Target size

Drag the following link to your bookmark bar to install the bookmarklet.

Target size

Once the bookmarklet is installed, visit a webpage and select the bookmarklet in your bookmark bar.

When you have run the check, a pop up will appear to tell you how many overlapping controls appear on the screen.

A visual 24 by 24 pixel circle will be shown from the centre of the bounding box of the control.

Blue circle
Indicates that the control is undersized, you then need to check if the boundary box circles intersect with another control
Green circle
Shows controls that are at least 24 by 24 pixels and therefore pass

Target size was introduced in the WCAG 2.2 update.

By ensuring that all relevant controls meet the 24x24 pixels size, it allows users who may struggle with precise movements, have limited dexterity or even some eye conditions to access the correct controls.

Although there are exceptions for this rule, target size takes all exceptions into account and will give you a visual of which pass or fail and for what reason.

Example of using the bookmarklet

Below is an example of the bookmarklet being used on Get into Teaching.

Before

Screenshot of get into teaching service showing a navigation bar with the links, Is teaching right for me? and How to become a teacher

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After

Screenshot of get into teaching service showing a navigation bar with the links, Is teaching right for me? and How to become a teacher with a green circle on the links.

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Fixing target size issues

When you run the target size tool, you may see that some elements within a product or webpage are undersized, and the blue bounding circle crosses into other elements.

To fix this, you can either increase the pixel size of your element to ensure they meet the 24x24 minimum, or you can provide further spacing between elements to ensure that bounding circles no longer meet.

Example of undersized elements

8 x 8 pixel elements, undersized and intersecting.

Example of elements with correct sizing

The same element increased to 24 x 24 pixel elements, this now meets the minimum requirements.


Information about this page
Created
6 August 2024
Last reviewed
6 August 2024
Last updated
6 August 2024
Reason this page exists
This page exists to help people understand how to use tools to test for, and understand accessibility issues in a product.
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Issue 70