A user (New Scratcher or Scratcher) can already create a topic in the Questions about Scratch forum and ask a question. If things go as they should, the user gets a helpful answer, or maybe a few. Depending on the usefulness of the response(s) that they got, their original question is now answered.

The next step in the QaS process would be for their topic to be closed. Usually someone else tells the user that they'll be reporting the topic to be closed since the question was answered, but what if we allowed the user to do it themselves?

This suggestion is to have a small banner appear somewhere on the page after the original user makes a post containing something along the lines of “thank you,” “thanks,” “got it,” “that was helpful,” and so on. The banner would then ask the user if their question has been answered, and somehow highlight or relocate the Close Topic button so that the user can easily close the topic. That's all it does. It doesn't automatically close the thread or anything like that.

This would be available for both Scratchers and New Scratchers, regardless of their ability to close a topic and whether it has been 24 hours. Although the current process is rather simple and this button may not always be used, I figured this might be a non-invasive way of helping close topics (possibly before so many people respond with the same responses.)

Concerning the possible exploitation of this feature (the lack of a 24 hour lockdown and the fact that New Scratchers can do it themselves), maybe this process could only be activated once a day or something like that.

Like this?

When quoting, please “Snip” the image

The Close Topic button is something that deserves to be more known about by new users to the forums, so the proposal you've made (along with a reduced amount of time for the Close Topic button to appear) would bring a lot more awareness towards the Close Topic button for people who aren't regulars to the forums