107 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
107 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: hig-components-system
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description: 'Apple HIG guidance for system experience components: widgets, live activities, notifications, complications, home screen quick actions, top shelf, watch faces, app clips, and app shortcuts.'
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risk: unknown
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source: community
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date_added: '2026-02-27'
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---
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# Apple HIG: System Experiences
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Check for `.claude/apple-design-context.md` before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
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## Key Principles
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### General
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1. **Glanceable, immediate value.** System experiences bring your app's most important content to surfaces the user sees without launching your app. Design for seconds of attention.
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2. **Respect platform context.** A Lock Screen widget has different constraints than a Home Screen widget. A complication is far smaller than a top shelf item.
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### Widgets
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3. **Show relevant information, not everything.** Display the most useful subset, updated appropriately.
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4. **Support multiple sizes with distinct layouts.** Each size should be a thoughtful design, not a scaled version of another.
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5. **Deep-link on tap.** Take users to the relevant content, not the app's root screen.
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### Live Activities
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6. **Track events with a clear start and end.** Deliveries, scores, timers, rides. Design for both Dynamic Island and Lock Screen.
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7. **Stay updated and timely.** Stale data undermines trust. End promptly when the event concludes.
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### Notifications
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8. **Respect user attention.** Only send notifications for information users genuinely care about. No promotional or low-value notifications.
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9. **Actionable and self-contained.** Include enough context to understand and act without opening the app. Support notification actions. Use threading and grouping.
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### Complications
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10. **Focused data on the watch face.** Design for the smallest useful representation. Support multiple families. Budget updates wisely.
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### Home Screen Quick Actions
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11. **3-4 most common tasks.** Short titles, optional subtitles, relevant SF Symbol icons.
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### Top Shelf
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12. **tvOS showcase.** Feature content that entices: new episodes, featured items, recent content.
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### App Clips
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13. **Instant, focused functionality within a strict size budget.** Load quickly without App Store download. Only what's needed for the immediate task, then offer full app install.
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### App Shortcuts
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14. **Surface key actions to Siri and Spotlight.** Define shortcuts for frequent tasks. Use natural, conversational trigger phrases.
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## Reference Index
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| Reference | Topic | Key content |
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|---|---|---|
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| [widgets.md](references/widgets.md) | Widgets | Glanceable info, sizes, deep linking, timeline |
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| [live-activities.md](references/live-activities.md) | Live Activities | Real-time tracking, Dynamic Island, Lock Screen |
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| [notifications.md](references/notifications.md) | Notifications | Attention, actions, grouping, content |
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| [complications.md](references/complications.md) | Complications | Watch face data, families, budgeted updates |
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| [home-screen-quick-actions.md](references/home-screen-quick-actions.md) | Quick actions | Haptic Touch, common tasks, SF Symbols |
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| [top-shelf.md](references/top-shelf.md) | Top shelf | Featured content, showcase |
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| [app-clips.md](references/app-clips.md) | App Clips | Instant use, lightweight, focused task, NFC/QR |
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| [watch-faces.md](references/watch-faces.md) | Watch faces | Custom complications, face sharing |
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| [app-shortcuts.md](references/app-shortcuts.md) | App Shortcuts | Siri, Spotlight, voice triggers |
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## Output Format
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1. **System experience recommendation** -- which surface best fits the use case.
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2. **Content strategy** -- what to display, priority, what to omit.
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3. **Update frequency** -- refresh rate including system budget constraints.
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4. **Size/family variants** -- which to support and how layout adapts.
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5. **Deep link behavior** -- where tapping takes the user.
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## Questions to Ask
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1. What information needs to surface outside the app?
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2. Which platform?
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3. How frequently does the data update?
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4. What is the primary glanceable need?
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## Related Skills
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- **hig-components-status** -- Progress indicators in widgets or Live Activities
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- **hig-inputs** -- Interaction patterns for system experiences (Digital Crown for complications)
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- **hig-technologies** -- Siri for App Shortcuts, HealthKit for complications, NFC for App Clips
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---
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*Built by [Raintree Technology](https://raintree.technology) · [More developer tools](https://raintree.technology)*
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## When to Use
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This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
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## Limitations
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- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
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- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
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- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.
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