Hig Components Layout

If you're building an iOS, macOS, or visionOS app and need to pick between tab bars, sidebars, split views, or column navigation, this skill walks you through Apple's HIG recommendations for layout and navigation components. It covers the practical stuff like when to collapse a three-column layout on iPhone, how to handle iPad multitasking at different split ratios, and where ornaments belong on visionOS windows. The reference index is thorough, linking to specific guidance on everything from outline views to scroll view paging. Most useful when you're architecting navigation or debugging why your layout breaks across size classes.

skills.sh installs: 222
GitHub stars: 61
last updated: Jun 3, 2026

View on GitHub

Install

$ npx -y skills add raintree-technology/apple-hig-skills --skill hig-components-layout --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Apple HIG: Layout and Navigation Components

Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.

Key Principles

Organize hierarchically. Structure information from broad categories to specific details. Sidebars for top-level sections, lists for browsable items, detail views for individual content.
Use standard navigation patterns. Tab bars for flat navigation between peer sections (iPhone). Sidebars for deep hierarchical navigation (iPad, Mac). Match the pattern to the information architecture and platform.
Adapt to screen size. Three-column on iPad collapses to single-column on iPhone. Use size classes and adaptive APIs (NavigationSplitView) for automatic adaptation.
Support multitasking on iPad. Respond gracefully to Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager. Test at every split ratio and size class transition.
Maintain spatial consistency on visionOS. Windows, volumes, and ornaments in shared space. Position predictably. Use ornaments for toolbars and controls without occluding content.