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Definition: dynamic user menu


A menu that is modified automatically by usage. For example, right clicking a file name displays a menu of canned options; however, items may be added to the menu by new applications at time of installation. Proposed by Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia, a dynamic user menu (DUM) adjusts over time based on which items the user routinely clicks. As of 2022, there is little evidence of a DUM menu in use, but there are countless "dumb" menus in use. See first-time user menu.




The DUM Menu
Instead of 25 items (top), the DUM menu modification reduces the options to only six based on the user's selection history. The DUM approach eliminates excessive mouse travel every time the user invokes the menu. Of course, users would have the option of including items to add back.