Puzzle Play With Unsteady Hands

Which puzzle controls work with shaky hands?

Most puzzle apps assume steady dragging — highlighting a word by sweeping a fingertip across it without wobbling off course. If your hands are unsteady, that single design choice locks you out of the whole game.

Ours works differently: everything is a simple tap. In the word search, tap a word's first letter, then its last — the site draws the line for you. In sudoku and the crossword, tap a square, then tap a letter or number on the big pad. A wobble on the way to a tap costs nothing.

How can I make tapping easier?

Three things help most: bigger targets (press the largest 'A' in our header and every button grows), a rested device (flat on the table or propped on a stand, never held in the air), and an anchored hand — heel of the hand touching the screen edge, tapping with a bent finger.

• Bigger targets: press the largest 'A' in the header and every button grows with the text
• Rest the device: a tablet flat on the table or propped on a stand is far steadier than one held in the air
• Anchor the hand: touch the screen edge with the heel of your hand and tap with a bent finger — small movements, more control
• Mistapped? Nothing is ever lost — tap again; the erase button in sudoku and backspace in the crossword undo cheerfully

What about paper puzzles with a tremor?

Choose big squares, circle rather than rule lines, and stop the page moving: our large-print printables use squares generous enough that writing needn't be precise, and a clipboard or non-slip mat under the sheet does the rest.

• Our large-print printables give squares big enough that writing needn't be precise
• Circling a found word is easier than drawing a line through it — and just as satisfying
• A clipboard or non-slip mat under the page keeps it from wandering
• A chunky pen or a pencil grip steadies the hold without steadying the hand