hig-platforms
Helps your agent follow Apple's platform-specific design guidelines. Useful for adapting designs to different Apple operating systems.
What it does
This agent helps you understand how to design apps for different Apple products (iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.). It explains the specific rules for each so your app works well on them.
When to use it
- ✓When creating an app for both iPhone and iPad.
- ✓When thinking about how an app should look on a Mac.
- ✓When you want your app to work well on different Apple devices.
Example of what to ask your AI
“How should I design the navigation for an iPad app, considering keyboard and mouse use?”
Want more? Open the sections below.
How to use
The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.
Skill link
Ready-to-paste message
How it works
The agent compares Apple's design rules for each device type. It uses these rules to give you advice on how to make your app work well on each one.
Installation
Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.
In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:
npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill hig-platformsOr download just the file:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/hig-platforms/SKILL.md -o SKILL.mdTechnical content (original SKILL.md)
Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.
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
Built by Raintree Technology · More developer tools
When to Use
…
FAQ
What are the 'Human Interface Guidelines' (HIG)?
These are Apple's set of rules and recommendations for creating apps that are easy to use and match the look and feel of Apple devices.
Why can't I use the same design for all devices?
Each Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.) has a different way of being used. What works well on one might not work on another. Apple's guidelines help respect these differences.
What is 'spatial design' for visionOS?
It's a type of design for Apple's mixed-reality glasses, where apps appear in a 3D environment, allowing interaction with eyes and gestures.
Details
Original description by the author
Apple Human Interface Guidelines for platform-specific design.
Popularity
- GitHub stars
- 48k
- Ranking position
- #3207
- License
- MIT
- Updated
- 10/15/2026
Comments
- …
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