Reconcile `/clear`, `/clean`, `/reset` slash commands in Duo Chat; replace all with `/new`
Context
This issue is a follow-up from discussions #468439 (closed)
Problem to solve
We added slash commands to Duo Chat over time to address different needs. Some of the commands added were addressing GitLab staff needs, rather than user needs - e.g. /clear
was added to make it easier for GitLab staff to facilitate demos.
The overall guidance on slash commands to have a small, curated list of the most important commands. Each command should be easy to understand, without needed to read the subtitle text.
The difference between the words /clear
, /clean
, and reset
is ambiguous.
Also, at the time of writing:
- The chat history auto-deletes after 72 hours, so
/reset
only preserves the history temporarily - We do not have concrete evidence that starting a new conversation or clearing the history produces better results
- We do not know how common it is for users to refer to their history
Suggested solution
- Replace
/clear
,/clean
,/reset
slash commands with a single command:/new
-
/new
functions the same as/clear
-
/reset
functions the same as/clear
if and only if theduo_chat_multi_thread
feature flag is on (which isisMultithreaded
in duo-ui), otherwise it behaves as current behavior. - We still support
/clear
,/clean
,/reset
(technically, under-the-hood) but they do not appear in the slash command UI menu - Actionable insight: users who already use
/clean
and/reset
were confused by/new
in user testing. Make sure any solution has an onboarding state to inform users of the change
Rationale
- We show a small list of default slash commands in the menu UI, so users have less to parse and remember
- The words
new
are more explicit and clear what the functionality is thanreset
,clear
etc. - We still support the older iterations of this command (without a UI, and except /reset) for GitLab staff who need to make demos, and for users who have already learned these commands
Edited by Mark Chao