Menus are designed to provide an efficient method for accessing functions: The user does not have to remember and enter commands, because all the available functions can be selected from menus. The user only has to remember what the functions offered in the menus do.

If the number of functions is very large, it is necessary to group the functions hierarchically. The functions are, for example, grouped together under generic terms listed in the menu bar. This can be implemented on several layers as in the R/3 System (see below.).

Finally, the hierarchy can be extended by means of cascading menus.

Overview gives design guidelines for the correct setup of menus.

A hierarchical structure of functions has the disadvantage that the user must travel long ways through the system to access a particular function. Moving through the menu hierarchy can be complicated and time-consuming. Methods to overcome this shortcoming are described below.