Steps to reproduce the issue

Audit finding

The Joomla resource links in the administrator login page's “Need Support?” section have small, closely spaced clickable areas.

The existing report records link heights of approximately 16.5 CSS pixels and a list-item spacing measurement of approximately 21.5 CSS pixels. These measurements should be checked against the actual clickable areas and their separation because a small target can still meet WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.8 when sufficient spacing or another applicable exception is present.

User impact

People with hand tremors or limited fine motor control may find it difficult to select the intended support link without activating the link immediately above or below it.

The same difficulty can affect people using touch input or less precise pointing devices. Accidentally opening the wrong resource takes users away from the login page and requires them to return and try again.

The problem concerns selecting the support links reliably, rather than entering credentials or submitting the login form.

Remediation plan

Increase the clickable area or separation of the support links so that each target meets WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.8

• Prefer clickable targets measuring at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels
• Apply any required padding to the link itself so that the additional space is clickable, rather than adding only non-clickable space to its containing list item
• If a target remains smaller than 24 by 24 CSS pixels, provide enough separation to meet the criterion's spacing exception
• Check separation between all adjacent interactive targets, including any controls outside the support-link list
• Do not assume that increasing text line-height alone creates a sufficiently large clickable area
• Verify the rendered target dimensions and spacing after changing the styles
• Preserve visible keyboard focus indicators and avoid overlapping clickable areas
• Check the resulting layout at 100% and 200% browser zoom, including viewports where the support links wrap onto multiple lines

Preconditions

• Use Joomla 6.2 with the Atum administrator template
• Use the administrator login page containing the “Need Support?” heading and its Joomla resource links
• Remain logged out while testing the login page
• Start with browser zoom set to 100%
• Record the browser name and version, operating system, viewport dimensions, and pointer device used
• Keep the browser's default font settings and the site's existing styles unchanged

Steps to reproduce

1. Open the Joomla administrator login page by navigating to the site's base URL followed by /administrator/
   • If an administrator session is already active, use a separate private browsing session to reach the login page without ending the existing session
   • Do not enter credentials or submit the login form
2. Locate the “Need Support?” heading and its Joomla resource links
   • Scroll if necessary to bring the entire section into view
   • Record the visible text of each link
   • If the section is absent, record the login URL and template being tested rather than substituting unrelated login or account-recovery links
3. Open the browser's Developer Tools and activate the element-inspection tool
4. Inspect the first resource link in the section
   • Select the interactive <a> element rather than only its text, icon, or containing list item
   • Identify the region that accepts a pointer action for that link
   • Check whether any padding belongs to the link itself or only to a non-interactive parent element
5. Measure and record the link's clickable width and height in CSS pixels
   • Include padding and borders only where they form part of the clickable target
   • Do not count surrounding non-clickable margins or list-item space as part of the target
   • Do not use the visible text height alone as the target measurement
   • If the link wraps onto multiple lines, record the clickable regions rather than assuming that the entire surrounding rectangle is clickable
6. Repeat the measurement for every support link
   • Identify each target whose width or height is less than 24 CSS pixels
7. For each undersized target, measure its separation from neighbouring links and other interactive controls
   • Record the edge-to-edge gap between neighbouring targets
   • Distinguish this gap from the list-item height, text line-height, and distance between target centres
8. Evaluate the spacing exception for each undersized target
   • Centre an imaginary circle measuring 24 CSS pixels in diameter on the centre of the target's bounding box
   • Repeat this for each neighbouring undersized target
   • Check whether a circle intersects another interactive target or the corresponding circle of another undersized target
   • Record the specific pair or pairs of targets for which an intersection occurs
9. Record whether each undersized target meets the spacing exception or another applicable exception under WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.8
   • Do not report a failure solely because a link is less than 24 CSS pixels high
10. Capture evidence showing the support links, their clickable dimensions, and their separation
    • Include the browser zoom level and viewport dimensions
    • Distinguish measured results from the approximate measurements carried forward from the original report

Supplementary pointer test

1. Close Developer Tools or undock it so that the page returns to the recorded viewport dimensions
2. Using the available mouse, trackpad, touch screen, or other pointer device, try selecting each support link
   • Include attempts near the upper and lower edges of each target
3. Record any unintended activation of a neighbouring link
   • Identify the intended link, the activated link, and the input device
4. Return to the login page after each navigation as necessary
5. Repeat at 200% browser zoom
   • Record any wrapping, overlap, or difficulty selecting the intended link separately from the target-size measurements

An accidental activation provides supporting evidence of the practical difficulty, but is not required to establish a target-size or spacing failure.

Version

6.2

Expected result

Each support link has a clickable target of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, meets the spacing exception, or meets another applicable exception under WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.8.

Users can select the intended resource link without neighbouring targets being unnecessarily difficult to distinguish or activate.

Actual result

The issue reports small, closely spaced support links, with approximate link heights of 16.5 CSS pixels and a list-item spacing measurement of approximately 21.5 CSS pixels.

The reported layout makes neighbouring links difficult to select reliably. The exact clickable dimensions and target separation need to be recorded for the Joomla 6.2 build being tested to confirm which links fail the criterion.

What device were you using? (eg, phone, laptop)

Desktop web

What web browser were you using? (eg, Chrome, Safari)

Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari

Assistive Technology?

N/A

Additional Comments

The browser entries above are carried forward from the existing issue and do not represent a new verification of every browser against Joomla 6.2.

The affected user journey retains the original audit category covering frontend and backend authentication. The reproduction steps focus on the administrator login page containing the documented support section and do not assume that every frontend login view contains the same links.

The original list-item spacing measurement does not specify whether it represents an edge-to-edge gap, a centre-to-centre distance, or the list-item height. Record these measurements separately during verification.

MS3b is the proposed primary implementation milestone because this draft targets the Atum administrator login interface. A separate design-system milestone should be added only if implementation requires a shared component or token change.