Apple iOS HIG Best Practices

Comprehensive guide for Apple Human Interface Guidelines compliance in iOS apps built with SwiftUI. Contains 34 rules across 6 categories covering navigation, interaction design, accessibility, user feedback, UX patterns, and visual design.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Building navigation hierarchies with tab bars, NavigationStack, or split views
• Designing touch interactions, gestures, and haptic feedback
• Ensuring accessibility with VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and color contrast
• Implementing loading states, error handling, and empty states
• Building onboarding flows, permission requests, and confirmation dialogs
• Supporting dark mode, SF Symbols, and standard layout margins
• Reviewing apps for HIG compliance

Rule Categories by Priority

Quick Reference

1. Navigation (CRITICAL)

• nav-tab-bar – Design tab bars for top-level navigation
• nav-navigation-stack – Use NavigationStack for hierarchical navigation
• nav-toolbar-placement – Place actions in toolbars using standard placements

2. Interaction Design (CRITICAL)

• inter-touch-targets – Maintain 44pt minimum touch targets
• inter-gesture-patterns – Use standard gesture patterns
• inter-haptic-feedback – Add haptic feedback for meaningful events
• inter-keyboard-handling – Handle keyboard appearance gracefully
• inter-drag-drop – Support drag and drop for content transfer
• inter-pull-to-refresh – Support pull to refresh for lists
• inter-swipe-actions – Add swipe actions for contextual operations
• inter-list-search – Use searchable for built-in search

3. Accessibility (CRITICAL)

• acc-labels – Provide meaningful accessibility labels
• acc-dynamic-type – Support Dynamic Type for all text
• acc-color-contrast – Maintain sufficient color contrast
• acc-reduce-motion – Respect reduce motion preference
• acc-color-independent – Never rely on color alone
• acc-focus-management – Manage focus for assistive technologies
• acc-scaled-metric – Use ScaledMetric for adaptive sizing
• acc-view-that-fits – Use ViewThatFits for adaptive layouts

4. User Feedback (HIGH)

• feed-loading-states – Show appropriate loading indicators
• feed-error-states – Handle errors with clear recovery actions
• feed-notifications – Use notifications judiciously
• feed-success-confirmation – Confirm successful actions appropriately
• feed-empty-states – Design helpful empty states

5. UX Patterns (HIGH)

• ux-onboarding – Design minimal onboarding
• ux-permissions – Request permissions in context
• ux-modality – Use modality appropriately
• ux-confirmation-dialog – Use confirmation dialogs for destructive actions
• ux-data-entry – Minimize data entry friction
• ux-undo – Support undo for destructive actions
• ux-settings – Organize settings logically

6. Visual Design (HIGH)

• vis-dark-mode – Support dark mode with semantic colors
• vis-sf-symbols – Use SF Symbols with correct rendering mode and weight
• vis-layout-margins – Use standard layout margins and safe areas

How to Use

Read individual reference files for detailed explanations and code examples:

• Section definitions – Category structure and impact levels
• Rule template – Template for adding new rules

Reference Files