a menu display control unit that displays at a display monitor a selection menu that includes a plurality of menu items organized over a plurality of hierarchical levels;

a selection unit that selects in response to a user operation a specific menu item in each hierarchical level in the selection menu displayed at the display monitor by the menu display control unit;

a processing execution unit that executes processing corresponding to a menu item, which is ultimately selected by the selection unit;

a keyword setting unit that sets a search keyword based upon an input operation performed by a user;

a search unit that searches the plurality of menu items for all of the hierarchy levels of the selection menu to generate a search result containing one or more menu items of the selection menu related to the search keyword set by the keyword setting unit and that receives an input that identifies a menu item of the one or more menu items of the search result; and

an informing unit that informs the user of an operation procedure to be performed to select the identified menu item in the search result using the selection menu in response to receiving the input that identifies the menu item, the operating procedure including a menu item in each hierarchical level of the selection menu required to ultimately select the identified menu item of the selection result using the selection menu and an order of the menu items to ultimately select the identified menu item.