Mouse Pointer as a Mere Mortal

2 days ago

Lightroom moved the mouse pointer automatically after clicking a button, which felt like the app grabbing the user's hand.
Programmatic mouse pointer movement can be useful in specific contexts like accessibility or gaming, but feels wrong in general UI interactions.
Such actions may hinder user learning and memory of how to perform tasks themselves.
Some interactions, like focus, scrolling, undo, and copy/paste, should be sacred and protected from hijacking in standard apps.
Examples like Neal Agarwal's project show that cursor hijacking can be acceptable and delightful in creative or game-like contexts.
A past Figma prototype involved deleting someone else's cursor, highlighting the weirdness of interfering with user pointers in collaborative tools.

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