Within an application, the user should be able to choose all related object classes or transactions - so-called object classes in the following - and the corresponding actions to start a task and therefore to process a particular object of this class.

Below, you will find a step-by-step description on how to design a menu bar.

Structuring the menu bar, you should first try to include all object classes of the application in the menu bar. The individual actions are then assigned to these object classes in the respective pull-down menus.

If there is not enough space in the menu bar (the menu bar can have up to nine menus in addition to the System and Help menus), the object classes should be grouped together to form super classes. These super classes should be provided with mnemonic names which function as a generic term of the subordinate object classes. The super classes should be so distinct concerning the object classes contained in them and the chosen generic terms that the user can explicitly allocate the individual object classes to the individual super classes.

The object classes are assigned to the super classes in the respective pull-down menus. In the pull-down menus of the next level, the actions are then assigned to the object classes.

If the number of object classes of a pull-down menu is more than seven (orientation value), the object classes should be grouped together within the pull-down menu to form a maximum of seven useful units separated by lines.

If there is still not enough room in the menu bar, the three-step procedure described above may be repeated several times by grouping the super classes.

When structuring the menus in this way, the total quantity of the pull-down options subordinate to a menu bar option should be arranged on as few hierarchy levels as possible.