hig-platforms – Design & UI skill for AI agents

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

1. Each platform has a distinct identity. Adapt shared designs and code to each platform. Respect each platform's conventions, interaction models, and user expectations.

2. iOS: touch-first. Direct manipulation on a handheld screen. Optimize for one-handed use. Navigation uses tab bars and push/pop stacks.

3. iPadOS: expanded canvas. Support resizable windows and the multitasking modes available on the target OS and hardware. Use sidebars and multi-column layouts. Support pointer and keyboard alongside touch.

4. macOS: pointer and keyboard. Dense information display is acceptable. Use menu bars, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts extensively. Windows are resizable with precise control.

5. tvOS: remote and focus. Viewed from a distance. Design for the Siri Remote with focus-based navigation. Large text, simple layouts, predictable spatial focus navigation.

6. visionOS: spatial interaction. 3D environment using windows, volumes, and spaces. System-managed gaze targeting and indirect gestures for interaction; apps must not assume access to raw eye-tracking data. Respect ergonomic comfort zones.

7. watchOS: glanceable and brief. Information consumable at a glance. Brief interactions. Digital Crown, haptics, and complications for timely content.

8. 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](references/designing-for-ios.md) | iOS | Touch, tab bars, navigation stacks, gestures, screen sizes, safe areas |

| [designing-for-ipados.md](references/designing-for-ipados.md) | iPadOS | Multitasking, sidebars, pointer, keyboard, Apple Pencil, Stage Manager |

| [designing-for-macos.md](references/designing-for-macos.md) | macOS | Menu bars, toolbars, window management, keyboard shortcuts, dense layouts, Dock |

| [designing-for-tvos.md](references/designing-for-tvos.md) | tvOS | Focus engine, Siri Remote, lean-back experience, content-forward, parallax |

| [designing-for-visionos.md](references/designing-for-visionos.md) | visionOS | Spatial computing, windows/volumes/spaces, eye tracking, hand gestures, depth |

| [designing-for-watchos.md](references/designing-for-watchos.md) | watchOS | Glanceable UI, Digital Crown, complications, notifications, haptics |

| [designing-for-games.md](references/designing-for-games.md) | Games | Controllers, immersive experiences, platform-specific conventions, accessibility |

Decision Framework

1. Identify the primary use context. On the go (iOS/watchOS), at a desk (macOS), on the couch (tvOS), spatial environment (visionOS)?

2. Match input to interaction. Touch for direct manipulation, pointer for precision, gaze+gesture for spatial, Digital Crown for quick scrolling, remote for focus navigation.

3. Adapt, don't replicate. A macOS sidebar may become a tab bar or another compact navigation structure on iPhone, depending on the information hierarchy. A visionOS volume has no equivalent on watchOS. Translate intent, not implementation.

4. Leverage platform strengths. Live Activities on iOS, Desktop Widgets on macOS, complications on watchOS, immersive spaces on visionOS.

5. Maintain brand consistency while respecting each platform's visual language and interaction patterns.

Output Format

1. Platform-specific recommendations citing relevant HIG sections.

2. Platform differences table comparing navigation, input, layout, and conventions.

3. Implementation notes per platform including recommended APIs and adaptation strategies.

Questions to Ask

1. Which platforms are you targeting?

2. New app or adapting an existing one? If existing, which platform is the base?

3. SwiftUI or UIKit/AppKit?

4. Need to support older OS versions?

5. 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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When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Example

User request:

> Use @hig-platforms for this task: Apple Human Interface Guidelines for platform-specific design.

Limitations

• Reference pages are snapshots. Check API availability, device support and current Apple guidance before choosing OS-specific features; sensors, Always On, multitasking and input methods vary by hardware and version.
• Platform design guidance does not authorize collecting personal, camera, location, health or tracking data. Request only the permissions and data the feature needs.
• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.