What is the gesture-patterns skill?
The gesture-patterns skill is a SKILL.md in the interaction-design plugin of Owl-Listener's designer-skills repository. It has an AI coding agent design eight core gestures with rules for discoverability, feedback, thresholds, conflicts and accessibility, including a non-gesture alternative for each, plus undo for destructive actions.
The gesture-patterns skill is part of the interaction-design plugin in Owl-Listener's designer-skills pack. It casts the agent as an expert in intuitive gesture-based interactions that feel natural and discoverable across touch and pointer devices.
Its description applies the skill when input is gestural. For OS-standard gestures on iOS and Android, it points to platform-conventions in the ui-design plugin, so this skill covers swipe, drag and long-press interactions and their discoverability.
The eight core gestures
- Tap: select, activate, toggle.
- Double tap: zoom, like or favorite.
- Long press: context menu, reorder mode, preview.
- Swipe: navigate, dismiss, reveal actions.
- Pinch: zoom in and out.
- Rotate: rotate content such as maps and images.
- Drag: move, reorder, adjust values.
- Pull: refresh content.
Design rules
Discoverability pairs each gesture with a visible affordance and a hint on first use. Feedback starts immediately and shows progress, snap points or rubber-banding, then confirms completion. Thresholds cover minimum distance, velocity, direction lock and a cancel zone.
Conflict resolution
- Scroll against swipe: lock direction after the initial movement.
- Tap against long press: a time threshold, typically 500ms.
- Pinch against drag: distinguish by the number of touch points.
- System gestures take priority, such as the back swipe and notification pull.
Who the gesture-patterns skill is for
Best for
- Mobile and touch interfaces with swipe actions, reordering or pull to refresh.
- Designers who need every gesture to have a button or menu alternative, a rule the skill states in both its discoverability and accessibility sections.
- Teams tuning how gesture feedback animates while respecting reduced motion preferences.
Not for
- OS-standard gestures on iOS and Android. The description points to platform-conventions for those, and the iOS design and Android design skills cover platform patterns.
How to install Gesture Patterns Skill: Design Swipe, Drag and Long-Press
/plugin marketplace add Owl-Listener/designer-skillsAdd the marketplace
Enter the command above in your AI coding agent. It points the agent at the repository, and no plugin installs at this stage.
Install the plugin
Run
/plugin install interaction-design@designer-skills. interaction-design is the plugin that holds this skill, and the Discover tab under/pluginoffers the same choice.Gemini CLI route
Each plugin is also a Gemini CLI extension. Clone the repository to a temporary folder, create
.gemini/extensionsin your project root, and copy the repository's.gemini/extensionscontents into it.Describe the interaction
Tell the agent the screen, the action and the input type, such as swipe to archive on a list row. It applies the gesture rules.
Check that it loaded
Ask for a gesture design for one list row action. Expect a visible affordance, a feedback and threshold plan, a conflict check and a non-gesture alternative.
Key features
- Eight core gesturesTap, double tap, long press, swipe, pinch, rotate, drag and pull each get a defined role.
- Visible affordancesPair gestures with visible affordances and give visual hints on first use.
- Non-gesture alternativeEvery gesture must have a button or menu alternative, which the accessibility section repeats as a rule.
- Immediate feedbackVisual response starts with the gesture, with progress indication during it and completion confirmation at the end.
- Threshold indicatorsThreshold indicators such as snap points and rubber-banding give feedback while the gesture is in progress.
- Activation thresholdsA minimum distance of 10 to 15px before activation, velocity thresholds for flick and swipe, direction lock and a cancel zone to abort.
- Conflict resolutionDirection lock for scroll against swipe, a 500ms typical time threshold for tap against long press, and touch point count for pinch against drag.
- System gestures winBack swipe and notification pull take priority over custom gestures.
- Accessibility rulesSupport switch control and voice control, document custom gestures and respect reduced-motion preferences for gesture animations.
- Undo for destructive gesturesProvide undo for destructive gesture actions, keep gestures to one or two fingers and test one-handed use.
Frequently asked questions
What is the gesture-patterns skill?
It is a SKILL.md in the interaction-design plugin of Owl-Listener's designer-skills repository. It has an AI coding agent design gesture interactions that feel natural and discoverable across touch and pointer devices, using defined rules for feedback, thresholds, conflicts and accessibility.
How do I install gesture-patterns?
Run /plugin marketplace add Owl-Listener/designer-skills, then /plugin install interaction-design@designer-skills. The skill is part of the interaction-design plugin. The Discover tab under /plugin offers the same choice, and Gemini CLI users can copy the repository's extensions folder. That plugin lists 22 skills and 5 commands.
Which gestures does gesture-patterns cover?
Eight: tap, double tap, long press, swipe, pinch, rotate, drag and pull. Each has a typical use, such as long press for a context menu, reorder mode or preview, swipe for navigating, dismissing or revealing actions, and pull for refreshing content.
How does gesture-patterns handle gesture conflicts?
It lists four rules. Lock direction after initial movement to separate scroll from swipe, use a time threshold of about 500ms for tap against long press, separate pinch from drag by touch point count, and let system gestures such as back swipe and notification pull take priority.
Does gesture-patterns require a non-gesture alternative?
Yes. It states that every gesture must have a non-gesture alternative, and the discoverability rules say to always offer a button or menu. It also asks for support for switch control and voice control, documented custom gestures and respect for reduced-motion preferences.
What license does gesture-patterns use?
It is MIT licensed, as is the whole Owl-Listener/designer-skills repository. The pack holds 273 skills and 76 commands across 33 plugins, and gesture-patterns is one of the skills in the interaction-design plugin. The nine design practice plugins, interaction-design among them, ship from this repository.
When should I use gesture-patterns instead of platform-conventions?
Use gesture-patterns when input is gestural and you are designing swipe, drag or long-press interactions and how users discover them. Its description points to platform-conventions in the ui-design plugin for OS-standard gestures on iOS and Android. The skill's best practices also say to follow platform conventions.