---\ntitle: Pointer gestures\ncheck: pointer-gestures-alternative\nnavHidden: true\ncategory: Accessibility\nstandard: WCAG 2.1 A 2.5.1\ncreated: 2026-07-16T02:59:36Z\nupdated: 2026-08-23T19:10:16Z\n---\n\n# Pointer gestures\n\nSilktide identifies pages that appear to use custom touch or pointer gestures,\nsuch as pinching to zoom or swiping along a path, and asks you to confirm that\neach gesture can also be performed with simple taps or clicks.\n\n## Why this matters\n\nGestures like pinch-to-zoom, two-finger rotate, or tracing a path assume the\nvisitor can coordinate multiple contact points or move a pointer precisely. Many\npeople cannot: those with tremors or limited dexterity, and those who operate a\ncomputer through a head pointer, eye tracker, or speech control, which produce\nonly single clicks. If a map can only be zoomed by pinching, or a carousel only\nadvanced by swiping, these visitors are locked out of that content.\n\nThis is success criterion 2.5.1 (Pointer\nGestures), a requirement - part of the\nmost basic conformance level.\n\n## How to fix it\n\nSilktide cannot verify gesture alternatives automatically, so this check asks\nyou to review the page:\n\n1. Find any feature operated by a multipoint gesture (pinch, rotate) or a\n path-based gesture (swipe, drag along a route).\n2. Confirm each one can also be operated with single taps or clicks. Typical\n alternatives: zoom in and out buttons on a map, previous and next buttons on\n a swipeable carousel, and buttons or menus that replace drag reordering.\n3. Add simple controls wherever no alternative exists. Gestures may stay - they\n just cannot be the only way.\n4. When the page checks out, or the gesture is essential (such as a signature\n pad), the finding.\n\n## How Silktide tests this\n\n1. Examine each page for signs of custom gesture handling: a drawing surface\n (the <canvas> element, common in maps and\n charts), a well-known touch gesture library, gesture-specific keywords in the\n page's , or\n touch-action values that indicate the page\n handles touch itself.\n2. Deliberately ignore generic words like "swipe" and "drag" in code, since\n they often describe single-pointer interactions that already comply.\n3. Raise at most one review prompt per page when any signal is found. This\n check flags pages for manual review; it does not assert a failure.\n\n## Troubleshooting\n\n### The page has no gestures\n\nThe signals are indirect - a decorative <canvas> animation or a bundled\nlibrary the page never uses for gestures can trigger the prompt. If nothing on\nthe page needs a multipoint or path-based gesture, approve the finding.\n\n### Gestures exist but come from an embedded map\n\nEmbedded maps and similar widgets often provide their own single-pointer\ncontrols, such as zoom buttons. If the embed includes them, the page complies;\nverify they are enabled in your embed settings.\n\n## Learn more\n\n- Understanding Pointer Gestures (WCAG 2.5.1)\n- Drag and drop alternative\n