I have been a Yahoo Mail user for many years and am also a paying customer. My biggest problem with the new interface isn't that it looks different. It's that it has significantly reduced information density and efficiency for users with large, long-established mailboxes.
I use Yahoo Mail professionally and have years of correspondence organized into many custom folders. The previous interface allowed me to see my folders, a large number of messages, sender information, subjects and other useful information simultaneously. I could scan, find, sort and file messages extremely quickly.
The new interface seems optimized for simplicity and casual use. Unfortunately, that comes at the expense of people who use Yahoo Mail as a serious organizational and archival tool.
I appreciate that Compact View is coming, but smaller message rows alone won't solve the larger issue.
Please consider a Power User / Classic Layout option that provides:
• Higher information density and less unused padding
• A permanently expanded, compact folder tree
• More messages visible on screen simultaneously
• More message information visible without hovering or opening messages
• Faster access to sorting, searching, moving and filing tools
• Less screen space devoted to oversized navigation elements and panels
• The ability to customize which columns/information are displayed
Simplifying Yahoo Mail for casual users does not require removing efficient workflows for experienced users. A Simple/Standard mode and a Compact/Power User mode could serve both audiences.
One additional concern: the previous interface presented “Try the new Yahoo Mail” as an invitation to experiment. It did not make clear that trying it could be irreversible. Had I known I would permanently lose access to the interface I had used successfully for years, I would not have clicked it.
Please give longtime, high-volume users a layout designed for managing large mailboxes efficiently, rather than requiring everyone to use the same simplified interface.