Main Objective:
To provide alternative methods for controlling content that do not rely solely on multipoint or path-based gestures, ensuring that all users can interact with the content effectively, this success criterion focuses on the use of touch on screens. Authors often include many touch interactions with screens to enhance user excitement and engagement. However, tasks that are easy for most users can be very difficult or even impossible for others.
A path-based gesture involves touch interactions requiring sliding, dragging or drawing across the screen, reaching from point A to point B, and following a specific route with a midpoint. An example of this could be a slider component controlled by a thumb, which must follow a specific path to reach the endpoint. This can be challenging or impossible for some users, especially those who use head-pointer devices requiring a high level of coordination or speech-assistive technology where the user speaks into a microphone to perform tasks.
Multipoint gestures, on the other hand, require more than one touch input, such as using two fingers to pinch the screen to zoom in.
For example, a path-based gesture might be used to slide an image on a touchscreen. If a page contains a slider where only one image is visible in the viewport, users can slide right or left to bring the next image into view. However, users must follow a specific route on the touchscreen to complete the action. Users with motor disabilities who utilize speech-to-text assistive technologies may not be able to complete this task.
Success Criterion 2.5.1 requires that if multipoint or path-based gestures are used, the functionality must also be operable through single pointer methods such as tapping, clicking, double tapping, double-clicking, pressing, or clicking and holding.
