Laws / Pointing and time
Fitts's law
Includes "minimize target distance"
The time to reach a target depends on how far away it is and how big it is. Bigger and closer is faster.
Why it matters
Small, distant buttons cause misses and slow people down, especially on touch screens and for anyone with limited dexterity.
Rules to follow
- Make touch targets at least 44×44 px (Apple) or 48×48 dp (Material); never below 24×24 px (WCAG 2.2 AA).
- Place primary actions close to where attention already is: next to the field just completed, at the bottom of a form, in the thumb zone on mobile.
- Leave at least 8 px between adjacent targets so they aren't mis-tapped.
- Make the whole row or card clickable when it leads to one place, not just the text.
- Keep destructive actions small and apart from the primary action.