The Design Workspace is organized to be especially useful for people who are new to using 3ds Max. The main focus of the workspace is the ribbon, found below the main toolbar.
You can turn ribbon display on or off by clicking Main toolbar 
(Toggle Ribbon). Another way to control ribbon display is to choose Customize menu Show UI Show Ribbon.
See The Ribbon for more on using Ribbons.
Get Started tab
Provides controls for customizing 3ds Max, starting a new scene—including the use of geometry from other files—and access to learning resources.
Object Inspection tab
Provides controls for exploring scene geometry and for controlling object display in viewports.
Basic Modeling tab
Provides tools for creating new geometry.
Materials tab
Provides tools for creating or editing materials, and managing them.
Object Placement tab
Provides tools for moving and placing objects.
Populate tab
Provides tools for adding animated pedestrians and idlers to a scene.
View tab
Provides tools for controlling viewport display; also for creating cameras.
Lighting and Rendering tab
Provides tools for adding lights and creating renderings.