Apple Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) Helper

Overview

The Apple Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) provides comprehensive design guidance for creating great experiences across all Apple platforms. This skill provides access to 174 topics covering:

•6 Apple Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS
•40+ UI Components: Buttons, Menus, Alerts, Sheets, Lists, and more
•20+ Design Patterns: Navigation, Modality, Feedback, Loading, Settings
•30+ Apple Technologies: Apple Pay, Siri, HomeKit, CarPlay, ARKit, HealthKit
•Design Foundations: Color, Typography, Icons, Layout, Materials, Branding
•Accessibility & Inclusion: Guidelines for building apps everyone can use

Data Location: packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ Format: 174 HTML documentation pages (23 MB total)

Quick Reference: Major Topics with Summaries

Design Foundations

Color

Path: data/color/index.html

Judicious use of color can enhance communication, evoke your brand, provide visual continuity, communicate status and feedback, and help people understand information.

Typography

Path: data/typography/index.html

Your typographic choices can help you display legible text, convey an information hierarchy, communicate important content, and express your brand or style.

Icons

Path: data/icons/index.html

An effective icon is a graphic asset that expresses a single concept in ways people instantly understand.

Layout

Path: data/layout/index.html

A consistent layout that adapts to various contexts makes your experience more approachable and helps people enjoy their favorite apps and games on all their devices.

Materials

Path: data/materials/index.html

A material is a visual effect that creates a sense of depth, layering, and hierarchy between foreground and background elements.

Branding

Path: data/branding/index.html

Apps and games express their unique brand identity in ways that make them instantly recognizable while feeling at home on the platform and giving people a consistent experience.

Dark Mode

Path: data/dark-mode/index.html

Dark Mode is a systemwide appearance setting that uses a dark color palette to provide a comfortable viewing experience tailored for low-light environments.

Images

Path: data/images/index.html

To make sure your artwork looks great on all devices you support, learn how the system displays content and how to deliver art at the appropriate scale factors.

Accessibility & Inclusion

Accessibility

Path: data/accessibility/index.html

Accessible user interfaces empower everyone to have a great experience with your app or game.

Inclusion

Path: data/inclusion/index.html

Inclusive apps and games put people first by prioritizing respectful communication and presenting content and functionality in ways that everyone can access and understand.

Common UI Components

Buttons

Path: data/buttons/index.html

A button initiates an instantaneous action.

Menus

Path: data/menus/index.html

A menu reveals its options when people interact with it, making it a space-efficient way to present commands in your app or game.

Alerts

Path: data/alerts/index.html

An alert gives people critical information they need right away.

Sheets

Path: data/sheets/index.html

A sheet helps people perform a scoped task that's closely related to their current context.

Lists and Tables

Path: data/lists-and-tables/index.html

Lists and tables present data in one or more columns of rows.

Pickers

Path: data/pickers/index.html

A picker displays one or more scrollable lists of distinct values that people can choose from.

Sliders

Path: data/sliders/index.html

A slider is a horizontal track with a control, called a thumb, that people can adjust between a minimum and maximum value.

Toggles

Path: data/toggles/index.html

A toggle lets people choose between a pair of opposing states, like on and off, using a different appearance to indicate each state.

Text Fields

Path: data/text-fields/index.html

A text field is a rectangular area in which people enter or edit small, specific pieces of text.

Design Patterns

Modality

Path: data/modality/index.html

Modality is a design technique that presents content in a separate, dedicated mode that prevents interaction with the parent view and requires an explicit action to dismiss.

Navigation and Search

Path: data/navigation-and-search/index.html

Help people navigate and find content efficiently.

Feedback

Path: data/feedback/index.html

Feedback helps people know what's happening, discover what they can do next, understand the results of actions, and avoid mistakes.

Loading

Path: data/loading/index.html

The best content-loading experience finishes before people become aware of it.

Settings

Path: data/settings/index.html

People expect apps and games to just work, but they also appreciate having ways to customize the experience to fit their needs.

Onboarding

Path: data/onboarding/index.html

Onboarding can help people get a quick start using your app or game.

