Yes, but it conflicts with having the shortcut keys there. They’re not shown now, but that is something that could be fixed one day.
I think one of the problems is the black background. That makes too much contrast for eyes.
And last 4 options in the list are totally unnecessary… I can’t even think about one reason for them to be there.
I kind of like the version with “all”, but I think maybe it’s even possible to make more out of it.
It’s faster to find thing you want if it starts with the right word… so maybe something like this:
Keyframe 
all
insert | remove
keying Set all
insert | remove
Driver all
insert | remove
Reset all
data path
Checkbox would remember your last made choice and be enabled or disabled.
As for the shortcut information… we now have the blocks that opens when we stop with mouse over any option…
and there is written only description and python string. Why not include shortcut there too…? It is used like that already in toolbar for example.
Another thing… I think the only place I know that “reset to default value” works is transformation, rotation, scale… but in other places like modifiers… it does not work. The only thing this function does is makes it “0”… 
I think a few of those aren’t shown to most users on regular builds. But I’ve tried sticking those into their own sub-menu but had some complaints…
Wow, very “outside the box” thinking. Will have to give that some thought…
That will be fixed one of these days. I’ve got a patch in the tracker that gives a proper default value to almost everything. But it is huge so will take a while for it to be reviewed and accepted.
http://projects.blender.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=32894&group_id=9&atid=127
how awkward… (:
Sorry, no I meant that in a good way! A very good way.
i always thought there should be a right click menu for adding nodes in the node editor rather than shift A…
You should have common options readily available. Why put an additional barrier (having to go into a sub menu) when it is really unnecessary. It may look nice and pretty, neatly categorised in submenus but what benefit does it give the user. In this case to me it gives none, only something more time consuming than exists now, and it’s hardly a ‘desktop full of icons’, it’s a simple list. If some items are really only used once in a blue moon there may be a case to put them immediately out of sight but to me doing that with keyframing doesn’t make any sense.
But they are necessary features. The first two are specific documentation references and the second two are a nod to the fact that Blender is community software; we can all participate in its development (and the easiest way for non-developers is for documentation and translation).
So, assuming you agree that these features are useful and necessary, where is a more suitable place to put them? Bear in mind that these four menu items are context-specific for each button, value, and check box.
For example shortcuts could be better… maybe.
K - Keyframe insert
S - Set of keyframes
D - Driver insert (this is already like that)
R - Reset
P - Path of Data
Shortcut “A” is actually not good for closing up panels, because when making animation, you want to play it back many times to understand how it looks like. And usuaally I leave my mouse over some properties panel…
So I press “alt+A” a few times and panels below mouse closes… opens again… then closes again… and so on.
Ok… I tested them again and you have a point… they are context-specific. That is important.
But I think you would agree that 99% of users don’t use them often and it makes this list too long, so the version with “documentation” sub-menu is ok for this.
Putting it in submenus does make it readily available. But lets assume, for some its not. Thats where hotkeys come into play. I hear others here try to say Blender is a hotkey based application…if so let it be seen in its design and layout.
It really isnt that much harder or faster to have things in categorized sub menus, especially when the muscle memory is tied to the pattern. See the brain can find and react to a menu item faster if its not in a bigger list but a smaller one, and then again if that results in another minimalistic menu.
One of the principles of UI design is to know the patterns that users (and the brain) are familiar with.
Lets take cooking for example. We have kitchens which are made for cooking(preperation, and cleaning). In order to maximize the work space, we naturally put things in their designated areas. Dishes in one shelf, cups in another, silverware in a pull out drawer , pans in a cabinet, spices in another cabinet on a spice rack, a refrigerator with food organized in shelves and pull out drawers. This is a work space and everything needed has its place and that place is often within a place.
Lets now visualize a kitchen in which all those pans, dishes, food, spices, everything, was just scattered around out in the open. Lets assume that when you try to cook all your pans are in front of you, even if you only need 1 or 2 for the thing you need to cook. All the spices are in a pile next to the stove, everything in the fridge is on the counter, even the stuff you dont need… all those plates and cups filling up every inch of that kitchen… all while trying to prepare a specific meal with specific tools.
