System and method for applying gesture input to digital content

A method for controlling a computing device with a display, the method comprising:

• detecting initiation of a gesture input at a digital content item rendered in a user interface on the display;
• tracking the gesture input at the digital content item for a magnitude of a current displacement of the gesture input from a start location to a current location in a first direction, wherein the start location is within a representation of the digital content item on the graphical user interface, and wherein the magnitude corresponds to a distance between the start location and the current location;
• and
• rendering a graphic of an action mapped to a gesture state, where the gesture state corresponds to a first gesture state when the magnitude is less than a threshold distance and where the current gesture state corresponds to a second gesture state when the magnitude is greater than or equal to the threshold distance, and wherein the rendering comprises animating a translation of the digital content item along a first axis, the translation revealing the graphic of the action in a screen area exposed by the translation.

A method comprising:

• detecting initiation of a gesture input at a digital content item rendered in a user interface;
• during a duration of the gesture input:
• tracking the gesture input from a start location on a graphical user interface to a current location on the graphical user interface, wherein the start location is within a representation of the digital content item on the graphical user interface;
• determining, based on the tracked gesture input, a distance of a current displacement of the gesture input from the start location to the current location;
• determining, based on the distance of the current displacement of the gesture input, a current gesture state from a set of gesture states, wherein determining the current gesture state is based at least in part on a direction of a current displacement along a first axis of the gesture input from an initial input position and at least in part on a magnitude along the first axis of the current displacement, and wherein determining the current gesture state includes:
• selecting a first gesture state as the current gesture state in the event that the direction of the current displacement along the first axis is a first direction and the magnitude along the first axis of the current displacement becomes greater than a first threshold value;
• selecting a second gesture state as the current gesture state in the event that the direction of the current displacement along the first axis is the first direction and the magnitude along the first axis of the current displacement becomes greater than a second threshold value, the second threshold value being greater than the first threshold value;
• identifying an action mapped to the first or second gesture state;
• and
• rendering a graphic of the identified action;
• upon detecting a termination of the gesture input, selecting the identified action as a selected action;
• and
• applying the selected action to the digital content item.