Unify folders on Personal Messages

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AI-generated summary

satonotdead proposes unifying the Private Messages (PM) tabs/folders — ‘unread’, ‘new’, and ‘recents’ — into a single ‘inbox’ view, with visual cues to indicate unread messages and recent ordering as default. They argue the current three-tab layout is unintuitive and redundant, especially on mobile, where horizontal scrolling worsens usability — a known UX anti-pattern highlighted by Nielsen Norman Group. The post includes screenshots showing cluttered PM navigation on desktop and mobile, with Spanish labels like ‘nuevos’ (new), ‘en leer’ (unread), and ‘recientes’ (recent). As the Core Team considers a vertical alignment redesign to eliminate horizontal scrolling, satonotdead invites community feedback and hopes for updates from the development team on their progress toward a more streamlined PM experience.

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I wonder if someone else thinks about unifying the Private Messages tabs/folders:

pms-on-discourse-desktop

I find them unintuitive and redundant. Why is it necessary to click on three different tabs to view ‘unread’, ‘new’, and ‘recents’?

Could these be unified into ‘inbox’ and let the UI/UX indicate visually what messages are new (unread) while using recent order as the default?

I understand the Core Team is considering a redesign where these folders would be aligned vertically to avoid the big no-no of horizontal scrolling.

This issue worsens in mobile view, especially with components that paradoxically should simplify the UI:

The image displays an internet browser window with a user interface for managing moderators, showing options like 'nautas' (regular users), 'ecentes' (recent), 'enviados' (sent), 'nuevos' (new), and 'en leer' (unread) in Spanish, including 'oderadores' (moderators) with a count of two highlighted in red, surrounded by checkboxes and a cross icon. (Captioned by AI)
The image displays an internet browser window with a user interface for managing moderators, showing options like 'nautas' (regular users), 'ecentes' (recent), 'enviados' (sent), 'nuevos' (new), and 'en leer' (unread) in Spanish, including 'oderadores' (moderators) with a count of two highlighted in red, surrounded by checkboxes and a cross icon. (Captioned by AI)1536×289 62 KB

If I send PMs to more groups, the scroll becomes more extensive, causing more discomfort for users.

I would appreciate your perspectives on this, and I hope the development team can update us on their latest thoughts regarding this matter.