Meet the new Human Interface Guidelines

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Meet the new Human Interface Guidelines

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) is a comprehensive resource for designers and developers looking to create great experiences across Apple platforms. Now, it’s been fully redesigned and refreshed to meet your needs — from your first sketch to the final pixel.

Explore the Human Interface Guidelines

The HIG has merged its platform-specific guidance into a unified document, making it simpler to explore common design approaches while still preserving relevant details about each platform. The overhauled navigation also helps you browse components, technologies, design patterns, and foundational principles: Larger sections include a visual index, while each individual page features links to related resources like videos, articles, and API documentation. You can also search directly within the HIG to find a specific page. And coming later this year, the HIG will sport change logs that record updates and edits as they happen — both for each updated page and for the entire set of guidelines.

Screenshot of The Apple II Human Interface Guidelines 1985

The Human Interface Guidelines have come a long way.

The HIG is deeply rooted in the design principles Apple helped pioneer decades ago. It has a rich legacy that reaches back to the early days of the graphical user interface and is a living document that provides the latest design guidance for Apple platforms, adapting to new devices, technologies, and updates.

Whether you’re just starting out or a veteran Apple developer, the HIG is a key resource for creating amazing experiences on all platforms.