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Ask HN: How important are keyboard shortcuts for new SaaS?

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11–15 of 15 posts

Re: Ask HN: How important are keyboard shortcuts for new SaaS?

#11
Usually shortcuts are good for lock-in because besides being useful, they get you used to certain workflows. For example, excel has a useful shortcut where "CTRL + ;" inputs today's date, and "CTRL + SHIFT + ;" inputs the current time, which you can do in the same cell to create a date-time instantly with almost a single motion.

It was a source of endless frustration when once I was extremely used to this shortcut, I later switched to google sheets for a different project, and the shortcut didn't work the same. Google still supported both individually as they had copied excel, but the way they work on sheets is before inputting either the date or time, it would delete whatever existing value was stored in the current cell, meaning you could no longer instantly input both a date and a time to make datetimes, you instead needed two columns where before one would do.

Shortcuts increase the frequency of these kinds of friction points with your power users when they move elsewhere.

Re: Ask HN: How important are keyboard shortcuts for new SaaS?

#12
It depends on how often I’ll be using something and what kind of application it is.

I assume Gmail has keyboard shortcuts, but I never used them and never cared. However, when using Miro, I very quickly looked up and learned some basic keyboard shortcuts, because the constant tool switching is hell without them. With the shortcuts I can fly. I see other people at work use Miro without the shortcuts and it’s like watching someone wade through molasses, and they constantly talk about how much they hate it.

I think it can be make or break, but it depends on the app and the type of user you expect.

Re: Ask HN: How important are keyboard shortcuts for new SaaS?

#13

If you are asking whether or not the marketing of such things improves my chances of using a product? No, not in the slightest. It is completely irrelevant to me during that initial marketing/sales phase. However, if I choose to use a product because it solves a problem I have for a fair price, and they add shortcuts to improve the quality of life while using it, that is likely to retain me as a user longer when new…

I would put this up there with Dark Mode. I want your product to work, I could care less about dark mode, light mode, keyboard shortcuts or anything else.
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