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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