Ipados Design Guidelines
Audit and implement iPadOS Human Interface Guidelines across multitasking, pointer, keyboard, and nine impact-ranked HIG categories.
Overview
Ipados-design-guidelines is an agent skill for the Build phase that encodes iPadOS Human Interface Guidelines across nine categories for multitasking-ready, pointer-aware iPad apps.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/ehmo/platform-design-skills --skill ipados-design-guidelinesWhat is this skill?
- 9 impact-ranked HIG categories from responsive layout through accessibility (CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM labels)
- Multitasking requirements: Split View, Slide Over, Stage Manager, and resizable window behavior
- Pointer, trackpad, and keyboard discoverability rules including Cmd shortcuts and hover magnetism
- Sidebar and three-column navigation patterns replacing tab bars at regular width size class
- 9 HIG categories with CRITICAL, HIGH, and MEDIUM impact labels
- Category table spans responsive layout through accessibility
Adoption & trust: 634 installs on skills.sh; 387 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your iPad app feels like a stretched iPhone—split view breaks, sidebars are missing, and pointer or keyboard shortcuts are absent despite Apple’s iPadOS expectations.
Who is it for?
Indie iOS developers adding or hardening an iPad target with SwiftUI or UIKit who need a structured HIG audit checklist.
Skip if: Web-only responsive sites, Android tablet projects, or iPhone-only apps with no iPad deployment intent.
When should I use this skill?
Designing or reviewing iPadOS-native UI for multitasking, sidebar navigation, pointer, keyboard, Pencil, and accessibility compliance.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You align UI and interaction design to nine categorized HIG rules so the app functions across multitasking sizes with sidebar navigation, pointer hover, and accessibility coverage.
- Prioritized gap list mapped to the nine iPadOS design categories
- Implementation notes for sidebar, multitasking, and input modality requirements
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Build is the primary home for native iPad UI work where layout, navigation, and input modalities are implemented before App Store ship checks. Frontend subphase captures SwiftUI/UIKit screen design, adaptive layouts, and platform input—not backend APIs or growth SEO.
How it compares
Use instead of generic mobile UI tips—this is an iPadOS-specific HIG checker, not a marketing landing page or icon generator skill.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is ipados-design-guidelines for?
Solo builders shipping native iPad experiences who want Human Interface Guidelines translated into prioritized review categories for their agent.
When should I use ipados-design-guidelines?
Use during Build frontend while designing navigation, multitasking layouts, and input modalities; revisit in Ship review before TestFlight or App Store submission.
Is ipados-design-guidelines safe to install?
It is reference and checklist content without shell requirements; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page for the parent skill package.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Ipados Design Guidelines
# iPadOS Design Guidelines Skill iPad-specific HIG rules extending iOS patterns for the larger, multitasking-capable canvas. **Reference**: [Apple HIG - Designing for iPadOS](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-ipados) ## Categories & Impact | # | Category | Impact | Key Focus | |---|----------|--------|-----------| | 1 | Responsive Layout | CRITICAL | Adaptive layouts, size classes, column-based design | | 2 | Multitasking | CRITICAL | Split View, Slide Over, Stage Manager, resizable windows | | 3 | Navigation | CRITICAL | Sidebar, three-column layout, toolbar placement | | 4 | Pointer & Trackpad | HIGH | Hover effects, magnetism, right-click, drag and drop | | 5 | Keyboard | HIGH | Cmd shortcuts, discoverability overlay, tab navigation | | 6 | Apple Pencil | MEDIUM | Scribble, hover detection, PencilKit | | 7 | Drag and Drop | HIGH | Inter-app, multi-item, spring-loaded, Universal Control | | 8 | External Display | MEDIUM | Extended content, AirPlay, display lifecycle | | 9 | Accessibility | CRITICAL | VoiceOver labels, Dynamic Type, pointer accessibility, Full Keyboard Access | ## Key Differentiators from iOS - **Sidebar replaces tab bar** in regular width size class - **Multitasking is mandatory** -- app must function at all split sizes - **Pointer support expected** -- hover states, magnetism, right-click menus - **Keyboard shortcuts required** -- Cmd+key for all major actions with discoverability overlay - **Drag and drop across apps** -- first-class interaction pattern - **Stage Manager** -- freely resizable windows, multiple scenes - **Toolbar at top** instead of bottom navigation - **Three-column layouts** for deep hierarchies ## Never Do - Never scale up an iPhone layout to fill the iPad screen — redesign for the larger canvas - Never opt out of multitasking — every app must work in Split View and Slide Over - Never use bottom tab bars in regular width — use sidebar navigation - Never show popovers as full-screen sheets — anchor popovers to their source element - Never hardcode pixel dimensions for specific iPad models - Never omit hover states for interactive elements — trackpad users need visual feedback - Never override system keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+H, Cmd+Tab, Cmd+Space) - Never ignore drag and drop — at minimum support dragging text, images, and URLs - Never block the keyboard from dismissing modal sheets on iPad - Never present iPhone-style modals when a popover or inspector is more appropriate - Never omit accessibility labels on icon-only buttons or custom interactive elements - Never disable Dynamic Type scaling or clamp text size — iPad users rely on large type too - Never create keyboard focus paths that trap or skip interactive elements in Split View { "version": "1.0.0", "organization": "Platform Design Skills", "date": "February 2026", "abstract": "Apple Human Interface Guidelines for iPad apps. 50+ rules across 9 categories covering multitasking, pointer support, sidebar navigation, keyboard shortcuts, Stage Manager, responsive layout, accessibility, and iPad-specific adaptations. Extends iOS patterns for the larger canvas.", "references": [ "https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines", "https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-ipados", "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui", "https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit" ] } # iPadOS Design Guidelines - Sections ## Section 1: Responsive Layout - **Impact**: CRITICAL - **Scope**: Adaptive layouts, size classes, column-based design, safe areas, all iPad screen sizes - **Applies when**: Building any iPad UI, handling regular/compact width transitions, supporting iPad Mini through 13" Pro ## Section 2: Multitasking - **Impact**: CRITICAL - **Scope**: Split View, Slide Over, Stage Manager, resizable windows, multiple scenes - **Applies when**: App runs alongside other apps, user resizes windows, app enters