5 must-use mobile gestures and how to prototype them

Touchscreen gestures are a vital part of every mobile app. Here are 5 that you need to use in your interactive prototype
Mobile gestures may soon be a thing of the past as technological advancements in facial gestures accelerate. It won’t be long before a simple smile or quick wink will allow us to perform an action on our mobile devices.
However, before we turn our back on our trusty digits and start sticking our tongue out to switch apps, let’s not forget that mobile phone gestures still play an important role within UX and interactive UI.
Touchscreen gestures help us interact with our device and the apps on it. Much like turning the page of a book is a gesture in the non-digital world, a swipe on your mobile device replicates such a movement so that the gestures are as intuitive and natural as possible.
Gestures break down into touch mechanics and touch activities.
Touch mechanics are what a user’s fingers do on the screen. A double touch is an example of a touch mechanic.
A touch activity is what results from the touch mechanic. So, a double touch can result in a zoom in.
Gestures make for an intuitive user experience. Since gestures are instinctive, it means they’re easy to use, eliminate errors and require less co-ordination from the user. Not only that but they’re fast and flexible.
There are many different gestures (here is a comprehensive list) that you can use in your mobile app design but the most used and popular are:
- Tap
- Drag
- Pinch
- Press
- Rotate
When prototyping your app or website with Justinmind, using gestures adds dynamism and realism to your interactive wireframe. What does this mean? It means a powerful gesture-driven mobile UI design from the get-go creating authenticity and a seamless user experience.
Read the rest of this post on Justinmind’s blog here.
