The discussion explores user engagement with Discourse keyboard shortcuts, initiated by Canapin who highlights the learning curve and the difficulty of discovering shortcuts without visible UI cues. Arkshine suggests implementing a “Key Promoter” style helper that uses toast notifications, tooltips, or visual indicators to remind users of shortcuts they missed, potentially incorporating gamification elements like achievements to aid learning. Arkshine also draws a parallel to the Developer Toolbar, suggesting a similar visual overlay for shortcuts.
Addressing the issue of discoverability, Canapin shares a userscript that provides a shortcut overlay to help users learn. SeizalHong notes that using a handful of common shortcuts effectively creates muscle memory and speeds up navigation. NiceOldGuy shares specific efficient workflows, such as using “GMC” to quickly start private messages and the = key for the navigation bar. icaria36 asks if users can locally override conflicting shortcuts, a topic left for further exploration. mcwumbly and TRgala_Murat add context regarding recent admin conversations and potential gaming integrations.
Discourse provides many keyboard shortcuts.
You can see the list by typing ?.
Do you use keyboard shortcuts?
I use most of them
I use several of them
I don’t use them, but I want to
I don’t use them, and I don’t care
Wait, there are keyboard shortcuts?
0voters
I try to learn and use keyboard shortcuts in many software, but the learning curve and laziness often hinder my will to do so.
Also, I tend to forget I’m trying to learn them
One thing in Discourse that prevents me from learning shortcuts is that the shortcut isn’t shown on the elements’ title attributes. I understand why the attribute wouldn’t mention the corresponding shortcut.
In Photoshop, I learned them over time by using the mouse to reveal the shortcuts by hovering buttons or showing elements in the menu bar, but I can’t in Discourse, since they only show up when we press ?.
@martin some interesting tidbits in here given the conversation we were having recently about the shortcut for the “coming soon™” search feature in the admin area.
Haha, seeing this topic made me laugh. I have a gaming site, and I was just about to start brainstorming a system where users can play games using shortcut keys and earn points.
I don’t use them even though I would not mind. It’s great for user experience.
Currently, the shortcuts are not highlighted in specific ways, I find it challenging to think about them. I don’t see myself typing ? to learn.
I like the idea of a helper that can help you to remind you if you missed a shortcut, for example:
Implementing in Discourse could be an option you opt in for.
Then, context-wise, after some tries, you would see different notifications (with a don’t show again toggle)
It could be:
Toast notifications
Tooltip at specific place
Small indicator that reveals the shortcut on hover
etc.
Another idea is similar to what the Developer Toolbar does.
It shows visually all the available plugin outlets. Why not do the same for shortcuts when possible? Crude and simplified example with an AI generated artifact:
I think gamification is the way to learn shortcuts. I would not mind a plugin that does that, or even with a practice mode where you could learn step by step (similar to the discobot), and with achievements to keep you motivated.
One question that I cannot find an answer for: is it possible for users locally or for admins to edit a specific shortcut keyboard (i.e. Ctrl+k) that interferes with a preexisting non-Discourse shortcut the user has?
I mostly use a handful of shortcuts rather than trying to remember all of them. Once the common ones become muscle memory, they really do speed things up. I always end up discovering a new shortcut by accident every now and then, too!
