Mobile Zoom Interaction Conflicts with Image Gallery Navigation
Sarah Rockower Studio
Summary
On mobile devices, the zoom interaction on artwork detail pages is unreliable when multiple images are present for a single piece. This significantly impacts the ability to view artwork details.
What happens:
• When attempting to pinch-to-zoom on an image, the gesture frequently triggers horizontal image navigation instead of zoom.
• The view may switch to the next or previous image unintentionally.
• The interaction behaves inconsistently and feels unstable during zoom attempts.
• As a result, users are unable to properly inspect fine details of the artwork.
What I would expect:
• Once zoomed in, the image should remain stable and allow smooth panning.
• Horizontal swiping to change images should be disabled while zoomed.
• Gallery navigation should only occur when the image is not zoomed or the arrow is clicked.
Steps to Reproduce
- Open an artwork with multiple images on a mobile device.
- Tap image to enter the image viewer.
- Attempt to pinch-to-zoom on the image.
- Observe unintended image switching or erratic behavior.
Examples for you to test on your mobile device:
ArtCloud Site:
Comparison Site (Expected Behavior):
This issue makes it difficult to view details of a piece on a mobile device and creates a frustrating experience for potential collectors.
Note: tested on iPhone using Safari, Firefox & Chrome browsers.
I've uploaded video examples here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/90wcq2a3czba05bz9r9lk/AL1oRXloq10pUERf7cLTmVw?rlkey=17944qi2cxqjjn5ws7ti8zo8u&dl=0
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