The gestures we use every day on our smartphones and tablets are meant to mimic obvious physical commands: we move maps around to view an area, tap on buttons to activate events, and flip through pages to read. The best gestures work so well because they intuitively relate to their physical counterparts, but even then, the actual action may be surprisingly quirky in the real world. Designer Gabriele Meldaikyte created physical expressions of some of the best known gestures, including swiping and pinching. Her small contraptions distinctly recall touchscreen gestures, but it may be surprising how unnatural some truly are.
Using touchscreen gestures to manipulate real objects
is The Verge’s executive editor. He has covered tech, policy, and online creators for over a decade.
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