Confusion among users re: group-level versus subgroup-level
I repeatedly come accross situations where users are unknowingly creating new items (event, blog post, discussion topic, etc.) at the group-level rather than at the sub-group level or vice-versa.
Aside from the fact that there is currently no practical way for a groupsite manager to move items from one level to the other, I think that it should not occur in the first place as there should be some better interface cues to figure this out (e.g. prompt and/or contextual baloon help [i] and/or warning notice highlighted in a rectangle and/or menu with the list of subgroups + main level where a user may change the location where he will post his item when the items is being created, irrespective of the page where he is when he is creating the item) and controls (e.g. setting allowing users (except managers) to post items only at the subgroup level) to make sure that the user post his item where it belongs or where he is entitled to.
Are there other people experiencing the same problem and is the development team already aware if this and working to troubleshoot it? If so, when is the solution expected to be available?
Thank you!
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Yes, Marcel, we are experiencing similar problems, as well as having to constantly re-educate people about who can see/participate in the sub-groups vs. the parent groupsite. We also have people who just won't post anything or upload any docs into the subgroup because they're so unsure of who might have access to it or if they're putting it in the right place. It does seem like making the subgroup info display at the parent level would make it easier for members, but instead it appears to do the opposite and make things more difficult.
I have sent my feedback in to the support folks at Groupsite by email.
Hi there,
You both have some very valid points regarding Subgroups, especially from a user experience perspective. Sometimes we have to take a BIG STEP back and take a look at things from the perspective of "fresh eyes". None of us here have "fresh eyes", so we rely on you and your members to provide us with feedback. We appreciate your help.
I see it repeatedly where users either forget or do not realize that Subgroups have their own menu separate from the main group, where subgroup actions should take place. Some users just do not realize that once you are in the Subgroups tab, there is a Subgroup menu on the right as well as one located just below the main group navigation bar. Maybe the location of the subgroup menus is part of the confusion. Or perhaps the reason is the subgroup menu under the main navigation bar is not truly visible until you click on that Subgroup tab. I wonder if more people when trying to send an Email blast to subgroup members, click on the share tab from the main group instead of clicking on discussions or Email Blast from the subgroup menu.
We will keep this feedback in mind as we continue to make improvements to subgroups.
Sincerely,
Celeste
And when you are making a blast or calendar post, there is nothing that I can recall that tells you the "scope" of what you are about to do... perhaps if the calendar scheduling page or blast page indicated whether you were doing it for the entire group or the X subgroup, then at least people would have some idea of the context.
This is a very important topic from subgroup perspective. We face this issue as well. I guess solutions lie in the following areas.
Regards,
VK
Hi Chris,
When you are creating an Email blast or adding a calendar event in a Subgroup, The name of the Subgroup appears directly above the words New Event. So that will indicate to you that you are adding a calendar event or sending an Email blast to that particular subgroup. Also, a good indication of where you are is the URL of the page that you are on. For example, if you are sending an Email blast to the main (entire) Group, the URL will look like this:
http:// yourgroupname.groupsite.com/blasts/new
If you are sending an Email Blast to a subgroup, the URL will look like this:
http://yourgroupname.groupsite.com/group/subgroupname/blasts/new
I always check the URL of the page I am working on to keep me straight.
Celeste
true... I guess what I'm saying is that I know some of my users have been confused by it...and apparently it is true of other groupsites... not sure what the best answer is ...
Hi Chris,
We agree, it can be confusing to new users and someone like me who works with it everyday. That is why I shared how I keep it straight. The best answer is to get feedback from users like you and incorporate this feedback into the improvement cycle... which is what we are doing. We have our thoughts on the changes that should be made to Subgroups. But as I have said, we are too close to it, so we do need this feedback from all of you!
Thanks,
Celeste
Guys,
I've been reading all of the feedback and the issues that you have described absolutely need to be resolved. It just so happens that we had been discussing internally a subgroup navagation redesign that will make it much clearer to users where they are in the site. I'll have more details to share in the coming weeks.
We recognize the importance of subgroups and want to make them much more user-friendly.
Sent via Groupsite Mobile
I think that users are naturally drawn to the navigation bar instead of the subgroup menu for several reasons, including (i) the fact that the navigation bar is so central for moving around sections of a groupsite and (ii) the disappearance of the subgroup menu on the right-hand side as soon as a user clicks on any given subsection of a subgroup (e.g. subgroup blog, subgroup discussion, etc.) from the subgroup home page.
While this disappearance provides additional space for content inside those sections (which is good), the fact that is is not visible anymore lead users to click on the main navigation bar items instead of doing a mouse-over + selection on the subgroup menu they are looking for and that is hidden in a subtab element of the navigation bar. I do not think that people can be expected to rely on the subgroup menu on a right-hand side to navigate within a subgroup if it is only displayed when the user is on the subgroup main page.
Perhaps one of the solution to consider among the redesign options would be to simply get rid of the subgroup menu, and make the navigation bar "contextual". In other words, the "home" button and the items found in the "communicate", "share" and "network" menu of the navigation bar would bring the user either to the corresponding group-level sections if he is going there from a group-level page, or to the corresponding subgroup-level sections of the subgroup where he currently is. (Therefore, by clicking on "home", the user who is in a subgroup would reach the subgroup home page instead of the group-level page, clicking on the "blog" would bring the user to the subgroup blog, etc.)
The subgroup tab in the navigation bar (or a new interface element) could then be used to let users toggle between the group-level home page (with a combined view of group-level and subgroup-level elements) and the Subgroup directory (still with "My Subgroup" as a menu item)
(Many associations have regional chapters or committees and it would make sense for many of them to allow subgroup admins or subgroup members to be allowed to use blast features or posting capabilities but solely for the subgroup in which they are, and not at the group-level, where only user with groupsite-manager status would be entitled to post content or use the blast feature.)
(While this other suggestion may be detrimental to the consistency between subgroup home pages, it could also be helpful to allow groupsite managers and/or subgroup admins to add subgroup-specific widgets similar to those available for the group-level home page, to get increased customization of subgroup home pages (e.g. with subgroup-specific overview of recent blog posts, documents, discussions, discussions, photo galleries, member objectives, email blasts, RSS feed, etc…))
Hi Marcel,
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and timely. This week development began working on the Subgroup UI navigation redesign. We will keep you posted on our progress.
Sincerely.
Celeste