Touch Targets

Layer 01 // Biomechanics

The human thumb is not a 1px cursor. The average adult thumb pad measures roughly 25mm across. Despite this physical reality, interfaces frequently cluster interactive elements within 16px to 24px regions to maximize data density.

The 48dp Baseline

Android's Material Design dictates a 48x48dp minimum touch target. iOS Human Interface Guidelines mandate 44x44pt. Both equate to roughly 7-9mm physical size on standard density displays. This is still smaller than the actual thumb, relying on software centroid prediction.

Common Mistakes

• Padding vs Margin: Using margin to space elements but leaving the actual clickable <a> element at text-height. Always use padding for hitboxes.
• Edge Bias: Elements placed at the absolute edge of the screen are mathematically infinitely wide (Fitts's Law) because the cursor/finger cannot physically move past them.