2.5.1 Pointer Gestures

What does it mean?

Some interfaces rely on gestures such as pinching to zoom, two-finger rotation or swiping along a path. Many people cannot perform these gestures, for example because they use a head pointer, a mouth stick or have limited hand movement.

Any such function must also be possible with a single pointer without a path-based gesture: a tap, click or long press on a control, such as plus and minus buttons for a map or arrow buttons for a slider. Exceptions are gestures that are essential, and gestures provided by the browser or operating system itself (such as the browser’s own pinch zoom), as long as the website does not depend on them.

Who does it help?

• People with limited dexterity or one usable hand
• People using a head pointer, eye tracking or a mouth stick
• People who use a stylus or other single-point input device

Common failures

• A map that can only be zoomed with a pinch gesture
• An image gallery that changes images only by swiping
• A slider that only reacts to a swipe along a specific path

How we test it

• people only Manual only: nothing useful can be measured. The reviewer tests it directly.

Test question: Multi-point or path gestures (pinch, swipe) have a single-pointer alternative.

A person decides every criterion. No criterion ever passes automatically.

How to fix it

<div class="gallery" data-swipe="true">…</div>

<div class="gallery" aria-roledescription="carousel" aria-label="Product photos">
  …
  <button type="button" class="prev">Previous photo</button>
  <button type="button" class="next">Next photo</button>
</div>

Swiping still works, but simple buttons give the same result with one click or tap.

Practical tips

• Keep the gesture if users like it; the requirement is an alternative, not a ban.

Official source

Understanding WCAG 2.2 at the W3C: 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures