I have inherited a piece of software that is used to catalogue objects using a series of 6 dropdown menus with around 3-15 options in each. Once all selections are made the user can click a button to move on to the next object. I am looking for ways in which I can reduce the repetitive actions required by users.
My first thought was simply adding hotkeys, but I don't know well they could work with such an array of menus and options.
My second thought was to have a single menu appear at a time that would progress to the next menu with a single click on an option. This would also allow a single simpler list of hotkeys that would change on each menu. The problem would be that if data stays the same between objects this single menu system would require 6 clicks to get to the next object, but this could be solved with a button on the first screen to confirm data is the same. I think this would also need more screenspace as the old menus would still be needed to change any options set incorrectly.
Are there any other thoughts on how I could minimise the amount of actions needed?