The program utilises a standardised approach to navigating the database, with a context menu and corresponding function keys to perform most of the common functions a user requires to navigate and view the database. The use of function keys only requires the user to point at an item of interest before pressing the key in order to obtain information or performing a function, for example, pointing at a date of birth and pressing F6 in order to see the source of that item of information.

Genesis works in tandem with a file sharing system (such as Dropbox) to provide for largely automated publication facilities to a selected audience, and the facility only requires the originator to invoke a "publish" function in order to distribute additional and replacement files (and only those necessary) to recipients, who need only launch Genesis on their computers and respond to instructions in order to apply the updates to their database.

Genesis is specifically designed to read databases created with Legacy, the genealogy package from Millennium Corporation. Legacy Version 7.5 and 8 databases are accepted.