Ios Design Guidelines

# iOS Design Skill

Apple Human Interface Guidelines for iPhone apps — layout, navigation, typography, accessibility, and system integration rules with SwiftUI/UIKit examples.

**Reference:** https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines

## Rule Categories

| # | Category | Impact | Rules |
|---|----------|--------|-------|
| 1 | Layout & Safe Areas | CRITICAL | Touch targets, safe areas, thumb zone, screen sizes |
| 2 | Navigation | CRITICAL | Tab bars, large titles, back swipe, state preservation |
| 3 | Typography & Dynamic Type | HIGH | Text styles, Dynamic Type, UIFontMetrics, SF Pro |
| 4 | Color & Dark Mode | HIGH | Semantic colors, contrast, P3 gamut, accent color |
| 5 | Accessibility | CRITICAL | VoiceOver, Bold Text, Reduce Motion, Switch Control |
| 6 | Gestures & Input | HIGH | Standard gestures, system gesture protection, input methods |
| 7 | Components | HIGH | Buttons, alerts, sheets, lists, tab bars, search, menus, SF Symbols |
| 8 | Patterns | MEDIUM | Onboarding, loading, launch, modality, feedback |
| 9 | Privacy & Permissions | HIGH | Contextual requests, Sign in with Apple, ATT |
| 10 | System Integration | MEDIUM | Widgets, App Shortcuts, Spotlight, Live Activities |

## Never Do

- Never use hamburger menus — use a tab bar
- Never override swipe-from-left-edge back navigation
- Never hardcode text sizes — support Dynamic Type
- Never use only color to convey information
- Never request all permissions at launch
- Never place primary actions at the top of the screen (outside thumb zone)
- Never clip content under the status bar, home indicator, or Dynamic Island
- Never use blocking spinner overlays for loading states
- Never show splash screen logos — match the first screen of the app
- Never hide the tab bar during navigation within a tab


{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "organization": "Platform Design Skills",
  "date": "February 2026",
  "abstract": "Apple Human Interface Guidelines for iPhone apps. 67+ rules across 10 categories covering navigation, layout, typography, color, accessibility, gestures, components, patterns, privacy, and system integration. Each rule includes SwiftUI/UIKit examples with correct and incorrect implementations.",
  "references": [
    "https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines",
    "https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-ios",
    "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui",
    "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit"
  ]
}


# iOS Design Rule Sections

## 1. Layout & Safe Areas (layout)
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Description:** Correct layout is foundational to every iPhone app. Violating safe areas causes content to be clipped under the status bar, Dynamic Island, or home indicator. Touch targets below 44pt cause mis-taps and frustration. Bottom-of-screen placement for primary actions respects the natural thumb zone. All layouts must adapt across the full range of iPhone screen sizes from iPhone SE to iPhone Pro Max.

## 2. Navigation (nav)
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Description:** Navigation defines how users move through an app and directly affects whether they can find features and complete tasks. iOS users expect a tab bar at the bottom for top-level sections, large titles in primary views, and swipe-from-left-edge for back. Violating these conventions forces users to relearn interaction patterns they already know, increasing cognitive load and abandonment. Preserve visible state so users resume by recognition rather than memory.

## 3. Typography & Dynamic Type (type)
**Impact:** HIGH
**Description:** Typography is the primary way information is communicated in most apps. Supporting Dynamic Type is both an accessibility requirement and an App Store expectation. Users who set larger text sizes depend on apps respecting that preference. Using built-in text styles ensures automatic scaling, proper weight, and consistent hierarchy across the system.

## 4. Color & Dark Mode (color)
**Impa