Apple Human Interface Guidelines for platform-specific design.
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
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 | 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 |
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.
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