National Autistic Society

Stories from the spectrum

News

First time visit: View without clicking anything

Contact us

Autism Know How

What is autism

Acceptance and awareness

Advice and guidance

Diagnosis

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

October 2025

September 2025

The National Autistic Society

	Title / URL	Issues
	National Autistic Societywww.autism.org.uk/	9
	Stories from the spectrumwww.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/stories	9
	Newswww.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news	9
	First time visit: View without clicking anythingwww.autism.org.uk/	5
	Contact uswww.autism.org.uk/contact-us	2
	Autism Know Howwww.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/autism-know-how	1
	What is autismwww.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism	1
	Acceptance and awarenesswww.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/acceptance-and-awareness	1
	Advice and guidancewww.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance	1
	Diagnosiswww.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/campaign/diagnosis	1

Ensure interactive components are far enough apart

The National Autistic Society

Where this issue has occurred