Systems should cater to both novice and power users. However, features that make a system easy to learn, such as menus, are often cumbersome to the experienced user. To satisfy the power user, accelerators or shortcuts are provided to allow quick performance of frequently used operations. Typical examples include the following:
Users should be allowed to jump directly to the desired location in large information spaces, such as a file or menu hierarchy.
Studies have shown that users tend to repeat commands on a regular basis. A simple menu of the last few things the user had done constitutes a shortcut allowing users to reissue a large number of commands as opposed to reentering them.
Default values provided by the system are also a shortcut since it is faster to recognize a default and accept it than having to specify a value or an option. In many cases, users do not even need to see the default value, which can remain hidden on an optional screen that is only accessed in the rare case where it needs to be changed.