hig-platforms
Skill153 starsChanged 9 months agoMITView on GitHub
Apple Human Interface Guidelines for platform-specific design. Use this skill when the user asks about "designing for iOS", "iPad app design", "macOS design", "tvOS", "visionOS", "watchOS", "Apple platform", "which platform", platform differences, platform-specific conventions, or multi-platform app design. Also use when the user says "should I design differently for iPad vs iPhone", "how does my app work on visionOS", "what's different about macOS apps", "porting my app to another platform", "universal app design", or "what input methods does this platform use". Cross-references: hig-foundations for shared design foundations, hig-patterns for interaction patterns, hig-components-layout for navigation structures, hig-components-content for content display.
1 other project uses a version of this.
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- ozgurakkaya90/claude-skillsword for word, first seen Aug 2, 2026
Other versions1 project uses a version of this.
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- ozgurakkaya90/claude-skills★ 0100% same
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How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository14 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- hig-components-contentSkill
- hig-components-controlsSkill
- hig-components-dialogsSkill
- hig-components-layoutSkill
- hig-components-menusSkill
- hig-components-searchSkill
- hig-components-statusSkill
- hig-components-systemSkill
- hig-foundationsSkill
- hig-inputsSkill
- hig-patternsSkill
- hig-project-contextSkill
- hig-technologiesSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
2 rules. About 0 are common, 1 is distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈1
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Very specific: line 17
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions.
- Distinctive: line 21
Each platform has a distinct identity: Do not port designs between platforms.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Apple HIG: Platform Design
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
- Each platform has a distinct identity. Do not port designs between platforms. Respect each platform's conventions, interaction models, and user expectations.
- iOS: touch-first. Direct manipulation on a handheld screen. Optimize for one-handed use. Navigation uses tab bars and push/pop stacks.
- iPadOS: expanded canvas. Support Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager. Use sidebars and multi-column layouts. Support pointer and keyboard alongside touch.
- macOS: pointer and keyboard. Dense information display is acceptable. Use menu bars, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts extensively. Windows are resizable with precise control.
- tvOS: remote and focus. Viewed from a distance. Design for the Siri Remote with focus-based navigation. Large text, simple layouts, linear navigation.
- visionOS: spatial interaction. 3D environment using windows, volumes, and spaces. Eye tracking for targeting, indirect gestures for interaction. Respect ergonomic comfort zones.
- watchOS: glanceable and brief. Information consumable at a glance. Brief interactions. Digital Crown, haptics, and complications for timely content.
- Games: own paradigm. Free to define in-game interaction models, but still respect platform conventions for system interactions (notifications, accessibility, controllers).
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content |
| designing-for-ios.md | iOS | Touch, tab bars, navigation stacks, gestures, screen sizes, safe areas |
| designing-for-ipados.md | iPadOS | Multitasking, sidebars, pointer, keyboard, Apple Pencil, Stage Manager |
| designing-for-macos.md | macOS | Menu bars, toolbars, window management, keyboard shortcuts, dense layouts, Dock |
| designing-for-tvos.md | tvOS | Focus engine, Siri Remote, lean-back experience, content-forward, parallax |
| designing-for-visionos.md | visionOS | Spatial computing, windows/volumes/spaces, eye tracking, hand gestures, depth |
| designing-for-watchos.md | watchOS | Glanceable UI, Digital Crown, complications, notifications, haptics |
| designing-for-games.md | Games | Controllers, immersive experiences, platform-specific conventions, accessibility |
Decision Framework
- Identify the primary use context. On the go (iOS/watchOS), at a desk (macOS), on the couch (tvOS), spatial environment (visionOS)?
- Match input to interaction. Touch for direct manipulation, pointer for precision, gaze+gesture for spatial, Digital Crown for quick scrolling, remote for focus navigation.
- Adapt, don't replicate. A macOS sidebar becomes a tab bar on iPhone. A visionOS volume has no equivalent on watchOS. Translate intent, not implementation.
- Leverage platform strengths. Live Activities on iOS, Desktop Widgets on macOS, complications on watchOS, immersive spaces on visionOS.
- Maintain brand consistency while respecting each platform's visual language and interaction patterns.
Output Format
- Platform-specific recommendations citing relevant HIG sections.
- Platform differences table comparing navigation, input, layout, and conventions.
- Implementation notes per platform including recommended APIs and adaptation strategies.
Questions to Ask
- Which platforms are you targeting?
- New app or adapting an existing one? If existing, which platform is the base?
- SwiftUI or UIKit/AppKit?
- Need to support older OS versions?
- Primary use context? (On the go, desk, couch, spatial, glanceable?)
Related Skills
- hig-foundations -- Shared principles (color, typography, accessibility, layout) across platforms
- hig-patterns -- Interaction patterns that manifest differently per platform
- hig-components-layout -- Navigation structures (tab bars, sidebars, split views) that vary by platform
- hig-components-content -- Content display that adapts across platforms
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