Organization, Structure

Organizing and structuring an application is similar to being the architect of a building.

Why Organization/Structure?

Human memory is a huge knowledge structure that is organized according to principles that we are not aware of. But we do know that human performance depends on an efficient organization of facts and procedures.

This principle also applies to software applications. Users' performance is better if an application's overall structure, navigation, functionality, and screens are well organized. An efficient organization also simplifies an application, which has an additional positive impact on performance.

How You Can Apply Organization/Structure

The task of organizing and structuring an application relates to aspects such as:

Overall application structure (distribution of tasks onto screens, pages, etc.)
Navigational structure (navigation between tasks/screens)
Structure of the functionality ("Packaging" of related functionality)
Screen or page layout

Designing the Overall Application Structure

The overall application structure usually depends on the object to be processed and / or the task to be accomplished. The more goals an application tries to fulfill, the more complex this structure becomes. To avoid that a huge, intransparent, and ever growing application structure emerges, begin the design of your application with a task analysis. You will find information on this topic in the "Design Process" section of the Design Guild. Use paper and pencil or graphic tools for sketching the application structure early on, as well as at later design stages.

Task steps, metaphors, or frameworks can be useful organizers for the overall structure of an application.

Designing the Navigational Structure

The navigational structure of an application refers to the paths (screen changes, page changes, and so on) that users have to follow when they proceed with their tasks. It depends largely on the overall structure of an application. However, you as the developer decide, whether to make more or less navigational options available to users.

Applying principles such as parallelism may lead to alternate application structures with varying navigational complexity. Therefore, consider alternatives to your solution – the differences may be dramatic. Sketching an application structure and the navigational paths helps you to compare alternative designs.

When you use a metaphor for organizing your application, this usually also leads to a "natural" navigational structure.

Designing the Structure of the Functionality

Functionality refers to the set of functions that an application provides. There are high-level functions that serve the main goals of the application, and there are also numerous low-level functions, such as simple editing functions.

Usually, an application's functionality is provided in its menus, one or more toolbars, and through pushbuttons on the screen or page. Most functions are accessible through several options. While in modern applications the menu bar has a widely standardized structure, this structure is not evident to many users. They often scan the complete menu tree in search of a function. In addition, the conventional menu structure is not task-oriented. It simply opens up a universe of functions which users must select the right ones from. Procedures are segmented into units that are not connected in obvious and comprehensible ways.

Here are some alternatives for structuring the functionality of an application:

Provide a reduced, essential functionality for critical tasks, for example, for tasks where users might need guidance:
- On the Web you are restricted to pushbuttons on the page. Here you have no menus and therefore no choice other than to provide a reduced functionality.
- In R/3 or other applications you can use assistants or dialog boxes to restrict the functionality.
Use specialized toolbars, that include the functions for a certain task or for often used global tasks (e.g. a navigation toolbar).
Use flow charts or other graphical aids to provide a sequence-oriented and task-oriented functionality.

Use categories, which make sense to users, to structure the functionality, not abstract categories that are only understood by academics.

Designing the Screen or Page Layout

Here, we simply remind you that designing the screen or page layout is an important factor in organizing an application. Refer to the respective styleguides on the SAP Design Guild for more details.

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