A space for an abstract design view of software systems is simply and objectively characterized in terms of orthogonal dimensions. This characterization also provides a basis for visualizing abstract designs using "layering". Staged recovery from concrete programs into the abstract space exposes the advantages of the abstract view: determination of presentation iconography; disentanglement from potential logical mis-cues in concrete program structure; richer descriptive framework; the ability to form new logical groupings. The generic structure of the design recovery rules benefits from the structure of the abstract space. A similar benefit also applies to procedures for navigating the visualizations. The overall conclusion is an identification of what research needs to be performed next.