hig-components-system
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. Use when asked about: "widget design", "live activity", "notification design", "complication", "home screen quick action", "top shelf", "watch face", "app clip", "app shortcut", "system experience". Also use when the user says "how do I design a widget," "what should my notification look like," "how do Live Activities work," "should I make an App Clip," or asks about surfaces outside the main app. Cross-references: hig-components-status for progress in widgets, hig-inputs for interaction patterns, hig-technologies for Siri and system integration.
- Installs
- 632
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/raintree-technology/hig-doctor --skill hig-components-system- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads hig-components-system automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Apple HIG: System Experiences
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
-
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.
-
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.
-
Widgets: show relevant information, not everything. Display the most useful subset, updated appropriately.
-
Support multiple widget sizes with distinct layouts. Each size should be a thoughtful design, not a scaled version of another.
-
Deep-link on tap. Take users to the relevant content, not the app's root screen.
-
Live Activities: track events with a clear start and end. Deliveries, scores, timers, rides. Design for both Dynamic Island and Lock Screen.
-
Stay updated and timely. Stale data undermines trust. End promptly when the event concludes.
-
Respect user attention with notifications. Only send notifications for information users genuinely care about. No promotional or low-value notifications.
-
Notifications: actionable and self-contained. Include enough context to understand and act without opening the app. Support notification actions. Use threading and grouping.
-
Complications: focused data on the watch face. Design for the smallest useful representation. Support multiple families. Budget updates wisely.
-
Home Screen quick actions: 3-4 most common tasks. Short titles, optional subtitles, relevant SF Symbol icons.
-
Top Shelf: tvOS showcase. Feature content that entices: new episodes, featured items, recent content.
-
App Clips: 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.
-
App Shortcuts: surface key actions to Siri and Spotlight. Define shortcuts for frequent tasks. Use natural, conversational trigger phrases.
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content |
|---|---|---|
| widgets.md | Widgets | Glanceable info, sizes, deep linking, timeline |
| live-activities.md | Live Activities | Real-time tracking, Dynamic Island, Lock Screen |
| notifications.md | Notifications | Attention, actions, grouping, content |
| complications.md | Complications | Watch face data, families, budgeted updates |
| home-screen-quick-actions.md | Quick actions | Haptic Touch, common tasks, SF Symbols |
| top-shelf.md | Top shelf | Featured content, showcase |
| app-clips.md | App Clips | Instant use, lightweight, focused task, NFC/QR |
| watch-faces.md | Watch faces | Custom complications, face sharing |
| app-shortcuts.md | App Shortcuts | Siri, Spotlight, voice triggers |
Output Format
- System experience recommendation -- which surface best fits the use case.
- Content strategy -- what to display, priority, what to omit.
- Update frequency -- refresh rate including system budget constraints.
- Size/family variants -- which to support and how layout adapts.
- Deep link behavior -- where tapping takes the user.
Questions to Ask
- What information needs to surface outside the app?
- Which platform?
- How frequently does the data update?
- What is the primary glanceable need?
Related Skills
- hig-components-status -- Progress indicators in widgets or Live Activities
- hig-inputs -- Interaction patterns for system experiences (Digital Crown for complications)
- hig-technologies -- Siri for App Shortcuts, HealthKit for complications, NFC for App Clips
Built by Raintree Technology · More developer tools
FAQ
What does the hig-components-system skill do?
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. Use when asked about: "widget design", "live activity", "notification design", "complication", "home screen quick action", "top shelf", "watch face", "app clip", "app shortcut", "system experience". Also use when the user says "how do I design a widget," "what should my notification look like," "how do Live Activities work," "should I make an App Clip," or asks about surfaces outside the main app. Cross-references: hig-components-status for progress in widgets, hig-inputs for interaction patterns, hig-technologies for Siri and system integration.
How do I install hig-components-system?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/raintree-technology/hig-doctor --skill hig-components-system in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/hig-components-system/ (personal) or .claude/skills/hig-components-system/ (project).
Which AI agents can use hig-components-system?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is hig-components-system safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains hig-components-system?
It is published by raintree-technology in raintree-technology/hig-doctor. It has 632 recorded installs.
