Pointer Gestures

Summary

When using a keyboard, you must move in a sequential order. A pointer lets you interact directly with any element on the screen in any order. A mouse, trackpad, stylus, or touchscreen are all examples of pointer devices.

Some pointer gestures are complex and hard for some people to perform:

• path-based gestures move through an intermediate point or follow a specific path from the start to the end point, such as drawing a shape;
• multipoint gestures involve more than one point of contact at the same time, such as pinching or spreading two fingers to zoom in or out on a map or picture.

Any operation that requires a multipoint or path-based gesture requires a single-point interaction as an alternative. This interaction must avoid any unintended actions or be reversible to help avoid errors.