Gesture Elicitation

Gesture elicitation is a participatory design method where end users are asked to invent gestures for a set of device functions, rather than having gestures predetermined by designers or engineers. Participants are shown the effect of an action (such as zooming in) and asked to propose a gesture they would naturally perform to trigger it. This approach produces gesture sets that are more intuitive and memorable for users. In accessibility research, gesture elicitation is critical because standardized gesture sets often embed ability assumptions that exclude people with motor impairments, making personalized, user-defined alternatives essential for inclusive interaction.