| brand | ChatGPT |
|---|---|
| tagline | Get answers. Find inspiration. Be more productive. |
| category | AI & ML |
| website | https://chat.openai.com |
ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational AI product, serving hundreds of millions of users across web, mobile, and desktop. The IA revolves around a conversation-first paradigm — every interaction begins and lives within a chat thread. The architecture has expanded from simple Q&A to a multi-modal workspace supporting GPTs (custom agents), Canvas (collaborative editing), memory (persistent user context), file analysis, image generation (DALL·E), browsing, and code execution. The left sidebar acts as an ever-growing conversation history, while the main canvas is dedicated to the active thread. The product differentiates free, Plus, Team, and Enterprise tiers, each unlocking additional models (GPT-4o, o1, o3) and capabilities.
chat.openai.com
├── / (New chat / home)
├── /c/{conversation_id} (Individual conversation)
├── /g/{gpt_id} (GPT detail / launch)
├── /gpts
│ ├── /discovery (GPT Store browse)
│ ├── /mine (My GPTs)
│ └── /editor (GPT Builder)
├── /canvas (Canvas documents)
├── /settings
│ ├── /general
│ ├── /personalization (Custom instructions, memory)
│ ├── /data-controls
│ ├── /security
│ └── /subscription
├── /share/{share_id} (Shared conversation read-only)
├── /auth/login
└── /auth/callback
- Primary navigation: Left sidebar — conversation list with search, grouped by date (Today, Yesterday, Previous 7 Days, etc.)
- Secondary navigation: Top-left model selector dropdown (GPT-4o, o1, o3-mini, etc.)
- Utility navigation: Bottom-left user avatar → Settings, My Plan, My GPTs, Log out
- Contextual navigation: Within a conversation — branch points (edit & regenerate), Canvas toggle, attachment menu
- Mobile navigation: Hamburger menu replaces sidebar; swipe to open conversation list
- GPT Store: Separate browse experience with category tabs (Writing, Productivity, Research, etc.)
| Entity | Key Attributes | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | Thread of alternating user/assistant messages, each with timestamps, model tag, optional attachments | User-owned, deletable |
| Message | Text (Markdown), code blocks, images, file attachments, tool-use indicators | Part of conversation |
| Canvas Document | Rich-text or code document co-edited with AI, versioned | Linked to conversation |
| GPT | Name, description, instructions, conversation starters, knowledge files, actions, icon | Creator-owned, publishable |
| Memory | Key-value facts extracted from conversations | User-owned, editable/deletable |
| Shared Link | Read-only snapshot of a conversation at share time | Public or link-only |
| Project | Folder grouping conversations + files + custom instructions | User/Team-owned |
| AuditLog | action, actor, target, timestamp, ip_address | belongs to Organization | | Notification | type, message, read, created_at, action_url | belongs to User | | Integration | name, type, status, credentials, last_synced | belongs to Workspace | | Webhook | url, events[], secret, active, last_triggered | belongs to Organization |
created → active → updated → archived
↘ suspended → reactivated → active
created → deleted (soft delete with recovery period)
User lands on `/` → sees prompt input + suggested prompts → Types message → selects model (or uses default) → Message streams in real-time via SSE → Conversation auto-saved to sidebar with AI-generated title → User can continue, branch (edit earlier message), or start new chat
User navigates to GPT Store or `/g/{id}` → Sees GPT description + conversation starters → Clicks starter or types custom prompt → Conversation opens in main chat with GPT context pre-loaded → GPT may invoke external actions (API calls) with user consent
User requests a document or code artifact → ChatGPT opens Canvas panel alongside chat → User can directly edit text; AI can suggest inline changes → Version history allows rollback → Export as file or copy to clipboard
Visit ChatGPT → Sign Up (email/Google/SSO) → Complete profile → Guided setup wizard → Configure preferences → Explore key features → Start using the product
↘ Skip wizard → Land on dashboard
Settings → Notifications → Toggle email/push/in-app per category → Set frequency (instant/daily digest/weekly) → Save preferences
| Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
/ |
Home / new chat |
/c/{uuid} |
Existing conversation |
/g/{slug} |
GPT detail and launch page |
/gpts/discovery |
GPT Store |
/gpts/editor |
GPT Builder |
/gpts/editor/{gpt_id} |
Edit specific GPT |
/share/{share_id} |
Shared conversation (public) |
/settings/* |
Settings sub-pages |
Routes are client-side (SPA); the conversation ID is a UUID. Shared links use a separate short ID. No SEO-oriented slug pattern — conversations are private by default.
