The chat window: Classic and Nova | Civio Civio Assist Knowledge Base [Skip to content](#main) [ ![Civio Civio Assist Knowledge Base](/civio-light.svg) ](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.civio-assist-docs.dh1.amazee.io) [Product documentation](/articles) [Release notes](/releases) [ Support portal ](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.civio-assist-docs.dh1.amazee.io/portal/login) Toggle navigation [Product documentation](/articles) [Release notes](/releases) [Support portal](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.civio-assist-docs.dh1.amazee.io/portal/login) 1. [Home](/) › 2. [Product documentation](/articles) › 3. [How the chatbot works for your users](/articles?category=3) › 4. The chat window: Classic and Nova The chat window: Classic and Nova ================================= Updated 3 weeks ago · 4 min read Search Search Civio Assist has two chat window designs, **Classic** and **Nova**. Both answer from the same knowledge base and both are branded to match your site. Nova adds a search tab and a set of reading controls for users. To see which design your chatbot uses, open the bot in the dashboard and select **Bot preview**. Classic ------- Classic is the standard chat window: a launcher on the page, a conversation thread, and the pages that an answer drew on listed with the reply. It suits a chatbot whose job is answering questions and nothing more. ![Two Classic chat windows side by side: on the left the start screen with the disclaimer, the greeting and the message box, on the right the same window after asking whether a cat must be microchipped, showing the reply and its References tab](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/dpN2U2KqEi5dpoX4UrY0GTUe5hqv78S0bEy8bTlX.png) Nova ---- Nova keeps the conversation at its centre and adds the following. ![Two Nova chat windows side by side: on the left the start screen with the Chat and Search tabs, the disclaimer notice, the greeting and the frequently asked question cards, on the right the same window after asking whether a cat must be microchipped, showing the reply, its sources and the Ask next questions](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/Xb4Fiz8DtA7W2GwnGR4FkSm4ICsW8HdhFbPtXfWG.png) ### Search alongside the conversation Nova can carry two tabs, **Chat** and **Search**. Search looks through the same knowledge base but returns a list of matching pages and documents instead of a written answer, each with its content type, title, short description and web address. While the search box is empty it offers **Frequent searches**: topics drawn from what users have been asking recently. ![Two Nova Search tabs side by side: on the left the empty search box with a grid of Frequent searches, on the right a search for where the off leash areas for dog exercises are, returning a page and a PDF document, each with its type, title, matched passage and web address](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/H3rzt9IiQA14JDq45dv9O8pqWO2dXIURcZk2CV9g.png) ### FAQ cards Before the first message, the start screen offers four cards under the heading **Frequently asked questions**. Each card carries a short topic label and a question. Selecting one sends it as the first message, and the cards clear once the conversation is under way. ![The Nova message box with the four Frequently asked questions cards beneath it, each showing a topic label and a question](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/X6dk0qC50ttSOQzapRpxBFkmQqzoHgJYM7yaQ6OL.png) The questions come from one of two places. **Generated from recent conversations** distils four questions from the last 100 questions users have put to that chatbot, so the cards follow what people are actually coming for. The chatbot's purpose is used as well, so a new chatbot with little history still starts with sensible questions. The set is refreshed daily. It is all four or none: if fewer than four usable questions come back, no cards appear that day. **Predefined FAQs** shows four questions your team writes, exactly as written and in the order you set. Use this when the cards need to point users at particular services, such as a seasonal campaign or a new online form, rather than following demand. Contact your Civio representative to switch the cards on or off, change where the questions come from, or supply the written ones. ### Suggested next questions Under the most recent reply, Nova can offer up to three follow-up questions as **Ask next** buttons. Selecting one sends it as the next message. ![A Nova reply with its Ask next suggestion buttons traced in orange beneath the action row](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/GF4jlgg7PRMEmJz2A4Dw1rr1C2vZMPUVTVmbod0Y.png) ### Listen to a reply A **Listen** control on each reply reads it aloud using the voice built into the user's own browser, so nothing is sent anywhere to produce the audio. Selecting it again stops the reading, and only one reply is read at a time. The control does not appear in browsers that have no voice available. ![The Listen control traced in orange in the row of buttons beneath a reply](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/VW5BNctY2YBzxaOgESEr74CtZKR79K2zMGTh0mSz.png) ### Text size A text size control in the header steps every font in the window through five sizes, from smallest to largest. The choice is remembered in the user's browser, so it still applies on their next visit. ![The text size dial stepping every font in the chat window through smaller and larger sizes](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/llxosVuv3i6foldBtgFn2zXOqv9dLowrmMku4oni.gif) ### Where an answer came from Each reply lists its sources underneath as links, marked **PDF** where the source is a document rather than a page. They open in a new tab, so the conversation is not lost. See [How the assistant answers questions](/articles/how-the-assistant-answers-questions). Launcher designs ---------------- When the chat is closed, users open it from a launcher. Three launcher designs are available, and which of them a chatbot can use follows its window design. Launcher design Classic Nova Position Appearance **Dock**: a wide bar with a label ✅ ✅ Bottom right, sitting on the bottom edge ![The Dock launcher: a wide navy bar labelled Ask our AI assistant](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/1P9Vc9BTxpOWSHTBkP9WMR5BsnFLBM1EnT6pHxhv.png) **Orb**: a round icon button ❌ ✅ Bottom right, just in from both edges ![The Orb launcher: a round navy icon button](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/OVTAhOhdv25ktLasVW0qjX2bWixRwS7ut5Gq3YCP.png) **Rail**: an upright tab with a label ❌ ✅ Right edge, halfway down ![The Rail launcher: an upright navy tab labelled Ask our AI assistant](https://assist.knowledge.civ.io/storage/X3foXs1Y8W42uwrqmDJXGg51OR46Tm0jJsv4Kgmj.png) Classic uses Dock. Nova uses Orb unless another design is chosen for it. A chat placed in the body of a page has no launcher at all: see [Embedding the chat inside a page](/articles/inline-embed). Choosing a design ----------------- The design, and which of the Nova features above are switched on, are set for each chatbot by the Civio team. Search and the FAQ cards are part of Nova unless they are turned off. Suggested next questions and Listen are switched on per chatbot. Contact your Civio representative to change any of this. Colours, logos, names and the greeting are requested the same way: see [How the chat window is branded](/articles/chat-window-branding). Users can rate any reply in either design. See [Rating an answer: likes, dislikes and comments](/articles/rating-an-answer-feedback). Was this article helpful? ------------------------- Your feedback helps us prioritise what to rewrite. Yes No [ Back to How the chatbot works for your users ](/articles?category=3) On this page ### Still need help? 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