I am sorry this is not well received.
Those three icons are to become links, which guide different user-personas to resources appropriate to them. One for learners (find help), one for folks interested in contributing more, and one for more ways to engage with the community (explore). These sections are still in a draft phase, but I'd love to open them up to you for your feedback.
A survey of new users and folks who'd like to make use of the site suggests people who aren't that familiar with discussion forums or are uncomfortable with them need some added guidance to engage with the site well. That is.
Stay tuned and I'll follow-up with drafts of these persona pages and the thinking behind the recent changes. I'd really appreciate your feedback.