account → Account settings
account/security → Security settings
billing → Billing & subscription
notifications → Notification preferences
help → Help center
help/{topic} → Help article
api → API documentation
search?q={query} → Search results
integrations → Integrations
admin → Admin console
admin/members → Member management
import → Import data
/c/{uuid} → Existing conversation
/g/{slug} → GPT detail page
/gpts/discovery → GPT Store browse
/gpts/editor → GPT Builder
/gpts/editor/{gpt_id} → Edit specific GPT
/gpts/mine → My GPTs
/share/{share_id} → Shared conversation
/settings/general → General settings
/settings/personalization → Custom instructions & memory
/settings/data-controls → Data controls
/settings/subscription → Subscription management
/canvas → Canvas documents
-
Conversation search: Full-text search across conversation titles and message content, accessible from sidebar search bar
-
GPT Store search: Keyword search + category filters (Top Picks, DALL·E, Writing, Research, Programming, Education, Lifestyle)
-
No advanced filters: No date-range, model-type, or tag-based filtering for conversations
-
Memory search: Users can browse and search stored memory items in Settings → Personalization
-
Sort options: By relevance, date created, date modified, alphabetical, popularity
-
Autocomplete: Type-ahead suggestions with recent searches and popular results
-
Recent searches: Quick access to previous search queries
| Breakpoint | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Desktop (>1024px) | Persistent sidebar + full chat canvas + optional Canvas side panel |
| Tablet (768-1024px) | Collapsible sidebar, full chat, Canvas overlays |
| Mobile (<768px) | Sidebar hidden (hamburger toggle), full-width chat, Canvas as bottom sheet or full-screen |
- Message bubbles are full-width on mobile with reduced padding
- Model selector moves into a compact dropdown
- File upload and attachment options collapse into a
+menu - Touch-optimized: swipe-to-open sidebar, long-press for message actions
- Progressive disclosure: Complex features hidden behind expandable sections
- Contextual actions: Right-click menus and hover-revealed action buttons
- Inline editing: Click-to-edit fields without navigating to a separate page
- Batch operations: Multi-select with bulk actions (delete, move, archive, tag)
- Undo support: Non-destructive actions with undo toast notifications
- Loading states: Skeleton screens and progress indicators during async operations
- Empty states: Helpful illustrations and CTAs when sections have no content
- Onboarding tooltips: First-time user guidance highlighting key features
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across all interactive elements
- Semantic HTML with proper ARIA labels and landmarks
- Keyboard navigation support for all core workflows
- Screen reader compatibility tested with VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS
- Color contrast ratios meeting minimum 4.5:1 for body text
- Focus indicators visible on all interactive elements
- Reduced motion option respecting
prefers-reduced-motion - Resizable text up to 200% without content loss
- RESTful API with JSON request/response format
- Webhook support for real-time event notifications
- OAuth 2.0 for third-party application authorization
- Rate limiting with clear headers (X-RateLimit-Remaining)
- Pagination via cursor-based or offset-based parameters
- Versioned API endpoints for backward compatibility
- Comprehensive API documentation with interactive examples
- SDKs available for popular languages (JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Go)
During conversation → ChatGPT identifies important facts → Prompts "Memory updated" → User can view stored memories in Settings → Edit or delete individual memories → Memories inform future conversations across all chats
↘ Disable memory entirely in Settings → Privacy
Create Project → Name and set custom instructions → Upload files (code, docs, data) → Start conversation within project → All project context automatically included → Multiple conversations share the same project knowledge → Collaborate with team members (Team plan)
User message requires external data → ChatGPT selects appropriate tool (browse web, execute code, generate image, analyze file) → Tool executes → Results integrated into response → User can see which tools were used via indicators
↘ Tool fails → Fallback to text-only response with explanation
Settings → Data Controls → Export Data → Request export → Email notification when ready → Download ZIP containing all conversations, files, and account data → Process completes within 24 hours
- Voice mode enables hands-free conversational interaction on mobile devices
- Shared links create read-only conversation snapshots accessible to anyone with the URL
- Custom GPTs can connect to external APIs via Actions for real-time data retrieval
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Anonymous | No access (login required) |
| Free user | GPT-4o-mini, limited GPT-4o, limited image gen, no Canvas, basic memory |
| Plus ($20/mo) | Full GPT-4o, o1, o3-mini, Canvas, DALL·E, Advanced Data Analysis, 50 GPT-4o messages/3hr |
| Team ($25/user/mo) | Plus features + workspace, admin console, no training on data |
| Enterprise | Team features + SSO/SAML, SCIM, admin analytics, extended context, priority access |
- Authentication: Email/password, Google OAuth, Microsoft OAuth, Apple Sign-In
- Data controls: Users can opt out of model training, export data, delete account
- Shared links: Anyone with link can view; creator can revoke
- GPT publishing: Private, anyone with link, or public (GPT Store)