Using Ink to write on the desktop or in the Finder provides the same convenience of keyboard shortcuts. If you are not familiar with this type of navigation, the writing may seem not to go anywhere. This document explains how it works.
It may seem like your writing on the desktop goes nowhere, but it is actually being used for navigation, just as keyboard shortcuts are. This is how it works:
Assume you have three files on your desktop named "Apple", "MyDocument", and "Journal". If you write "ap" on the desktop, then "Apple" would be selected. This works alphabetically. If you had many files on your desktop, writing a few letters or numbers would select the best alphabetic match. This same technique may be used in Finder windows, and it may be done on your keyboard.
Note: In Mac OS X versions 10.2 to 10.2.8, you cannot write in the Finder toolbar Search field.