I commute and ride in hilly Colorado Springs. My bikes include a 1x7, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10 and 3x7. Because the terrain is so non-flat, and my constant stop and start urban riding in traffic, and my fidgety nature, I am constantly shifting from high to low, and I don't feel the 2x and 3x setups require more shifting than the 1x. In fact, the 3x7 works well, and with its non-indexed front shift lever I can quickly drop from the high ring ratio to the much lower low ring in one shifter movement. It's a one-motion range jump the other bikes can't touch.
The 2x10 seems to take the most shifts to get from high to low, since, even with the compact double up front, I still have to run up and down 10 gears in the back. The 3x7 works well, as I can quickly drop from the high ring ratio to the much lower low ring in one shift. It's a one-motion range jump the other bikes can't touch.
Last month I borrowed a 3x7 bike and rode in flats of the mid-west for the first time in 30 years. Once away from traffic I really needed to only slightly trim my gear ratio, and that's where more, closely spaced rear gears would have worked better.
Two of my bikes have indexed integrated "brifters" that take the most motions to shift. The indexed and non-indexed downtube and bar-end and thumbies on the other bikes can be swept through the gears in one motion.
But overall, because the terrain and traffic conditions demand near-constant shifting, a few extra clicks here and there go unnoticed.