
  

Thanks a lot in advance!

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Your feedback so far Updated 11 September:

Board names and descriptions:

• Clarify the purpose of 'O2 Home' section | Update: the name of the board has been clarified as "O2 Home (Smart home products)"
• 'Guides and reviews' would be a little clearer than 'Knowledge Base'
• Current signposting is ok. Only add/change what is needed.

Board structure:

• Clearer structure: show 'mobile', 'apps', 'smart home' under products & services, and then clear subsections under that
• Apple devices shouldn't be its own area in the Knowledge base unless other device areas added
• Less main categories on home page (e.g. 4,5,6 max)
• Remove the standalone section of O2 Home
• Separate boards for PAYM/PAYG?
• Enforcing community rules and guidelines (new board?)
• Have a hardware or device section (like the get help with your device) and then split to manufacturer/type?
• Move O2 home from the top of the page
• Apple, Android and Other Devices are valid. How about adding Roaming etc.?

Other feedback:

• Mobile skin: mobile view on smaller devices and in general should be improved
• Mobile skin: With a 6.1" screen the view is not too bad, however cannot make long posts
• Mobile skin: have a separate mobile app instead
• Ideas section: not working, revive/archive?
• Re-design: clarification that this is not customer services but a peer-to-peer / self-help community
• Re-design: change the layout of the home page and community forums in general
• Re-design: display full path (instead of just name of section) in the new post dropdown list
• Re-design: hover-over description over the make a post dropdown that lets you know what the section is about
• Re-design: old forum preferred; it was more logical and clearer to use than current forum
• Re-design: have out-of-date articles auto lock
• General: The forum is currently good for an older person and for a deaf person.
• General: Bulleted info easier to read in community page description.
• General: Clarify that O2 community is self help and not Customer Service
• Lithium bugs: fix them & a list of current bugs visible to community (e.g. in a thread)
• Feedback to O2: making sure changes are made and forum members listened to
• Feedback to O2: change the Lithium platform to something else
• O2 website top header changes: not fit for purpose, i.e. it is more difficult for regular users to navigate it in order to help new users

[Jenny105]

Hi   My post is  on behalf of older persons ; the deaf; the disabled, inc mental well beiing.

Older people do not like change for change sake.

I like 02 board . Its clear, Signposting is ok, I managed to post first visit. So Keep the essentails as they are and only add or take away what is necessary. It is good for an older person and for a deaf person.

I like discussing

disability issues,       suitable phones,  new equipment to assist disabled people

new technology issues that an older person might need explanations for such as - tablet, bluetooth,

new ideas about passwords.

All With clear simple words not jargon.

I havent used the 02 board to its full extent as yet . I keep meaning to ask some questions but dont get round to it. All the best with your deliberations and I'll let you know if i dont like or do like the outcome. Let us know when that happens

[Glory1]

I cannot add to the great recommendations already made regarding the Forum boards as well as the problems/bugs mentioned on numerous occasions.

However, I would like add to the comment made by @gmarkj regarding accessing the website via mobile. Particularly as it is the only way I can access the website. Working with a 6.1" screen the view is not too bad. However, tbe problem I've had is making a long post, eg my In the Spotlight response and my S8 plus review. In both cases I was unable to do this via my mobile. For my In the Spotlight I posted in 'bites' to @Anonymous-02. At the time I put it down to my old phone, the Note 4. But the same problem arose with my brand new phone when attempting to post my review on same. In the end I used my tablet to post my review. But then had to post the photos I'd taken of the new phone separately as they were on my new phone not my tablet. @Anonymous-02 incorporated them into my review for me.

Now this may only affect me as I use a mobile and the majority of you use a desk/lap top. But I thought I would mention it just in case it's not just me this affects.

[Marjo]

Thanks for posting your feedback @Jenny105 and @Glory1!

Everyone, please do keep it coming if you have more feedback on this topic!

[Jenny105]

Hi  2nd go .....

To be honest I do not know what the 02 Community exists for nor what queries or items one can access. I came upon it by chance when i had a mobile  query.

I ve learnt you can make comments about phones and can also get feedback about tablets etc - even if you didnt buy them thru 02 but what else is covered I'm not clear

Could you make it clear:-

•  what the site is about outside of the Community site  . And again somewhere obvious and unchanging once one has entered it. 02 Website page doesnt make community page obvious unless one clicks on Help in desperation !
• Bulletted info is easier to read than loads of sentences re community page description
• Clarify that   02 community = self help
• As said before - no drastic change for change sake unless it is simplification.

[Marjo]

Hi all, I've updated the first post with the latest feedback.

Is there any other pieces of feedback regarding the board structure that you'd like to let us know about?

[Beenherebefore]

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@adamtemp64 wrote:

But it is the CLARIFICATION that this is not customer services and a "customer to customer" self help community (discussed many times) It really is time that this major issue was addressed first over layout and structure.

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THIS IS PARAMOUNT !

It must be the No. 1 priority before changing  anything else.

If it's not done then we can only assume that O2 has a hidden agenda for customers who need problems solved being deceived into thinking the Community is an alternative to phoning O2 Customer Services.

[Cleoriff]

I would like the issues about the change of home page header tabs to be discussed.Community Header

It may look tidier but isn't fit for purpose.

O2 need to realise they have a lot of regular users here offering help and support to new users.If it's made more difficult to navigate to the appropriate links...then some of us just won't bother...:smileysad:

[Marjo]

Cheers guys for the additional points! 

Anything else, especially about the community home page at the moment, please do let us know!

[Marjo]

Hi guys! Happy Monday!

Quick update on your feedback regarding the O2 Home board name!

It has now been updated to clarify the purpose a bit more - it is now called "O2 Home (Smart home products)"  Hoping that this will let new members know that it is not the home of the community, but about specific set of products related to smart home.

Thanks guys! 

[jonsie]

Here's hoping... 😉