Hotspot Widget

A hotspot is a tappable region placed directly on the scene. It is especially useful on top of an image learners explore: tap the heart to hear what it does, tap a city to see its name.

A hotspot is for exploring, and it has no wrong answer. Any tap counts as correct, so it can't check whether a learner found the right spot. To ask learners to find things in a picture and grade it ("Tap every rectangle"), use Find in Picture: one widget with the picture, the regions to find, near-misses that count as wrong taps, and an answer key. To check that learners can _name_ the parts of a diagram, use matching or a dropdown next to a numbered or lettered diagram. _Example: Label a diagram with dropdowns._

Where the settings live

Select the hotspot on the canvas and click the floating ⚙ Configure button to open its setup dialog — the label, the shape, and grading all live there, next to a live preview. The right sidebar keeps only Style & Layout (fill, border, label color, size and position).

Settings to know

In the ⚙ Configure dialog:

• Label helps you identify the hotspot while authoring and can be shown to learners.
• Shape controls the clickable area.
• Show Label decides whether learners see the label.

Grading

A new hotspot starts ungraded, and it's best left that way. The grading controls are still in the ⚙ Configure dialog, but a graded hotspot is correct whenever a learner taps it, anywhere, so it hands out points without checking anything. Tapping a hotspot over the wrong region still counts as correct for that hotspot.

If you do turn grading on, treat it as a participation point ("tapped the diagram"), not a question. For a graded "find it in the picture" question, use Find in Picture instead. A scene that needs a passing score from hotspots alone will warn you, because a learner can pass it without answering anything.

Because a new hotspot isn't graded, a scene with only hotspots on it isn't a graded scene, so it won't move on by itself when "correct". Add a button that goes to the next scene.

What happens when a learner taps

Each tap switches the hotspot on or off. While it's on, it fills with its Border Color; while it's off, it shows its Fill Color. A graded hotspot counts as correct while it's on, so tapping it a second time takes those points back.

On Press behaviors run on every tap, including the one that switches the hotspot off. If a hotspot over an ear shows "Ears: we use them to hear.", that message appears every time a learner taps the ear, not every other time. On Hover behaviors run only when a mouse pointer moves onto the hotspot. They never run from a tap on a tablet or from the keyboard, so put anything learners must see on On Press. See Events, Actions, and Conditions.

The pointer shape comes from Cursor in Style & Layout. Left on Auto, it shows the pointing hand.

How to set up the content

Use the label to keep authoring clear, even if labels are hidden from learners. A hidden label is never read aloud to screen-reader users, so it can be the answer without giving it away. Screen readers read the hotspot's Alt Text (in Accessibility) instead. If you leave Alt Text as "Hotspot", screen readers number the hotspots on the scene from top to bottom ("Hotspot 2 of 5") so learners can tell them apart. For a more helpful name, write something neutral, such as "Part of the flower". Position and size the hotspot carefully so it covers the region you mean.

Useful setting combinations

• Transparent fill + transparent border + Show Label off:

Best for hidden tap targets on a diagram or image. Set the Border Color to transparent too, or the border outlines the target, and a tapped hotspot fills with the border color. A fully transparent hotspot is invisible in the studio too, but clicking the spot where it sits still selects it.

• Semi-transparent fill + Show Label on:

Best for guided exploration where learners should see the target area.

• Hotspot press + show feedback action:

Best for exploratory diagrams and maps. Build the reveal with an On Press behavior on the hotspot.

Strong use cases

• Exploring an anatomy diagram: tap a part to reveal its name and job.
• Touring a map: tap a place to hear or read about it.
• Revealing notes on a visual source before a question that checks understanding.

For a step-by-step build of the anatomy-diagram idea, see the tutorial Make a picture students can tap to explore: round dots on a plant picture that each reveal what that part does.

Great pairings with other widgets

• Pair hotspots with a large image as the underlying visual.
• Pair them with text to reveal a label or explanation after a tap.
• Pair them with audio so each tap plays a sound or a pronunciation.
• Follow them with matching or dropdown when you want to check that learners can name the parts they explored.
• Follow them with **Find in Picture** on the same picture when you want to check that learners can find the parts they explored: "Now tap every part that helps the plant drink."