This has been shown to have an implication for, for example, the structuring of menus in software packages. As people get older, short-term memory capacity tends to deteriorate. This may mean that older people will have greater difficulties in remembering which commands fall under which menu heading. This suggests that older users may prefer broad as opposed to deep menu system. A broad menu system is one that includes many menus, each containing a comparatively small number of commands. A deep menu structure, meanwhile, is one that contains few menus, each of which contains a comparatively large number of commands. Deep menu structures have the advantage of making an interface less cluttered. These are less heading to choose from, so ti is easier to find menu that needs to be opened.
However, a potential problem with deep menu structure is that some people may have difficulty remembering which menu the required command is on. If he or she is likely to have trouble remembering this - and other people may be more inclined to have difficulties than younger people - then it may be more sensible to use a broad menu structure, despite the possible implications for clutter.