I humbly propose an approach combining #2 with some ideas I’ve previously expressed, and these comments:
Approach #2½
- Add a Favourites list to the Categories section on the User Preferences page
- Add a ‘my categories’ option to the categories dropdown on all topic list pages
- This behaves like the ‘all categories’ option, but only contains topics from categories (and categories, on the categories tab) that are tracked, watched or favourited
I think the advantage this has over approach #2 is that it keeps the current relationship between the categories dropdown and the tabs to the right:
Currently, the categories dropdown filters on a category level (between all, or one specific one), and the tabs further filter on a topic level (between different topic statuses and ordering).
Approach #2 proposes adding a category filter to an area which currently only holds topic filters, this approach puts that same category filter in the area which currently holds category filters. It could perhaps be called ‘favourites’ rather than ‘my categories’ - although I think ‘my categories’ better expresses that this contains watched/tracked categories as well.
Another advantage to this approach is that it allows you to filter by your favourite categories in tabs other than just “Latest”. Approach #2 essentially proposes a “Latest Favourites” tab. This approach essentially proposes the same “Latest Favourites” tab, along with a “New Favourites”, “Unread Favourites”, “Category Favourites” and “Top Favourites” tab - so users can consume their favourite categories in whatever way they want.
Mockups
Assuming the user is doing something like watching #feature, tracking #howto:admins and favouriting #plugin and #ux
