Agent skill · writing content · aiskillstore
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.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific design principles and strategies for implementing Apple system experience components that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 405 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
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 General 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. 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. Widgets 3. Show relevant information, not everything. Display the most useful subset, updated appropriately. 4. Support multiple sizes with distinct layouts. Each size should be a thoughtful design, not a scaled version of another. 5. Deep-link on tap. Take users to the relevant content, not the app's root screen. Live Activities 6. Track events with a clear start and end. Deliveries, scores, timers, rides. Design for both Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. 7. Stay updated and timely. Stale data undermines trust. End promptly when the event concludes. Notifications 8. Respect user attention. Only send notifications for information users genuinely care about. No promotional or low-value notifications. 9. Actionable and self-contained. Include enough context to understand and act without opening the app. Support notification actions. Use threading and grouping. Complications 10. Focused data on the watch face. Design for the smallest useful representation. Support multiple families. Budget updates wisely. Home Screen Quick Actions 11. 3-4 most common tasks. Short titles, optional subtitles, relevant SF Symbol icons. Top Shelf 12. tvOS showcase. Feature content that entices: new episodes, featured items, recent content. App Clips 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. App Shortcuts 14. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills aiskillstore/hig-components-system