What this helps you understand
This article helps you understand common barriers screen magnification users may face when navigating websites and apps.
Use this guidance to make layouts, menus, forms, and interactive elements easier to find and use.
Why this matters
Screen magnification users may only see a small part of the screen at one time. This can make it harder to keep track of location, context, and interactive elements.
Design choices that seem simple visually can become difficult when someone is zoomed in.
When to use this guidance
Use this guidance when you are:
- Designing navigation menus
- Reviewing page layout and spacing
- Creating forms and confirmation messages
- Setting button and link target sizes
- Preparing user journeys for low vision users
Recommended approach
Design for orientation and control.
Help users understand where they are, what changed, and how to activate important elements without needing precise pointer movement.
Best practices
Avoid hover-only interactions
What to do:
Make menus, labels, and tooltips available through click, keyboard, or another persistent interaction.
Why it matters:
Screen magnification users often pan the screen with a mouse or finger. Their cursor may move outside a hover area while they are trying to read it.
Example:
Use a clickable menu that stays open until the user closes it.
Use whitespace carefully
What to do:
Use spacing to organize content, but avoid large empty areas that separate related information too far apart.
Why it matters:
Excessive whitespace can make users lose their place. A user may pan around and see only blank space.
Example:
Keep headings, instructions, and related controls close enough that users can understand their relationship.
Place messages where users can find them
What to do:
Show confirmation messages and important alerts near the user’s current location, or use a clear modal pattern.
Why it matters:
If a confirmation appears far away from the submit button, a screen magnification user may miss it.
Example:
After a form submission, use a centered message with a page overlay when appropriate.
Keep layouts familiar
What to do:
Use expected page structures for navigation, content, and footers.
Why it matters:
Familiar layouts help users find information faster. Unusual layouts can force users to spend extra time learning the page.
Example:
Place main navigation near the top of the page and footer information near the bottom.
Make targets easier to activate
What to do:
Use generous target sizes for links, buttons, and controls.
Why it matters:
Screen magnification users may have difficulty activating small targets, especially when zoomed in.
Example:
Avoid tiny text-only links when a larger button or linked area would be easier to select.
Common mistakes to avoid
Avoid: Using hover as the only way to reveal content.
Why: The content may disappear before a user can read or activate it.
Do this instead: Use persistent menus and accessible disclosure patterns.
Avoid: Prioritizing visual style over orientation.
Why: A layout may look modern but be harder to understand when magnified.
Do this instead: Use familiar patterns and clear content placement.
Avoid: Showing success messages only at the top of a long page.
Why: Users may not know whether their action worked.
Do this instead: Place feedback close to the action or make it clearly visible.
Examples
Screen magnification users may use tools such as:
- ZoomText
- ZoomText Fusion
- Windows built-in magnifier
- Mac built-in magnifier
Users choose tools and magnification levels based on their vision, comfort, cost, and support needs.
What to do next
Review one high-value page or form. Check whether a user who is zoomed in can:
- Find the next step
- Keep their place
- Open and close menus
- Notice messages
- Activate links and buttons
Learn more about how screen magnification software works.