Touch-Target Sizing

Make buttons big enough for a thumb: 44 points on Apple, 48 on Android.

Apple HIG: ≥44×44pt. Material: ≥48dp. Padding determines both feel and tappability.

Touch-Target Sizing, side by side

Padding makes a control tappable and confident. A roughly 1:2 vertical-to-horizontal pad reads best.

How to apply it

Use a 1:2 vertical-to-horizontal padding ratio for primary buttons (e.g. 12/24).

Touch-Target Sizing in practice: a concrete example

Why the button feels right, not just fits

Apple asks for at least 44 by 44 points, Material for 48 by 48dp, but the number is only half of it: padding is what makes a control both tappable and comfortable. A primary button with 12px vertical and 24px horizontal padding (a 1:2 ratio) reads as a confident, easy target; the same label with cramped padding looks timid and is harder to hit. Spacing between targets matters as much as their size, so neighbours don't steal taps.

Common Touch-Target Sizing mistakes

Hitting the minimum size with zero breathing room, so buttons technically pass but sit shoulder to shoulder and invite mis-taps.
Padding uniformly on every side, which makes wide buttons look squat; a roughly 1:2 vertical-to-horizontal ratio reads better.
Sizing to the label text alone, so a short label yields a tiny button and a long one a giant, with no consistent feel.

When Touch-Target Sizing doesn't apply

The platform minimums are floors set for the average finger. Interfaces for specific contexts push past them: a kiosk, a car dashboard, or an app for users with motor impairments wants targets well above 44/48 and generous spacing. You rarely want smaller; when space is tight, drop or group controls rather than shrinking the hit areas below the floor.

Practise it on a real challenge

Checkout — the CTA that looks like a chip

A checkout's 'Continue' button ships with 4/8px padding — technically a button, visually a tiny chip. It reads as skippable at the exact step it should feel inevitable.