The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that, wherever possible, content can be operated through single point activation. Some users cannot perform compex gestures, such as multi-point or path-based gestures, in a precise manner: they may lack the accuracy or dexterity necessary to carry them out. Multi-point gestures include a two-finger pinch zoom, a split tap where one finger rests on the screen and a second finger taps, or a two- or three finger tap or swipe. Path-based gestures include swiping, dragging, or the drawing of a complex path. The path may be drawn with a finger or stylus on the screen, on a graphics tablet or on a trackpad, or with a mouse- or joystick-operated pointer.
Authors must ensure that their content can be operated without complex gestures. When they implement complex multi-point or path-based gestures, they should ensure that the functionality can also be operated via single-point activation. Single-point activation includes, but is not limited to, tapping, double tapping or long presses on a touchscreen, trackpad or drawing tablet. It also includes single clicks, click-and-hold and double clicks via mouse pointer input, or an equivalent single-point activation via trackpad or laser pointer input.
The success criterion applies to author-created gestures, as opposed to gestures defined on the level of operating system or user agent. An example for gestures provided on the operating system level would be gestures for built-in assistive technologies (AT) to focus or activate content, or to call up AT menus. An example of user agent-implemented gestures would be horizontal swiping implemented by browsers for navigating within the page history, or vertical dragging to scroll page content.
While an OS may provide ways to define "macros" to replace complex gestures, this option is not pervasive on all touch-enabled platforms. Moreover, this may work for standard gestures that a user can predefine, but may not work for other author-defined gestures.
Users who cannot (accurately) perform complex pointer gestures will have alternative means for operating the content.
The availability of user interface elements provided as a fallback for complex gestures helps users who may often be unaware of the support for complex pointer gestures. This can be beneficial especially for users with cognitive or learning disabilities.
A web site includes a map view that supports the pinch gesture to zoom into the map content, and drag gestures to move the visible area. User interface controls offer the operation via [+] and [-] buttons to zoom in and out, and arrow buttons to pan stepwise in all directions.
A news site has a horizontal content slider with hidden news teasers that can moved into the viewport via horizontal swiping. It also offers forward and backward arrow buttons for single-point activation to navigate to adjacent slider content.
A mortgage lending site has a slider control for setting the amount of credit required. The slider can be operated by dragging the thumb, but also by a single tap or click anywhere on the slider groove in order to set the thumb to the chosen position.
A slider control can be operated by dragging the thumb. Buttons on both sides of the slider increment and decrement the selected value and update the thumb position.
GXXX: Do not rely on path-based gestures
GXXX: Do not rely on multi-point gestures
GXXX: Provide controls that do not require complex gestures and perform the same function as a complex gesture
None