Using and Customizing the Outlook Interface
Outlook's interface resembles that of other Office programs with one noteworthy exception: Along the left edge of the main program window is the Outlook Bar, which contains icons that you can click to display any of Outlook's default folders. At the top of the Outlook Bar is an icon that lets you jump to the Outlook Today page, which summarizes current tasks, appointments, and messages. Although it's not immediately obvious, you can also see an Explorer-style folder list by clicking the heading just above the window that displays the contents of the current folder. Figure 9.15 shows all these interface elements.
Figure 9.15. Normally, the Folder List shown here is hidden; click the Inbox label to drop it down, and then click the pushpin icon to lock it in place.
Customizing the Outlook Today Page
Outlook Today is a Web-style view of selected items in your primary store; it shows upcoming appointments, current tasks, and unread messages in a single convenient Web view. If you like this "day-at-a-glance" style, you can make Outlook Today your default view. You can also customize this template, but only in limited ways.
To customize the Outlook Today page, click its icon in the Outlook Bar, and then click the Customize Outlook Today link on the page itself (the exact location of this link varies depending on the style you've selected). You can set startup options, define which folders appear on the page, and customize Calendar and Task lists.
Note
The Outlook Today layout is based on an HTML template. You can create your own custom pages called Digital Dashboards that display a custom mix of Outlook data and pieces of Web pages. For more information on how to create Digital Dashboards, see the Digital Dashboard page at http://www.microsoft.com/business/DigitalDashboard/.
Customizing the Outlook Bar
The Outlook Bar is fully customizable. You can add new icons and delete existing ones, change the name or rearrange the order of icons, and reorganize icons into groups. For that matter, you can hide the Outlook Bar and use only the Folder List for navigation, if you prefer that view.
Tip from 
Outlook Bar icons are shortcuts, and as with any Windows object, you can right-click to see a full range of available options. Use shortcut menus to rename or remove an Outlook Bar icon; drag and drop icons to rearrange them in the Outlook Bar. To see more icons in the same space, right-click in any empty space in the Outlook Bar and choose Small Icons.
To add a new icon to the Outlook Bar, drag any icon from the Folder List and drop it in an empty space. Alternatively, you can right-click any empty space in the Outlook Bar and choose Outlook Bar Shortcut; the resulting dialog box lets you select any existing Outlook or Windows folder and add its icon.
Although the most visible group of icons on the Outlook Bar is the default set of folders, there are actually three different groups of Outlook Bar shortcuts, and you can add groups of your own as well. To display the contents of a different Outlook Bar, click its title. To create a new Outlook group, right-click any existing group heading and choose Add New Group. You can create up to 12 groups on the Outlook Bar.
As you'll see shortly, icons on the Outlook Bar serve one other important function. You can drag any item out of the main Outlook window and drop it onto one of the Outlook Bar icons to create a brand-new item, using the original item as a starting point.
Customizing the Folder List
If you've organized your Outlook items into a large number of folders, you might find it easier to work with Outlook's Explorer-style Folder List instead of the Outlook Bar. Drag-and-drop actions work identically regardless of which shortcuts you use. Click the Folder List button on the Advanced toolbar or choose View, Folder List to open the complete list in its own pane.
To display the Folder List temporarily so you can switch to a different folder or move items, click the folder name just above the contents window. As the arrow to the right of the folder name suggests, this action displays the drop-down version of the list; click anywhere outside the pane to hide it after switching folders or dropping an item on a folder. Click the pushpin icon to lock the Folder List into position.
If you prefer to use the Folder List instead of the Outlook Bar, clear the check mark next to the Outlook Bar entry on the View menu. Click the Close (X) button to hide the Folder List.