Target Size (Minimum)
Pointer input targets — buttons, links, controls — must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, with documented exceptions for inline links and equivalent alternatives.
What it requires
WCAG 2.2 introduced this criterion specifically for mobile and touch interfaces. The 24×24 CSS-pixel threshold prevents users with motor impairments or imprecise touch input from missing controls.
Exceptions: inline text links inside a paragraph, controls that have an equivalent larger target elsewhere on the page, controls in user-customized layouts.
Common Shopify failure
Mobile-nav hamburger and cart icons rendered at 16×16. Quantity steppers (+/-) on cart drawer at 18×18. Cookie banner close button at 14×14.
How to fix it
Increase the interactive hit area or spacing so the rendered target meets the applicable WCAG 2.2 requirement, then verify it at each responsive breakpoint. Inline and other documented exceptions still need case-by-case review.
Merchant QA checklist
- Scan the storefront page where this pattern appears: product pages, collection pages, cart drawer, customer-account pages, and any landing page built with theme sections.
- Confirm the issue is fixed in the rendered browser output, not only in the Liquid file. Shopify section settings, app blocks, and third-party scripts can reintroduce the same 2.5.8 failure after a theme edit.
- Re-test the affected component with keyboard navigation and a screen-reader accessibility tree before publishing the theme, especially when the fix changes markup or ARIA attributes.
How AccessComply handles it
AccessComply uses automated rules to check supported patterns in the pages reached during a scan. Some WCAG requirements need human judgment, assistive-technology testing, or access to third-party content and cannot be established by an automated scan. This criterion is generally treated as a pattern that may have a supported suggested fix. If the app can safely match the issue to supported source code, the merchant must review and approve the suggested change before anything is written, and the result is checked afterward. Otherwise the merchant should use the guidance above and independent hands-on testing. The label is not a guarantee of detection, a fix, WCAG conformance, or legal compliance.
Primary source: W3C — WCAG 2.2 Understanding 2.5.8