9. Tags over Folders

Date

2025-04-22

Status

Accepted

Context

When designing a system for organizing prompts, we need to decide between using a tag-based system or a folder-based system. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses.

Tags

• Allow items to belong to multiple categories simultaneously
• Create a flexible, non-hierarchical organization system
• Enable emergent organization based on actual usage patterns
• Support easier search and filtering across multiple dimensions
• Reduce the cognitive load of deciding "where" to put something
• Scale well with large collections where items have multiple attributes
• Can be implemented with a flat data structure

Folders

• Provide a familiar mental model that users understand from file systems
• Create clear hierarchical relationships between items
• Enforce a single location for each item (reducing duplication)
• Visually represent containment relationships
• Work well for mutually exclusive categorization
• May be easier to navigate for users who prefer spatial organization
• Often require less initial setup than a comprehensive tagging system

Intention

Looking at what makes tags and folders good the centeral question is - do users need a simple/hierarchial way to organize (folders) or do they need a flexible way (tabs). Once this question has been answered the choice should be clear.

Impelmentation

Single Level Folders should be used if the organization should be simple. Nested Folders should be used if there is a need for hierarchial organization. Tags should be used for all other cases.