Supporting the health and care system in improving productivity | What we do | About | NICE

Use of NICE content in the UK | Reusing our content | NICE

Accessibility | NICE

CKS end user licence agreement | NICE

Meetings in public | NICE

Terms and conditions | NICE

In-depth | NICE

Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory (HTA Lab) | NICE

GPs and primary care | NICE

All interactive components on a page, such as buttons or menus, should be far enough apart 
from other interactive areas, to avoid them being used by mistake. 

This ensures people with motor impairments can easily click or tap on the right element.

## How to fix

* Ensure all interactive elements are at least 24 CSS pixels wide and tall
* OR ensure there is at least 24 CSS pixels (minus the width and height of the element)
  between each interactive element

## Methodology

This check is run on both the mobile and desktop versions of every page. Results
for each may differ.

1. All interactive elements are identified, including buttons, links, and form controls.
2. If an element is not normally visible, it is ignored. This includes elements which
   are positioned offscreen or cropped (e.g. for 'screen-reader only' text).
3. If an element is larger than 24 CSS pixels in both dimensions, it passes.
4. Otherwise, the element is compared to all other elements on the page.
5. The minimum horizontal gap between the element is calculated as 24 CSS pixels,  
   minus the width of the element.
6. The minimum vertical gap between the element is calculated as 24 CSS pixels,  
   minus the height of the element.
7. If another element falls within the minimum horizontal or vertical gap, the 
   element fails, unless both are links that point to the same place.

## Further reading

* [Target Size (Minimum)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/target-size-minimum.html)
* [Technique C42 - Using min-height and min-width to ensure sufficient target spacing](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/css/C42)

ensure-minimum-target-size

January 2026

December 2025

National Institute for Clincial Excellence

Title / URL	Issues
Supporting the health and care system in improving productivity \| What we do \| About \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/productivity	57
Use of NICE content in the UK \| Reusing our content \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/forms/use-of-nice-content-in-the-uk	12
Accessibility \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/accessibility	9
CKS end user licence agreement \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/cks-end-user-licence-agreement	8
Meetings in public \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/get-involved/meetings-in-public	7
Terms and conditions \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/terms-and-conditions	7
In-depth \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/news/in-depth?page=3	6
Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory (HTA Lab) \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/what-nice-does/our-research-work/hta-lab	6
GPs and primary care \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/get-involved/gps-and-primary-care	6
In-depth \| NICEwww.nice.org.uk/news/in-depth?page=1	6

Ensure interactive components are far enough apart

National Institute for Clincial Excellence

Where this issue has occurred