Marcelo Paiva

All criteriaPresent as slides

A woman with a ponytail sits in a wheelchair at a tray table, holding a long pointer stick.Meant to show: A woman in a wheelchair

Success criterion 2.5.1

Pointer Gestures

Anything that uses multipoint or path-based gestures can also be operated with a single pointer without a path-based gesture.

  • Level A
  • Principle 2: Operable
  • Guideline 2.5: Input Modalities

In a user’s words

“Pinch to zoom? I use a head pointer. I've got one point of contact, and it's doing its best.”

Who this helps: Motor Impairments

What each role can do

Product manager
Require a single-tap alternative for every gesture.
Designer
Add visible controls, such as plus and minus buttons, next to swipe and pinch interactions.
Developer
Provide click or tap equivalents for pinch, multi-finger and swipe-path gestures.
Tester
Operate every gesture-driven feature with a single pointer and no dragging.

Once it is fixed

“Plus and minus buttons! One tap and I'm zooming like everyone else.”

The quotes are written to illustrate the criterion. They are not testimonials from real people. For the official wording, find 2.5.1 in the W3C quick reference for WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).

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