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The 44px tap target myth I keep seeing in mobile builds
I build mobile screens for a small design shop and I keep seeing other designers slap 44px on every button without checking the actual thumb reach. Last week I watched someone put a 44px close button in the top right corner of a 6.1 inch screen, and in testing 4 out of 5 people missed it with one hand. Apple's 44pt guideline was set back in 2008 for a 3.5 inch screen, before edge to edge displays existed. What actually matters is where the target sits, not just how big it is, because the top corners are dead zones for a natural thumb arc. I started moving my small targets to the lower two thirds and my tap errors went from 12 per test session down to 3. Has anyone else run into this, and did you fix it with placement or just bigger buttons?
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val_taylor6d ago
Ah yes, 44px close buttons, perfectly sized for the 2008 iPhone nobody owns anymore.
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