More from raintree-technology/hig-doctor
hig-foundations
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple Human Interface Guidelines design foundations. Use this skill when the user asks about "HIG color", "Apple typography", "SF Symbols", "dark mode guidelines", "accessible design", "Apple design foundations", "app icon", "layout guidelines", "materials", "motion", "privacy", "right to left", "RTL", "inclusive design", branding, images, spatial layout, or writing style. Also use when the user says "my colors look wrong in dark mode", "what font should I use", "is my app accessible enough", "how do I support Dynamic Type", "what contrast ratio do I need", "how do I pick system colors", or "my icons don't match the system style". Cross-references: hig-platforms for platform-specific guidance, hig-patterns for interaction patterns, hig-components-layout for structural components, hig-components-content for display.
hig-components-layout
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple Human Interface Guidelines for layout and navigation components. Use this skill when the user asks about "sidebar", "split view", "tab bar", "tab view", "scroll view", "window design", "panel", "list view", "table view", "column view", "outline view", "navigation structure", "app layout", "boxes", "ornaments", or organizing content hierarchically in Apple apps. Also use when the user says "how should I organize my app", "what navigation pattern should I use", "my layout breaks on iPad", "how do I build a sidebar", "should I use tabs or a sidebar", or "my app doesn't adapt to different screen sizes". Cross-references: hig-foundations for layout/spacing principles, hig-platforms for platform-specific navigation, hig-patterns for multitasking and full-screen, hig-components-content for content display.
hig-patterns
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple Human Interface Guidelines interaction and UX patterns. Use this skill when the user asks about "onboarding flow", "user onboarding", "app launch", "loading state", "drag and drop", "search pattern", "settings design", "notifications", "modality", "multitasking", "feedback pattern", "haptics", "undo redo", "file management", data entry, sharing, collaboration, full screen, audio, video, haptic feedback, ratings, printing, help, or account management in Apple apps. Also use when the user says "how should onboarding work", "my app takes too long to load", "should I use a modal here", "how do I handle errors", "when should I ask for permissions", "how to show progress", or "what's the right way to confirm a delete". Cross-references: hig-foundations for underlying principles, hig-platforms for platform specifics, hig-components-layout for navigation, hig-components-content for data display.
hig-platforms
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple Human Interface Guidelines for platform-specific design. Use this skill when the user asks about "designing for iOS", "iPad app design", "macOS design", "tvOS", "visionOS", "watchOS", "Apple platform", "which platform", platform differences, platform-specific conventions, or multi-platform app design. Also use when the user says "should I design differently for iPad vs iPhone", "how does my app work on visionOS", "what's different about macOS apps", "porting my app to another platform", "universal app design", or "what input methods does this platform use". Cross-references: hig-foundations for shared design foundations, hig-patterns for interaction patterns, hig-components-layout for navigation structures, hig-components-content for content display.
hig-components-controls
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple HIG guidance for selection and input controls including pickers, toggles, sliders, steppers, segmented controls, combo boxes, text fields, text views, labels, token fields, virtual keyboards, rating indicators, and gauges. Use this skill when the user says "picker or segmented control," "how should my form look," "what keyboard type should I use," "toggle vs checkbox," or asks about picker design, toggle, switch, slider, stepper, text field, text input, segmented control, combo box, label, token field, virtual keyboard, rating indicator, gauge, form design, input validation, or control state management. Cross-references: hig-components-menus, hig-components-dialogs, hig-components-search.
hig-components-dialogs
raintree-technology/hig-doctor
Apple HIG guidance for presentation components including alerts, action sheets, popovers, sheets, and digit entry views. Use this skill when the user says "should I use an alert or a sheet," "how do I show a confirmation dialog," "when should I use a popover," "my modals are annoying users," or asks about alert design, action sheet, popover, sheet, modal, dialog, digit entry, confirmation dialog, warning dialog, modal presentation, non-modal content, destructive action confirmation, or overlay UI patterns. Cross-references: hig-components-menus, hig-components-controls, hig-components-search, hig-patterns.
Popular other skills
hyperframes-cli
heygen-com/hyperframes
The HyperFrames CLI by job - scaffold, check, look at frames, edit the timeline, preview, render locally or in the cloud, publish, project history - plus reading its JSON and recovering from build or render failures.
triage
mattpocock/skills
Move issues and external PRs through a state machine of triage roles, categorise, verify, grill if needed, and write agent-ready briefs.
ask-matt
mattpocock/skills
Ask which skill or flow fits your situation. A router over the skills in this repo.
to-questionnaire
mattpocock/skills
Turn a decision you can't fully answer into a questionnaire for someone else to fill in.
loop-me
mattpocock/skills
Grill me about specs for the workflows I want to build, within this workspace.