Platform-Specific Guidelines

Designing for iOS

Path: data/designing-for-ios/index.html

People depend on their iPhone to help them stay connected, play games, view media, accomplish tasks, and track personal data in any location and while on the go.

Designing for iPadOS

Path: data/designing-for-ipados/index.html

People value the power, mobility, and flexibility of iPad as they enjoy media, play games, perform detailed productivity tasks, and bring their creations to life.

Designing for macOS

Path: data/designing-for-macos/index.html

People rely on the power, spaciousness, and flexibility of a Mac as they perform in-depth productivity tasks, view media or content, and play games, often using several apps at once.

Designing for tvOS

Path: data/designing-for-tvos/index.html

People enjoy the vibrant content, immersive experiences, and streamlined interactions that tvOS delivers in media and games, as well as in fitness, education, and home utility apps.

Designing for visionOS

Path: data/designing-for-visionos/index.html

When people wear Apple Vision Pro, they enter an infinite 3D space where they can engage with your app or game while staying connected to their surroundings.

Designing for watchOS

Path: data/designing-for-watchos/index.html

When people glance at their Apple Watch, they know they can access essential information and perform simple, timely tasks whether they're stationary or in motion.

Complete Topic Index (All 174 Topics)

By Category

Foundations (9 topics)

•accessibility
•branding
•color
•dark-mode
•icons
•images
•layout
•materials
•typography

Components - Content (11 topics)

•activity-rings
•charts
•gauges
•image-views
•labels
•lockups
•progress-indicators
•rating-indicators
•text-views
•web-views
•sf-symbols

Components - Layout & Organization (13 topics)

•boxes
•collections
•column-views
•disclosure-controls
•lists-and-tables
•lockups
•outline-views
•scroll-views
•split-views
•tab-views
•tables (see lists-and-tables)
•sidebars
•windows

Components - Menus & Actions (11 topics)

•activity-views
•buttons
•context-menus
•controls
•dock-menus
•edit-menus
•home-screen-quick-actions
•menus
•pop-up-buttons
•pull-down-buttons
•segmented-controls

Components - Navigation & Search (7 topics)

•navigation-and-search
•page-controls
•path-controls
•search-fields
•searching
•tab-bars
•toolbars

Components - Presentation (8 topics)

•action-sheets
•alerts
•panels
•popovers
•sheets
•the-menu-bar
•ornaments
•status-bars

Components - Selection & Input (11 topics)

•color-wells
•combo-boxes
•digit-entry-views
•image-wells
•pickers
•sliders
•steppers
•text-fields
•toggles
•token-fields
•virtual-keyboards

Components - System Experiences (6 topics)

•complications
•live-activities
•notifications
•top-shelf
•watch-faces
•widgets

Patterns (22 topics)

•charting-data
•collaboration-and-sharing
•drag-and-drop
•entering-data
•feedback
•file-management
•going-full-screen
•launching
•live-viewing-apps
•loading
•managing-accounts
•managing-notifications
•modality
•offering-help
•onboarding
•playing-audio
•playing-haptics
•playing-video
•printing
•ratings-and-reviews
•settings
•undo-and-redo
•workouts

Inputs (8 topics)

•action-button
•apple-pencil-and-scribble
•camera-control
•digital-crown
•eyes
•focus-and-selection
•game-controls
•gestures
•gyro-and-accelerometer
•keyboards
•nearby-interactions
•pointing-devices
•remotes
•spatial-interactions

Technologies (30 topics)

•airplay
•always-on
•app-clips
•app-shortcuts
•apple-pay
•augmented-reality
•carekit
•carplay
•game-center
•generative-ai
•healthkit
•homekit
•icloud
•id-verifier
•imessage-apps-and-stickers
•in-app-purchase
•live-photos
•mac-catalyst
•machine-learning
•maps
•nfc
•photo-editing
•researchkit
•shareplay
•shazamkit
•sign-in-with-apple
•siri
•tap-to-pay-on-iphone
•voiceover
•wallet

