Drag and drop is becoming more common with web applications. While the desktop has had this functionality for a long time and users understand and execute a drag and drop many times daily, there are some affordances to keep in mind.

First the user must know an item is able to be dragged. Without messages like “drag me” the user will interact with an object and look for visual clues that the object can be moved. Some common indicators are: cursor change, highlighting and making the object semi-transparent.

Once the item is being dragged potential targets should also indicated they are willing to accept a dragged item. Targets should announce their acceptance using visual clues like highlighting.

Example A shows drag and drop with these affordances.

Example B shows drag and drop without these affordances.