About multi-modal-input
A multimodal input design skill for interface designers, helping users complete tasks with keyboards, pointers, touch, voice, and other input methods. It outlines alternatives for text entry, controls, and complex interactions, plus assessment questions.
Key features
- 01Support keyboard and pointer actions
- 02Allow voice, paste, and autocomplete
- 03Make selection controls easier to operate
- 04Offer button alternatives to drag and gestures
- 05Assess input accessibility with review questions
Use cases
- 01Check whether an interface works with keyboard alone
- 02Provide alternatives for drag-and-drop, maps, or gestures
- 03Design text fields for voice or assistive input
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ owl-listener/ inclusive-design-skills --skill multi-modal-inputAfter installing, type/multi-modal-inputin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEMulti-Modal Input Design
Design systems where users can accomplish any task through whichever input method works for them — keyboard, mouse, touch, voice, switch, eye tracking, or any combination.
Core Principle
Never assume how someone will interact with your interface. Offer choices. Let the user decide.
The Input Spectrum
People interact with technology through many methods, often combining several at once:
- Keyboard — physical, on-screen, or switch-activated
- Mouse / trackpad — standard pointer devices
- Touch — fingers, stylus, or assistive touch
- Voice — speech commands, dictation
- Switch devices — single or dual switches scanning through options
- Eye tracking — gaze-based selection
- Head pointers — head movement controlling a cursor
- Sip-and-puff — breath-controlled switches
Design Patterns
Input Equivalence
- Every action must be possible through at least keyboard AND pointer (mouse/touch)
- Voice input should be available as a third option where practical
- Never lock a feature to a single input method
- Test: can someone complete this task using ONLY keyboard? ONLY touch? ONLY voice?
Flexible Text Entry
- Support physical keyboard, on-screen keyboard, voice dictation, and paste from clipboard
- Auto-complete and suggestions reduce typing burden
- Don't disable paste in form fields (password managers, assistive tools depend on this)
- Allow scanning and OCR for filling in reference numbers or codes
Selection Without Precision
- Radio buttons and checkboxes: make the label clickable, not just the control
- Dropdowns: allow type-ahead search for long lists
- Date pickers: always offer a text field alternative alongside the calendar widget
- Colour pickers: provide text input for hex/RGB values
Complex Interactions
- Drag-and-drop: always provide button-based reordering
- Drawing/annotation: offer text description as alternative
- Map interactions: provide address search alongside map selection
- Gestures (swipe, pinch): always provide button equivalents
Assessment Questions
- Can every task be completed through keyboard alone?
- Can every task be completed through pointer alone?
- Are there complex interactions (drag, gesture, drawing) that lack simpler alternatives?
- Is paste enabled in all text fields?
- Do all form controls have clickable labels?
Comments
Markdown supported