I came to Steem 4+ years ago to experience communities I'm happy they are out.

Here are my suggestions.

What new features would you like adding?

There was an idea talked about last time of themed communities. So you can turn your communities into just links (aka reddit ), or read-only style blogs.
I think there are many ways to allow communities to accomodate different needs. I think private communities would be big.

What existing features could be improved?

Everything is looking good so far. I wouldn't suggest changing to much right away.

Is the setup procedure too difficult, or even too basic in what options are offered?

The set-up is useful to people who have been around the blockchain for 4 years. Not sure how it is anymore for noobs. I'm assuming it can be intimidating seeing all the keys so not sure what can be done about that part.

Do you find them easy to manage?

Managing the communities is fun and easy to me.

Are they confusing to use, or totally straightforward?

Straight forward so far for me.

Would some form of contextual help system be useful?

I think any help would be helpful. If you have some sort of hover "i" for info would be great.

Are there any extra features or facilities that would make it easier to promote your communities outside of Steem and to attract new members?

The obvious one would be guest accounts. Onboarding anyone on Steem is truely a nightmare. If you could integrate it where its easier to onboard and let people
worry about keys and everything at a later date will be the winner feature around here.

I love what you all are doing and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

I forgot to plug my own community :)