Which application wins the golden “shortcut”?
As I started to write a different entry, I wanted to take a screen shot on my mobile device to support a point that I was trying to make. Instead of completing the task, my phone was locked by the same command that was supposed to take a screen shot. So, at least two applications on my phone are “initiated” by pressing the “pen” key and the * button.
So what does this mean for the end user? Installing several applications onto a user’s phone may lead to major usability problems later. Does this mean that the user can only install one application at a time? Is the user forced to find out how to work 2 or more applications that require the same shortcut command? This experience needs to be an intuitive one: a user finds an application that appears useful to her, she installs it, she uses it. Because she has a good experience, she goes to find another application; she installs it, and she—-doesn’t use it, she cannot use it because she can only use that shortcut command to start one application. Is this right?
Good point. At least the application should offer option to change the shortcut.
Yes, the applications should let you chose between multiple shortcuts to launch it.
So far, I haven’t really encountered a serious problem with this, except with my screen capture program which sometimes cannot be activated from within other programs…
I’ll be honest, I’ve never encountered this issue yet but you do raise a valid point.