Platforms (6 topics)

•designing-for-games
•designing-for-ios
•designing-for-ipados
•designing-for-macos
•designing-for-tvos
•designing-for-visionos
•designing-for-watchos

Cross-Cutting Concerns (8 topics)

•accessibility
•dark-mode
•inclusion
•immersive-experiences
•motion
•multitasking
•privacy
•right-to-left
•spatial-layout
•writing

Alphabetical List of All Topics

code

accessibility, action-button, action-sheets, activity-rings, activity-views,
airplay, alerts, always-on, app-clips, app-icons, app-shortcuts, apple-pay,
apple-pencil-and-scribble, augmented-reality, boxes, branding, buttons,
camera-control, carekit, carplay, charting-data, charts,
collaboration-and-sharing, collections, color, color-wells, column-views,
combo-boxes, complications, components, content, context-menus, controls,
dark-mode, designing-for-games, designing-for-ios, designing-for-ipados,
designing-for-macos, designing-for-tvos, designing-for-visionos,
designing-for-watchos, digit-entry-views, digital-crown, disclosure-controls,
dock-menus, drag-and-drop, edit-menus, entering-data, eyes, feedback,
file-management, focus-and-selection, foundations, game-center, game-controls,
gauges, generative-ai, gestures, getting-started, going-full-screen,
gyro-and-accelerometer, healthkit, home-screen-quick-actions, homekit, icloud,
icons, id-verifier, image-views, image-wells, images,
imessage-apps-and-stickers, immersive-experiences, in-app-purchase, inclusion,
inputs, keyboards, labels, launching, layout, layout-and-organization,
lists-and-tables, live-activities, live-photos, live-viewing-apps, loading,
lockups, mac-catalyst, machine-learning, managing-accounts,
managing-notifications, maps, materials, menus, menus-and-actions, modality,
motion, multitasking, navigation-and-search, nearby-interactions, nfc,
notifications, offering-help, onboarding, ornaments, outline-views,
page-controls, panels, path-controls, patterns, photo-editing, pickers,
playing-audio, playing-haptics, playing-video, pointing-devices,
pop-up-buttons, popovers, presentation, printing, privacy, progress-indicators,
pull-down-buttons, rating-indicators, ratings-and-reviews, remotes,
researchkit, right-to-left, scroll-views, search-fields, searching,
segmented-controls, selection-and-input, settings, sf-symbols, shareplay,
shazamkit, sheets, sidebars, sign-in-with-apple, siri, sliders,
spatial-interactions, spatial-layout, split-views, status, status-bars,
steppers, system-experiences, tab-bars, tab-views, tap-to-pay-on-iphone,
technologies, text-fields, text-views, the-menu-bar, toggles, token-fields,
toolbars, top-shelf, typography, undo-and-redo, virtual-keyboards, voiceover,
wallet, watch-faces, web-views, widgets, windows, workouts, writing

Search & Access Patterns

List All Available Topics

bash

# List all topic directories
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/

# Count total topics
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | wc -l

# Search for specific topics
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | grep -i "button"
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | grep -i "menu"
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | grep -i "ios"

Read Topic Metadata (Fast)

Extract title and description without reading full file:

bash

# Get title
grep -oP '(?<=<title>)[^<]+' packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html | head -1

# Get description
grep -oP '(?<=<meta name="description" content=")[^"]+' packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html | head -1

# Get both
echo "Title:" && grep -oP '(?<=<title>)[^<]+' packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html | head -1
echo "Description:" && grep -oP '(?<=<meta name="description" content=")[^"]+' packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html | head -1

Read Full Topic Content

For detailed guidance, read the complete HTML file:

bash

# Read entire file (may be large - 50-250KB per file)
cat packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html

# Read with Bash tool through Read tool (preferred for large files)
Read packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html

Search Across Multiple Topics

bash

# Extract metadata from multiple related topics
for topic in buttons menus alerts sheets; do
  echo "=== $topic ==="
  grep -oP '(?<=<meta name="description" content=")[^"]+' packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/$topic/index.html
  echo ""
done

# Search for topics by category
ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | grep -E "(button|menu|alert|sheet)"

Usage Examples

Example 1: "What does HIG say about buttons?"

