Keyboard Shortcut Users: They Are Faster at More than Just Typing

Software efficiency may be important for employees who want to be viewed as valuable assets in a company. One efficient method people can employ is the use of the keyboard to issue commands (KICs) because KICs are faster than other methods, e.g. menus or icons. Furthermore, using KICs may reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). This paper examines the question of whether KIC users utilize different types of interaction techniques more quickly than non-KIC users. Participants were exposed to five conditions, each consisting of different computer tasks. One condition was used to determine KIC usage, the independent variable. The other four conditions were used to objectively measure performance in time (i.e., efficiency), one of the dependent variables. After each condition, participants completed the NASA-TLX survey, which was used as a subjective measure of workload, the second dependent variable. Task performance correlated strongly or moderately with KIC usage for all conditions, which indicates that KIC users finished all tasks more quickly than other users—even when they used other techniques than KICs to accomplish those tasks. There was no relationship between KIC usage and subjective workload.