News
Microsoft Intros 'Guided Chat Experience' for GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio
Microsoft introduced a new guided chat experience within GitHub Copilot, aiming to make developer interactions with AI more natural and effective. This feature is available in Visual Studio 2022 v17.12 Preview 3 and later. It's designed to align with developers' workflows, enhancing productivity and streamlining the coding process.
It came about because the dev team recognized that GitHub Copilot has faced a learning curve, with users finding it challenging to craft the right prompts. Developers often struggle with phrasing questions, providing the right context, and maximizing Copilot's capabilities, sometimes receiving too much or too little information.
Feedback revealed the need for a more assistant-like experience, guiding users and reducing unnecessary information, with examples including:
- “The chat experience is helpful, but I wish it felt more like an assistant -- something that could help guide me and give me only what I need without extra noise.”
- “I love how Copilot just starts generating, but it sometimes feels like I have to sift through a lot to get to what I actually wanted.”
Resulting insights led to the development of a more fluid, conversational chat experience that adapts to the user's context and needs, moving beyond intent-based commands and predefined prompts.
"Our guided chat experience takes Copilot beyond simple input-output exchanges, turning it into a collaborative assistant," Microsoft said in a Nov. 6 post. "When the context is clear, Copilot provides direct and relevant answers. When it isn't, Copilot guides you by asking follow-up questions to ensure clarity and precision."
Microsoft said implications include:
- More Engagement: Developers spend less time figuring out how to phrase their prompts and more time focused on the task at hand.
- Less Complexity: Copilot's ability to guide and clarify reduces the need for developers to navigate complex intent systems.
- Increased Productivity: With less back-and-forth and more focused responses, developers can move faster through their workflows.
A YouTube video shows the tool in action, explaining to a dev why the person's question is ambiguous, then making suggestions and asking for more context in order to clarify the question.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.