>IMO, a reasonable test for any application is whether a user can access the
>majority of it's functionality without once resorting to using the menu. And
>given the feedback I get from a lot of my users, this is nearly a necessity!
>
I completely agree with Stephen that, IF POSSIBLE (and given the size of
the UI it definitely is not always possible), it's nice to be able to
access the majority of functionality without the menu. But adding menu
shortcuts isn't really the answer to that problem. Without proof I'll
assert that only a tiny minority of Palm users have ever even used a menu
shortcut. The plain fact is that on a desktop computer, a menu shortcut
is ONE operation (e.g., Ctrl+C on Windows, Apple+C on Macintosh, two keys
to press but done simultaneously and thus a single operation), while on
the Palm, it is two steps. Still fewer than selecting an item from a
menu, but not so instantaneous that it becomes second nature. My only
"proof" is that in three years of shipping Palm apps, not a single user
has ever requested a menu shortcut in cases we didn't have one or made
the slightest comment on the subject whatsoever.
My biggest quibble, which has been discussed before on this list, is the
unfortunate choices made by Palm, such as P for Paste, eliminating our
ability to use P for Print. I could go on but the horse is dead, alas.
Steve Patt
President, Stevens Creek Software
http://www.stevenscreek.com/palm
Best PQA ("ePQA"), PalmSource 99
Best Application ("PizzaScan"), Palm Developer's Conference 1998
First printing software for the Palm - September, 1997
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