Summary: Alternate methods for accomplishing frequent actions in user interfaces support expert users by speeding up their interactions, without hindering novice users.
Designing for expert users requires balancing learnability with efficiency . While new users need an intuitive interface to start quickly, expert users demand features that improve speed and productivity over time. Any system that will be repeatedly used should cater to both new users and expert users by including accelerators to allow people to complete certain routine tasks quickly and easily.
What Are Accelerators?
An accelerator is a UI feature that speeds up an interaction or process.
Also referred to as shortcuts , accelerators enhance user interfaces by providing an alternate method for accomplishing a specific action and thus allowing expert users to complete a common task more quickly and efficiently. Accelerators should be additional, alternate ways to accomplish a task — something that expert users can take advantage of, but that others can ignore completely.