5.1 Chat layout

Click Chat in the left navigation. The left panel has two lists:

Direct Messages are your one-to-one conversations. (You) is your own space for notes to yourself.
Groups are conversations with several people. Click + next to the heading, or New Group in the empty list, to create one.

Conversations with unread messages appear in bold with a count. A green dot on an avatar means that person is online. The right-hand side shows a welcome illustration until you open a conversation.