•Quick Summary: Read the button summary from this skill
•Full Details: Read packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/buttons/index.html
•Response: A button initiates an instantaneous action. (Provide platform-specific guidance from HTML)

Example 2: "Show me iOS design guidelines"

•Navigate: Read packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/designing-for-ios/index.html
•Summary: People depend on their iPhone to help them stay connected, play games, view media, accomplish tasks, and track personal data in any location and while on the go.
•Provide: Platform-specific patterns, components, and best practices

Example 3: "Accessibility best practices from HIG"

•Primary Guide: Read packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/accessibility/index.html
•
Related Topics:
- •VoiceOver: data/voiceover/index.html
- •Inclusion: data/inclusion/index.html
- •Dynamic Type: Coverage in typography
•Summary: Provide key accessibility principles and implementation guidance

Example 4: "List all available HIG component topics"

•Search: ls packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/ | grep -v "^designing-for" | sort
•Categorize: Group by component type (layout, navigation, input, etc.)
•Provide: Organized list with brief descriptions

Example 5: "What technologies does HIG cover?"

Technologies covered (30 topics):

•Apple Pay, Siri, HomeKit, CarPlay
•ARKit, HealthKit, SharePlay, Wallet
•Game Center, Maps, Machine Learning
•And 20 more (see Technologies section above)

Example 6: "How should I design alerts for visionOS?"

•Read Alert Guidelines: data/alerts/index.html
•Read visionOS Platform Guide: data/designing-for-visionos/index.html
•Cross-reference: Look for visionOS-specific guidance in alerts HTML
•Provide: Platform-specific alert design patterns

Best Practices

When to Consult HIG

•Starting a new app or feature: Review platform guidelines first
•Implementing standard UI components: Check component-specific guidance
•Designing for multiple platforms: Review each platform's unique patterns
•Adding Apple technologies: Consult technology-specific guidelines (Apple Pay, Siri, etc.)
•Ensuring accessibility: Review accessibility and inclusion guidelines
•Resolving design decisions: HIG provides rationale for Apple's design choices

How to Use This Skill

•Start with the category index above to find relevant topics
•Read metadata summaries for quick overviews (30 major topics included)
•Access full HTML files for detailed platform-specific guidance
•
Cross-reference related topics:
- •Buttons → Menus → Navigation
- •Color → Dark Mode → Materials
- •Accessibility → VoiceOver → Inclusion
•Check platform-specific sections within component guides

Navigation Tips

•Browse by category: Use the organized lists above (Foundations, Components, Patterns, etc.)
•Search alphabetically: Use the complete alphabetical list for quick lookup
•Follow references: HIG topics often reference related guidelines
•Check all platforms: Some components have platform-specific variations

Understanding HIG Content

•Guidelines, not rules: HIG provides guidance; adapt to your app's needs
•Platform differences: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS have unique patterns
•Context matters: Consider your app's purpose and user needs
•Stay updated: HIG evolves with new OS releases and platform features

Data Structure Reference

•Location: packages/claude-plugin/agents/apple-hig-helper/data/
•Format: HTML files with embedded Vue.js application
•Structure: {topic}/index.html for each topic
•Metadata: Available in <title> and <meta> tags
•Total Size: 23 MB (174 files)
•Index File: .visited.json contains complete list of URLs

When to Ask for Help

If you need:

•Comparison across platforms: "How do alerts differ between iOS and macOS?"
•Implementation guidance: "Show me how to implement the button styles from HIG"
•Design critique: "Does this design follow HIG principles?"
•Missing topics: If a topic isn't in the 174 available, the user may need to check Apple's website
•Recent updates: This data was downloaded on a specific date; newest features may require checking Apple's site

Quick Start: Ask "What does HIG say about [topic]?" or "Show me [platform] design guidelines" to get started!