Why Touch Targets Impacts Accessibility

Imagine this: a customer visits your website, excited to snag a deal on their holiday shopping list. They’re scrolling through your page on their phone, ready to click “add to cart,”—but then they hit a roadblock. The buttons are too small, links are crowded together, and navigating your site becomes a frustrating game of “tap and hope.” Now imagine if that customer has limited dexterity or relies on assistive technology. For them, those tiny buttons and cramped links aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re a barrier.

Accessibility issues like these don’t just affect your users’ experience—they impact your bottom line and even your legal compliance. Making sure your site’s touch targets are easy to interact with is one of the simplest yet most impactful changes you can make. In this guide, we’ll cover why large, accessible touch targets matter, how they boost usability for everyone, and what steps you can take to ensure your site is welcoming to all.

What Are Touch Targets and Why Are They Important?

Touch targets are interactive elements—such as buttons, links, and form controls—that users engage with as they navigate your website. The size and spacing of these elements can make or break the experience, especially for users on mobile devices or those with physical limitations. If touch targets are too small or closely spaced, users may struggle to click or tap accurately, leading to frustration and a poor experience. This can be particularly challenging for older adults and individuals with limited dexterity.

Making touch targets sufficiently large and spaced out allows everyone to navigate and interact with your site more easily, enhancing both usability and inclusivity. This is a foundational aspect of web accessibility that ensures your website works well for all.

WCAG Guidelines: Key Standards for Touch Target Size

To provide clear guidance on accessible touch target sizes, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have established several success criteria. WCAG 2.1 and the updated WCAG 2.2 outline standards to help developers make online content accessible, mainly through adequately sized touch targets.

Success Criterion 2.5.5 (Target Size)

In WCAG 2.1, Criterion 2.5.5 specifies that interactive elements should meet a minimum touch target size of 44×44 pixels, making it easier for users with limited motor skills or assistive technology to select the right element.

Success Criterion 2.5.8 (Target Size – Enhanced)

WCAG 2.2 expands on this with Criterion 2.5.8, recommending even larger touch targets when interactive elements are positioned close together. This helps users avoid accidentally tapping the wrong element, especially on mobile devices or when using screen readers.

These guidelines establish a foundation for accessible design, giving developers clear targets to create user-friendly, inclusive sites that reduce errors and improve the overall user experience.

Best Practices for Designing Accessible Touch Targets

With WCAG standards in mind, you can take steps to create touch targets that enhance usability. Here are some essential practices for implementing accessible interactive elements:

Use Adequate Padding and Margin

Padding and margins around buttons and links help ensure they meet minimum size requirements while maintaining a clean visual layout. For example:

button {
  padding: 12px 20px; /* Increases padding for larger touch target */
  font-size: 16px;
}

Ensure Minimum Width and Height

Using min-width and min-height properties guarantees that buttons and other elements stay at least 44×44 pixels, even when the element content is smaller. This maintains accessibility across different screen sizes.

button {
  min-width: 44px;
  min-height: 44px;
}

Space Out Interactive Elements

Placing enough space between buttons and links prevents mis-taps and ensures usability for all users, especially those on mobile devices or using assistive technologies.

button, a {
  margin: 10px;
}

Add ARIA Attributes for Enhanced Accessibility

ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) add context to interactive elements for users relying on assistive devices. For instance, using aria-expanded or aria-haspopup on a menu button helps screen reader users understand its function.

<button aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true">Menu</button>

Responsive Design: Ensure Touch Target Size Across Devices

Since many users rely on mobile devices for browsing, it’s essential to make touch targets easily accessible on smaller screens. Using responsive CSS ensures that touch targets adapt to various screen sizes:

@media (max-width: 600px) {
  button {
    padding: 15px 25px; /* Larger padding on smaller screens */
  }
}

Testing Touch Target Accessibility

Once you’ve optimized your touch targets, testing is essential to ensure they’re functional and accessible. Here are a few testing strategies to confirm usability:

Manual Testing: Test your site on various devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) to ensure touch targets are easy to access and use.
Accessibility Tools: Tools like Google Lighthouse or WAVE can check WCAG compliance, including touch target sizes.
User Testing: Feedback from real users, particularly those with disabilities, is invaluable for assessing how accessible and user-friendly your touch targets are.

Wrapping Up

Improving touch target accessibility is just one of many steps toward making your website genuinely inclusive and user-friendly. By focusing on accessible design, you not only enhance the experience for users with mobility challenges and those using assistive technologies but also build a site that’s welcoming and intuitive for everyone. Following WCAG guidelines, using best coding practices, and regular testing are essential—but navigating these standards alone can be overwhelming.

If you’re ready to take accessibility seriously and want to ensure your site is fully ADA-compliant, consider scheduling an ADA briefing with 216digital. Our team of accessibility experts can help you identify potential compliance issues, create actionable solutions, and guide you through the process of building a more accessible and inclusive website. Reach out today to learn how we can help safeguard your site and open new opportunities with ADA compliance.