Touch gestures on an interactive screen: moving, zooming and erasing
Interactive screens understand more than a single tap. Gestures can save time, but which ones work depends on the model, the software and the app you are in, so treat this as a guide to try rather than a promise.
Common gestures
- Tap to select or open something, like a mouse click.
- Press and hold to open extra options on many items, like a right-click.
- Drag with one finger to move an object or, on a web page, to scroll.
- Pinch in and out with two fingers to zoom out or in on pictures, maps and web pages.
- Two-finger drag to move around a large page or canvas in many whiteboard apps.
Erasing gestures
Some screens and whiteboard apps let you wipe writing with the side of your hand or a flat palm, or with several fingers held together. Others only erase with the eraser tool. Try it on a test page in the whiteboard app you use. If nothing happens, use the eraser tool instead.
Testing safely
- Open a blank whiteboard page.
- Write a few words.
- Try one gesture at a time and watch what happens.
- Use Undo if something unexpected happens.
If gestures do strange things
- Keep sleeves, lanyards and loose hair away from the surface.
- Rest your palm only when the screen is meant to ignore it. Some screens do not, and a resting hand may smudge or move your writing.
- When you are connected to a laptop, gestures are passed to the laptop's operating system, so they follow Windows or Mac rules instead.
Teaching students
Show students how to touch gently. Pressing hard does not improve accuracy and can wear the surface. Remind them to use one finger for writing and to wait their turn.
When to get more help
Ask IT if gestures used to work and have stopped, or if the screen reacts to touches that are not there. Say which app you were in and whether a laptop was connected.