OVERVIEW
Sword Art Online is, of course, a game, and therefore has the features of one. The game has a holographic main menu visible to all players, support for player and party health bars, and a few other MMO standards. This includes a clock and a date at the very top.
All NPC characters have names above their heads along with <tags> designating their profession. Players, on the other hand, have nothing at all. Curved health bars appear by all player characters and monsters along with tags that denote guild affiliation. If you're interested in what they look like, there is an example in the setting's thread video.
Each player's holographic menu can be accessed at any time at will. It uses touch to receive commands.
On the main menu a player can access the following broad topics:
SYSTEM
CHARACTER
SOCIAL
SYSTEM
The system tab holds three buttons, only one of which can be activated. The first one is options, which is grayed out and inaccessible. The second one is for calling a GM. This button works, but GMs rarely answers. The final button is where the logout button should be, however only a blank button sits in it's place. Pressing the button does nothing.
CHARACTER
The character tab gives players quick access to their stored inventories and skill information. A few quick taps and new gear can be equipped. Items can be taken in and out of storage with the press of a button, whereupon they appear or disappear before your very eyes. Newly equipped gear is summoned directly onto your body with no need for fastening or ungainly flailing.
In the beta, there was a tab for changing one's appearance. This tab is now entirely removed. During the actual release, players were transformed into their actual appearances by the game's creator. In addition, their names were swapped with their actual ones.
Displayed above these buttons are two symboles, §, Ŀ, and ∑ respectively. § denotes how much currency the player currently has, and ∑ denotes how much experience the player has, while Ŀ denotes the composite level of a player.
SOCIAL
The social tab holds your friends list, guild list, party, and messages.
The friends list allows you to register other players so you may remain in contact with them from long distances. Friends MUST be mutual and adding someone will give the other player a confirmation prompt. Having a player as a friend doesn't automatically give any extra information about them, but it does allow for the user to enter notes about the friend. Being friends with someone also allows you to send them messages.
The guild tab stores a roster of all your guild members. It acts like a friends list that is automatically updates. Guild leaders can also use this tab to instantly notify all members of important news.
The party tab allows a player to form and disband temporary parties with other characters. When an invite is sent, the other player will receive a prompt to confirm their acceptance. One the party is formed, all players have their names and health bars displayed in the upper left of the user's view for easy access.
Messages, more like mail, may be sent to any guild member or friend. They may only hold text or voice, but there is no character limit. Messages sent between players have a delay of one hour before they reach their destination.