diff --git a/app/components/DS/buttonish.rb b/app/components/DS/buttonish.rb
index 3806cec43..9d43d1aff 100644
--- a/app/components/DS/buttonish.rb
+++ b/app/components/DS/buttonish.rb
@@ -34,16 +34,25 @@ class DS::Buttonish < DesignSystemComponent
     }
   }.freeze
 
+  # Icon-only containers share a height rail with the text buttons of the
+  # same size (sm ≈ 28px, md ≈ 36px, lg ≈ 48px), so a mixed row — icon
+  # trigger next to text buttons, the most common header layout — lines up
+  # instead of mixing 32/44px squares with 36px buttons.
+  #
+  # pointer-coarse restores the 44px square on touch devices: the visual
+  # rail is a pointer-precision tradeoff, and WCAG 2.5.5's 44x44 target
+  # minimum is about fingers, not mice. Coarse-pointer users get the full
+  # target; fine-pointer users get the aligned row.
   SIZES = {
     sm: {
       container_classes: "px-2 py-1",
-      icon_container_classes: "inline-flex items-center justify-center w-8 h-8",
+      icon_container_classes: "inline-flex items-center justify-center w-7 h-7 pointer-coarse:w-11 pointer-coarse:h-11",
       radius_classes: "rounded-md",
       text_classes: "text-sm"
     },
     md: {
       container_classes: "px-3 py-2",
-      icon_container_classes: "inline-flex items-center justify-center w-11 h-11",
+      icon_container_classes: "inline-flex items-center justify-center w-9 h-9 pointer-coarse:w-11 pointer-coarse:h-11",
       radius_classes: "rounded-lg",
       text_classes: "text-sm"
     },
diff --git a/app/components/DS/popover.html.erb b/app/components/DS/popover.html.erb
index 7c73246da..1f5baf58b 100644
--- a/app/components/DS/popover.html.erb
+++ b/app/components/DS/popover.html.erb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
         the fallback `ds.popover.avatar_default_label` is used. %>
     <button type="button"
             data-DS--popover-target="button"
-            class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-11 h-11 cursor-pointer rounded-full focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-gray-900 theme-dark:focus-visible:outline-white"
+            class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-9 h-9 pointer-coarse:w-11 pointer-coarse:h-11 cursor-pointer rounded-full focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-gray-900 theme-dark:focus-visible:outline-white"
             aria-label="<%= trigger_aria_label %>"
             aria-haspopup="dialog"
             aria-expanded="false"
diff --git a/app/components/DS/select.html.erb b/app/components/DS/select.html.erb
index 1ac9b027f..be136d947 100644
--- a/app/components/DS/select.html.erb
+++ b/app/components/DS/select.html.erb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
         </button>
     </div>
   </div>
-  <div class="absolute z-50 p-1.5 w-full min-w-32 rounded-lg shadow-lg shadow-border-xs bg-container mt-1.5 transition duration-150 ease-out -translate-y-1 opacity-0 hidden" data-select-target="menu">
+  <div class="absolute z-50 p-1.5 w-full min-w-32 rounded-lg shadow-border-lg bg-container mt-1.5 transition duration-150 ease-out -translate-y-1 opacity-0 hidden" data-select-target="menu">
     <% if searchable %>
       <div class="flex items-center bg-container border border-secondary rounded-lg mb-1 focus-within:ring-4 focus-within:ring-alpha-black-200 theme-dark:focus-within:ring-alpha-white-300 transition-shadow">
         <%= render DS::SearchInput.new(
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
index 39077cc6a..5a00adda6 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ end %>
 
       <div class="flex items-center gap-1">
         <button type="button"
-                class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-8 h-8 rounded-lg text-secondary hover:text-primary transition-colors"
+                class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-9 h-9 pointer-coarse:w-11 pointer-coarse:h-11 rounded-lg text-secondary hover:text-primary hover:bg-container-inset-hover transition-colors"
                 data-action="click->privacy-mode#toggle"
                 data-privacy-mode-target="toggle"
                 title="<%= t("layouts.application.privacy_mode") %>"
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ end %>
 
           <div class="flex items-center gap-2">
             <button type="button"
-                    class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-8 h-8 rounded-lg text-secondary hover:text-primary hover:bg-surface-hover transition-colors"
+                    class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-9 h-9 pointer-coarse:w-11 pointer-coarse:h-11 rounded-lg text-secondary hover:text-primary hover:bg-container-inset-hover transition-colors"
                     data-action="click->privacy-mode#toggle"
                     data-privacy-mode-target="toggle"
                     title="<%= t("layouts.application.privacy_mode") %>"