Mentally, not only is it more taxing, but its actually harder to organize thoughts, as well as identify and react to what is needed to complete the goal. It slows a person down rather than speeds them up. The brain has to constantly shift its focus over items till it finds what you are looking for.
Compare this then with an organized work space, you know what you need and nothing more is in the way. Everything has its place and you know that if you need one tool its in a zone and within that zone is set of tools you will want to pick from. Not much else will occupy your area of focus.
Let me show a couple of pictures to illustrate the point:
Versus
The human mind works best when categorization is taking place. Now it could become troublesome if a much needed feature is within 5 menus and you have to do it every time, but thats not really whats being argued for here.
A good UI will borrow from systems familiar to the user base, and in this case not just software wise, but the cultural norms which shaped how people thing in regards to their work spaces. Complex software is easily understood when it resembles the commonplace system.
The first common rule of good UI design, is keep it uncluttered. Many times bad UI design follows the “more is good” motto, but in reality for UI design, less = more. By less in this case, I mean less clutter, less on any one menu, less = broken up and categorized.
Making it easy to recall whats in menus without actually going into the menus is equally effective. In maya this is seen by using a hotkey to hide the entire UI except for the viewport, and using the spacebar + gestures to call on functions or tools.
John Shafer (big name in game design) gives a tip to UI designers for games (though I think its equally relevant here), it is: “A very important tip to always keep in mind with UI: every single element on the screen siphons off a bit of the player’s attention. Make sure they’re only spending their limited “pool” of focus on what you really care about.”
Anyways, the entire point is that there are some very smart UI design principles Blender is totally missing out on and I believe wholeheartedly that its holding Blender back. Sub menus exist because they are good when used appropriately. They serve a function just as their primary menus do and shouldnt be looked down upon or made to look slower when it comes to user interaction.
(i apologize if the articulation is a bit funny, I kept getting interrupted so the train of thought was broken up a few times too many)
There’s always room for small improvements, even on the menus.
In older versions of Blender you would click on the “Object” menu and under “Track” and “Parent” were submenus for “Set” and “Clear” that each contained further options. It was three levels deep (Parent / Set / Object). So I created a patch the reduced those each to two levels. The “Parent” and “Track” menus now contain the options to set, followed by a separator, then options to clear. It is just easier and clearer now.
I have a similar patch (still in the tracker unapproved though) for proportional editing. It is currently two different menus, with the one to enable it on the second one. The patch combines them into a single menu, with the options to enable/disable, followed by the falloff options.
Its very nice that you care for all these small things Harley!
I find that they are quite easy to spot. Sometimes in my own apps I just take a piece of paper, start working with the app and every time something is a bit too fiddly I write it down. after 8 hours of work the list is long and some things my need to be removed or adjusted but it gives and idea of all the small things that I would usually forget when I am finished working.
This is probably a stupid comment, so no laughing. But is the current behavior, which is forcing you to select from that menu, the ideal behavior?
I press “I” while my mouse is in the 3D viewer and I get a big list of options. I select “Location” and it definitely makes sense that all three channels are keyed.
However, if I have my mouse over the properties panel “Location”, directly over “X”, when I press “I” here all three channels are keyed. Would it make sense to have only key the one channel instead? It gives immediate feedback of what is keyed (turns yellow) so it is not as if you don’t know what’s happened.
If this were changed then we’d be able to key one or all, using keyboard or menu. You wouldn’t be forced to use one or the other depending on what you are doing. Just a thought…
I like this one, but don’t agree with the other idea of increasing occurrence of submenus.
I think it’s best to work on naming, sorting, grouping and separation if possible and minimise usage of submenus (they are fiddly to use and hide the content).
I like the idea of using backgound color to group them. Very interesting…
How about using icons only to mark the beginning of a group…
That icon at the head of the group, that looks logical…
Probably the smallest change possible yet makes it much easier for me to find each item
Whoops, “Copy to clipboard” and Paste should probably be moved down. That way the groupings make a bit more sense and we still have “Insert keyframes” at the top.