Public experiments instead of (or in addition to) A/B testing

When new features are in progress, we are almost never able to opt-in or opt-out. They are simply given to us randomly, usually without any indication that anything's different at all, and may sometimes even go unnoticed (A/B testing). This not only creates lots of confusion, but also prevents us from anticipating possible future updates, as well as making it much more difficult on your end to categorize feedback. Usage does not always equal enjoyment.

GitHub, for example, has a dedicated "feature previews" tab that lets users opt-in to redesigns, new stuff, etc. Each item in the list also has its own dedicated feedback link, allowing GitHub staff to properly assess feedback for that particular feature, instead of having to gather it all from multiple platforms/formats buried in a giant pile of other things. Yes, I know you guys have done surveys before, but they have all been quite general and usually only show up for certain users at random.

Currently, there are very few similar features in Discord. All I could find atm was Krisp and chat preview, which only seem to be there because they might stay as toggles even after coming out of beta (I assume).

Adding a dedicated "Public Experiments" or "Feature Preview" tab to Discord (in user settings) will increase transparency with us and will also give us an idea of maybe what's to come, as well as letting us provide much more direct and meaningful feedback. Currently, the only way to test out new features is to use PTB/canary and join the Discord Testers server, which, if I'll be honest, the vast majority of users don't know about at all.

The tab doesn't have to be full of things 24/7. Sometimes there would only be one feature to look at, or maybe even nothing at all. If anyone gets angry that something there was scrapped, it's their fault for assuming it was set in stone anyways. Most of us should understand that anything in an experiments list is still subject to removal - and if not, it's easy to put a big label on it saying "NONE OF THIS IS FINAL".

For those who don't use the tab often, features could be randomly toggled on by default for some users (still allowing them to opt-out if they like). Heck, you could even track how many people opt-in or opt-out as a useful statistic. It's understandable if that doesn't work for all new features though, so A/B testing could still be used sparingly if needed.

TLDR; Give all of us a chance to become aware of some new features and let us willingly try them out before you add them fully