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Gesture-Based Navigation

Implementing iOS-like gesture navigation patterns in Flutter for seamless user experience.

September 2024
UXGesturesNavigationFlutter

Why I Built This

iOS users expect swipe-back gestures to work flawlessly. Flutter's default back gesture feels clunky compared to native iOS. I wanted to recreate that seamless, physics-based navigation experience.

Tech Stack

FlutterFramework
GestureDetectorTouch Handling
SpringSimulationPhysics
PageRouteBuilderNavigation

Technical Approach

Analyzed iOS navigation behavior frame by frame, then recreated the physics and visual cues in Flutter.

1

Behavior Analysis

Recorded and analyzed iOS navigation gestures to understand the physics curves and thresholds.

2

Custom PageRoute

Built a custom PageRoute with gesture detection and interactive transitions.

3

Physics Tuning

Implemented spring physics with carefully tuned damping and stiffness values.

4

Edge Cases

Handled nested navigators, modal sheets, and conflicting horizontal scrollviews.

Key Learnings

What worked, what didn't, and what I'd do differently.

What Worked

  • Spring physics with 0.7 damping ratio feels most natural
  • Velocity-based completion threshold improves UX
  • Shadow and scale effects add to the premium feel

Challenges Faced

  • Gesture arena conflicts with horizontal scrollviews needed careful handling
  • Hero animations required special coordination with gesture state

Key Insights

The bigger lessons that go beyond this specific experiment.

Details Matter

The difference between 'good enough' and 'great' is in subtle physics and visual feedback.

Platform Expectations

Users have muscle memory from their platform — respect it or frustrate them.

Test on Real Devices

Gesture performance varies significantly between emulators and real hardware.

What's Next

Considering contributing this as a Flutter community package with: • iOS and Android-specific behaviors • Customizable physics parameters • Integration with common navigation packages

Interested in this experiment?

I'm always happy to discuss technical details, share learnings, or collaborate on similar explorations.