New beta test application and messaging update!

Yes, finally back to normal @Jenny. Many thanks for your help

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Phew! Glad to hear it @Smiley - thanks for letting me know!

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Thanks @Jenny

I am truly alarmed with this testing. To me, testing something like this takes place when it is 99% working. It is far from that as there is so much wrong with it.
As this is such a mammoth task I would have thought that it would be tested much better inhouse before asking members to test it. I feel that we are doing the work for the IT team as I have left feedback 4 times now and still finding issues.
It is extremely worrying that it is going live in about 6 weeks.

For anyone on the Forum that it is not part of this test I must warn you that it is absolutely awful.

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I just took one look & hated it. Why oh why are they spending so much time messing with things that work?

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Hello @Itchyfeet

Thank you for your feedback about the inbox testing.

I think what could help for next time is that we let members know a bit more about beta testing, it is never the finished product and is designed so that before things are finalised members can use the feature and feedback on what they think should be added, adjusted or maybe removed.

We wanted to give members the opportunity to be part of building the new inbox in its early state, rather than the team just internally testing over the next few weeks and then the newly finished inbox being launched and members not getting the chance to feedback changes they would like.

Beta testing can feel a bit raw and different when you are used to using the finished product. Your feedback is super helpful but if you think 6 more weeks of testing is a bit too much for you then you can opt out of the test at any time.

But remember that your feedback could end up making a helpful change to the final product!

Thank you to everyone who is contributing to the new inbox. Beta testing is about making sure that you have your say before things are finalised, which we really appreciate :smiling_face:

@Smiley I’m glad that your old inbox is now back :slight_smile:

The inbox work has been requested by members for some time now. Feel free to read the suggestions threads on the forum and hopefully, we can tag some of the members who made the suggestions when the new inbox is launched.

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Thank you @Carla for your explanation of beta testing.

I have just read all the the thread that @Ben-ProductManager started last year and all of the suggestions that members have input.
I am afraid to say that none of these suggestions have been introduced to the test.
In fact, it is now harder to find any messages as the Filter by Label feature is no longer available.

Actually, there is one change for the better which is that you can look at the listing page while you are typing your application which is welcome.

However, what came through loud and clear is that a large number of members stated that the Inbox was working fine so why change it.

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Hello, @Itchyfeet You are most welcome, I am always happy to help where I can :smiling_face:

The team also looked at suggestions on the main forum suggestion thread, feedback sent to Membership Services etc. They might not have added everything to the new inbox just yet as it is still a work in progress which is where your feedback comes in handy!

This is great feedback - thank you I will pass it on to the team. Being able to add features like this is why the inbox needed to be updated. The new inbox code and design will give the team much more scope to add more features in the future. Many of the requested suggestions were not possible using the old inbox system.

The team knows change can feel a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but hopefully, as time progresses and new features are added the benefit of a new updated inbox will become clear. We will make sure we keep the forum updated as soon as we know more!

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The problem with that limit of 20 threads should have been caught before. There should have been an alpha test to see that the new version was at all functional: Alpha Test | Definition and Overview | Product Management Glossary

If only to avoid the embarrassment.

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Hi @pietkuip

I’m sure that’s something that the Product team took into account before starting the beta testing, but as it’s something you feel strongly about, why not add this to your feedback if you’re still part of the testing?

As mentioned on my previous post on the five pausing thread, I want to keep that post on topic, so I’ve moved your reply to the correct post about the beta testing. Please feel free to continue discussing it here or as mentioned above, fill out the feedback form designed for this purpose.

Jenny :slightly_smiling_face:

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I am trying out the new inbox format. I am trying to message someone that I sat for years ago. We have had communication after that sit to try and coordinate travel times. I find her in my past sits and click on view conversations, but it is not findable in my in box. Did I miss the memo?

Feedback
We were just confirmed for a sit that we applied for.
The test inbox message said “you have been offered these dates”

( should have screenshot it but didn’t)

The e-mail message we received (to our personal e-Mail not THS inbox ) is headed
xx has picked you as their sitter”
and the message is “Now all that is left to do is to confirm that you can do the sit.”

The e-mail message (to our personal e-Mail not THS inbox ) is a much clearer message than the new inbox message.

It would be more user friendly if the messaging was consistent across the platform.

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I have now two active applications on my Dashboard page.

When I click on “View conversation”, both of those open the same message.

I am giving up on the beta test. Too many problems that should have been caught during alpha testing.

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Unless I missed something I didn’t really see new features just the format was different. I actually found features I liked were missing. :frowning:

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Issues that made my life difficult so I reverted to the old inbox.
Where did favorites go? I use favorites in an unconventional way. When late at night and on my small screened phone I will heart sits I want to apply to the next day. That way I don’t have to search through a ton of posts all over again.

I don’t see ARCHIVED, the ability to make LABELS and I don’t see a way to SEARCH for past applications. We travel with out own dog and our kids. That isn’t for everyone. When I hear back from someone that they are allergic to dogs or don’t have room for kids I make a label so I can see it for next time. If the sit looks familiar I do a search for the name.
With the next inbox I can’t do that or see if I have written to them before until after I have posted a application. It is annoying to HOs who have already turned us down to be bothered again. We also have to have 2 accounts due to the no overlaping rule.

When a sitter attaches a label to a HOer it should stay on thay HOers listings so that can see it and pass by instead of all the headache of trying to figure out if I have applied before. This is such a pain.

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I applied for another sit last night and the process was different to the previous ones I applied for as part of the beta test.

Last time when I clicked on apply it took me to the inbox with 3 sections and I had to write the application in the middle section. This gave limited space to see what I had written. However it had the advantage of showing the different conversations in the inbox in the left - so I could see if I had previously corresponded with them. It also had the link to the sit page in the right hand section.

Yesterday the application opened in a single window, not in the new inbox. There was a link to click to open the listing in a separate window. It was more similar to the old process.

I’m not sure if this a change to the beta testing application process.

I know I haven’t corresponded with this particular HO before, so there was no previous conversation to see. The post above has got me thinking though. I’d like to be able to see if I have corresponded with a HO previously as it may affect my decision to apply. The application process yesterday may not have allowed me to see that.

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Hi @lighthousekeeper , I agree with everything that you have said, especially the labels.
Besides leaving my feedback on this thread I have copied it onto the feedback form on the Inbox site. If you have not already done that, may I suggest that you do? We need to get these messages across
Thanks

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@carla I recall that one of the features that the product team were looking into with the inbox update was to make it easier for homeowners to change the dates of sits . We needed to do this yesterday so logged into the website to test it in the new inbox . We couldn’t find any updated information on how to do this other than the existing way in the old inbox .
We didn’t have time to contact member services to ask how to use the new feature (if it has been implemented)?

If the product team want us to test the new features and functions of the inbox we need the information on what the new features are and instructions on how to use them .

In the absence of any information we resorted to going back to the app and doing it the old way as time was of the essence with us being blocked from applying for sits because the homeowners original listing had the wrong end date .

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Hello, @Silversitters Thank you for the tag. That feature has not been implemented yet, but we will let you know any updates about it. In the meantime, it still works as it previously did. :slight_smile:

@Carla are you able to confirm with the team if the labels are going away completely? I have a really good system now, so I will hate to loose it.

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Hello @BunnyCat leave that with me and I will check that for you :slight_smile:

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