A practical design choice
Choose a book, chapter and passage
Let people browse when they do not know a reference and jump when they do.
Start here
Offer book browsing and direct reference entry as complementary routes.
Try it: browse, go back or cancel
This working example uses four books to demonstrate navigation. It resolves a destination without loading Bible text or saving a reading history.
Example reader
Mark 3
Choose a book
Choose a book, then a chapter.
Notice: going back retains the chosen book; cancelling leaves the reader’s location untouched. Opening is a separate, explicit action.
Choose a route into the passage
Browse step by step, keep levels together on a larger screen, or enter a known reference. These routes can coexist.
Static interface illustrations
A · Step by step
This is the chapter step after choosing a book. Back returns to the book list.
Use when: Small screens or readers who need full names
Consider: More steps; show the selected book and let back retain it.
B · Browse together
On a larger surface, retain both levels instead of replacing the book list.
Use when: There is room to keep both levels visible
Consider: On narrow screens, stack or use steps instead of shrinking targets.
C · Type or return
Resolve the typed reference before opening it; keep recent passages separate from results.
Use when: The reader knows the reference or wants a recent passage
Consider: Localised aliases, ranges and ambiguous abbreviations need resolution.
Original interface proposals · Static illustrations, not live controls · Catalogue availability, playback times and non-Scripture content are illustrative.
Download the annotated diagram as SVGPeople, benefits and drawbacks
Who this helps—and where it can get in the way
Useful when
Let people browse when they do not know a reference and jump when they do.
Potential benefit
Offer book browsing and direct reference entry as complementary routes.
Cost and drawback
A single picker must serve familiar references, unfamiliar book names and returning to a recent passage. A dense grid can be fast for one reader and opaque for another.
Different circumstances
On narrow screens, stack or use steps instead of shrinking targets.
A question for discernment
Can someone who does not know the abbreviation still find the passage?
Try it with people
Locate an unfamiliar book, enter an abbreviated range, cancel after choosing a chapter and return to the original verse. Test long book names, different canons, large text and one-chapter books.
Editorial review: 5 October 2026. Benefits and risks here are contextual design judgments to investigate, not measured outcomes.
Behaviour, edge cases and flows
How it works
Offer book browsing and direct reference entry as complementary routes. Preserve the current location, make back and cancel predictable, and show the full destination before opening a parsed reference.
Watch for
Unexplained abbreviations; assuming every edition has the same book list; resetting book selection on back; accepting an ambiguous reference without clarification.
Try this
Locate an unfamiliar book, enter an abbreviated range, cancel after choosing a chapter and return to the original verse. Test long book names, different canons, large text and one-chapter books.
In a complete journey
Begin at the reader’s current location, make the change explicit, then verify cancellation, return and unavailable content.
Evidence, examples and reflection
Sources and limits
Editorial design proposal. These are original design proposals, not user-validated outcomes. Editorial review: 5 October 2026.
- Scripture structure documentationRelevant structure and marker references reviewed · A format is not a complete model of app behaviour, annotations or formation.
- Understanding ReflowOfficial guidance reviewed on 5 October 2026 · Semantic scroll restoration is an original design proposal, not a requirement stated by this criterion.
Faith and interpretation
Use the selected edition’s book list and ordering. Group labels should describe the edition rather than impose one tradition’s canon on all readers.
Design principles in this decision
Editorial application of Missional by Design. These values frame review questions; they do not validate a pattern’s effectiveness.
- Hospitality — Who can use this approach in their actual context, and what complete alternative exists for someone who cannot?
Compare alternatives using the task and evidence above. Record competing needs instead of treating a principle as an automatic verdict.