ag-hig-platforms

# 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 1. **Each platform has a distinct identity.** Do not port designs between platforms. Respect each platform's conventions, interaction models, and user expectations. 2. **iOS: touch-first.** Direct manipulation on a handheld screen. Optimize for one-handed use. Navigation uses tab bars and push/pop stacks. 3. **iPadOS: expanded canvas.** Support Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager. Use sidebars and multi-column layouts. Support pointer and keyboard alongside touch. 4. **macOS: pointer and keyboard.** Dense information display is acceptable. Use menu bars, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts extensively. Windows are resizable with precise control. 5. **tvOS: remote and focus.** Viewed from a distance. Design for the Siri Remote with focus-based navigation. Large text, simple layouts, linear navigation. 6. **visionOS: spatial interaction.** 3D environment using windows, volumes, and spaces. Eye tracking for targeting, indirect gestures for interaction. Respect ergonomic comfort zones. 7. **watchOS: glanceable and brief.** Information consumable at a glance. Brief interactions. Digital Crown, haptics, and complications for timely content. 8. **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 1. **Identify the primary use context.** On the go (iOS/watchOS), at a desk (macOS), on the couch (tvOS), spatial environment (visionOS)? 2. **Match input to interaction.** Touch for direct manipulation, pointer for precision, gaze+gesture for spatial, Digital Crown for quick scrolling, remote for focus navigation. 3. **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. 4. **Leverage platform strengths.** Live Activities on iOS, Desktop Widgets on macOS, complications on watchOS, immersive spaces on visionOS. 5. **Maintain brand consistency** while respecting each platform's visual language and interaction patterns. ## Output Format 1. **Platform-specific recommendations** citing relevant HIG sections. 2. **Platform differences table** comparing navigation, input, layout, and conventions. 3. **Implementation notes** per platform including recommended APIs and adaptation strategies. ## Questions to Ask 1. Which platforms are you targeting? 2. New app or adapting an existing one? If existing, which platform is the base? 3. SwiftUI or UIKit/AppKit? 4. Need to support older OS versions? 5. 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](https://raintree.technology) · [More developer tools](https://raintree.technology)* ## When to Use This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview. ## Limitations - Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above. - Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review. - Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.