Human Interface Guidelines

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) provide comprehensive design guidance for applications on iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. For organizations building iOS applications, HIG establishes conventions that users expect and that may affect App Store approval. Design systems targeting iOS must navigate HIG compliance while maintaining brand identity and cross-platform consistency.

What Are Human Interface Guidelines

Human Interface Guidelines document Apple’s design philosophy and specific guidance for designing applications on Apple platforms. HIG covers design foundations like color, typography, and layout; interaction patterns like navigation and gestures; and platform-specific components like tab bars, navigation controllers, and iOS controls.

HIG represents more than recommendations. App Store review processes evaluate applications against HIG principles, potentially rejecting applications that significantly violate guidelines. While not every guideline is strictly enforced, core usability and accessibility principles receive close attention during review.

Guidelines evolve with each iOS release. New versions introduce new components, patterns, and capabilities. Design systems targeting iOS must track these changes and evaluate their impact on existing components and patterns.

How Human Interface Guidelines Influence Design Systems

Design systems document which HIG requirements they follow and how they interpret guidelines that allow flexibility. This documentation helps teams make consistent decisions and understand the rationale behind design system choices.

Component specifications must address HIG requirements for iOS implementations. Touch target minimums (44x44 points), accessibility requirements, and platform-specific behaviors like haptic feedback all derive from HIG guidance. Design systems ensure these requirements are met in iOS implementations.

HIG Compliance Checklist for iOS Components

Touch Targets:
- Minimum 44x44 point tappable area
- Even if visual element is smaller, hit area must meet minimum

Typography:
- Support Dynamic Type for text scaling
- Use appropriate text styles for semantic meaning
- Test at all accessibility text sizes

Accessibility:
- VoiceOver labels for all interactive elements
- Sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 minimum for text)
- Support Reduce Motion preference

System Integration:
- Respect Safe Areas for notch and home indicator
- Support both light and dark appearance
- Handle multitasking on iPad

Navigation patterns follow HIG conventions for iOS implementations. Tab bars position at screen bottom with specific styling. Navigation bars handle title display, back navigation, and bar button items according to HIG patterns. Modal presentations use iOS-specific styles like sheets and full-screen presentations.

Token systems encode HIG-derived values. Spacing tokens align with iOS conventions. Typography tokens reference San Francisco font configurations with Dynamic Type support. Color tokens support automatic light/dark mode switching.

Key Considerations

• HIG updates with iOS releases require design system evaluation
• App Store review may reject apps violating certain guidelines
• Accessibility guidelines have legal implications beyond App Store
• SF Symbols integration provides consistent iconography
• SwiftUI and UIKit have different approaches to HIG implementation
• iPad-specific guidelines add complexity for universal applications

Common Questions

How strictly must design systems follow Human Interface Guidelines?

Strict compliance matters most for structural elements that affect usability and App Store approval. Navigation patterns, accessibility support, and safe area handling should follow HIG closely. Rejection risks and user confusion make deviations costly.

Visual styling allows more flexibility. HIG does not mandate specific colors or typography beyond accessibility requirements. Brand colors, custom fonts (with proper licensing), and distinctive visual treatments can coexist with HIG compliance.

Control appearance offers moderate flexibility. iOS provides standard control appearances, but custom controls are permitted if they remain intuitive and accessible. The key is maintaining clarity about interactive elements and their behaviors.

App Store review inconsistency complicates planning. Some applications with guideline deviations are approved while similar deviations cause rejection for others. Conservative interpretation reduces rejection risk but may unnecessarily constrain design.

How do design systems balance HIG with cross-platform consistency?

HIG compliance for iOS does not preclude cross-platform visual consistency. Color palettes, typography choices, iconography styles, and content voice can remain consistent while structural elements follow platform conventions.

Token architectures bridge platforms. Semantic tokens like “interactive-primary” have the same meaning across platforms while platform-specific transformations produce HIG-appropriate iOS values and equivalent values for other platforms.

Component APIs can provide consistent interfaces while platform implementations differ. A Button component might have the same props across platforms while iOS implementation follows HIG button patterns and web implementation follows web conventions.

Documentation should clarify platform-specific behaviors. When a design system component behaves differently on iOS to follow HIG, documentation should explain the difference and rationale. This transparency helps designers and developers understand expected platform variations.

How should design systems handle HIG updates?

iOS release cycles provide predictable update timing. Major iOS releases in fall typically include HIG updates. Design systems can plan evaluation and update cycles around this schedule.

Beta evaluation during iOS beta periods allows early assessment of HIG changes. While betas may change, early evaluation identifies potential design system impacts before final release.

Staged adoption balances currency against stability. Not every HIG update requires immediate adoption. New optional patterns can be evaluated for relevance. Required changes for new iOS versions need prioritization.

Communication about HIG updates helps consuming teams. Release notes should indicate HIG-driven changes and their implications. Migration guidance helps teams adopt updated components.

Deprecation follows HIG deprecation timelines. When Apple deprecates patterns or components, design systems should provide migration paths to replacement approaches.

Summary

Human Interface Guidelines establish conventions that iOS users expect and that affect App Store approval. Design systems must comply with core HIG requirements while finding flexibility for brand expression in visual styling and non-structural elements. Tracking HIG evolution and communicating guideline-driven changes helps teams maintain compliant, high-quality iOS experiences.