hig-components-controls
by raintree-technologyhig-components-controls is an Apple HIG reference skill 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 it for hig-components-controls usage, UI Design decisions, form behavior, validation, and control choice on Apple-aligned interfaces.
This skill scores 84/100, which means it is a solid directory listing for users who need Apple HIG guidance on selection and input controls. The repo gives enough trigger language, topic coverage, and structured reference material for an agent to use it with relatively little guesswork, though it is more a curated documentation skill than a deeply procedural workflow skill.
- Strong triggerability: the frontmatter explicitly names when to use it, covering picker, toggle, slider, stepper, segmented control, combo box, text field, token field, virtual keyboard, rating indicator, gauge, and form-design queries.
- Good operational coverage: SKILL.md includes concrete key principles for state visibility, standard controls, binary states, and segmented-control use, which helps an agent answer common UI questions correctly.
- Useful supporting references: 14 Apple HIG reference files back the skill with canonical source links and structured content for specific controls.
- No install command or scripts are present, so adoption is documentation-driven rather than tool-driven.
- The workflow appears focused on guidance lookup and decision support; it may not provide a full end-to-end design workflow beyond control-selection advice.
Overview of hig-components-controls skill
What hig-components-controls covers
The hig-components-controls skill is an Apple HIG reference for selection and input controls: pickers, toggles, sliders, steppers, segmented controls, combo boxes, text fields, text views, labels, token fields, virtual keyboards, rating indicators, and gauges. Use the hig-components-controls skill when you need a design decision, a form layout answer, or a control choice that should follow Apple’s patterns instead of a generic UI guess.
Who should install it
Install hig-components-controls if you work on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or Apple-aligned UI and need fast guidance for form behavior, state display, validation, or control selection. It is most useful for designers, PMs, and agents drafting UI specs or reviewing interaction details where “toggle vs checkbox,” “picker vs segmented control,” or “which keyboard type?” matters.
Why it is useful in practice
The main value of this hig-components-controls skill is decision support, not just definitions. It helps you choose the control that best fits the job, preserve visible state, and avoid custom UI where system controls are better. That makes it especially helpful for UI Design tasks that need consistency, accessibility, and predictable user behavior.
How to Use hig-components-controls skill
Install and open the right files
Use hig-components-controls install in your skill workflow, then start with skills/hig-components-controls/SKILL.md. After that, read the most relevant references first: references/controls.md, references/pickers.md, references/segmented-controls.md, references/text-fields.md, and references/toggles.md. These files cover the highest-frequency decisions and will usually answer the first pass faster than scanning every reference.
Turn a rough request into a better prompt
The skill works best when you ask for a concrete UI decision, not a vague “make this better.” Strong inputs name the platform, the object being edited, the number of choices, whether the choice is exclusive, whether input is freeform, and when changes commit. For example: “Design an iPad form for selecting a shipping method, with 4 options, one default, immediate feedback, and VoiceOver support.”
What the skill needs from you
For hig-components-controls usage, include the control’s purpose, the available values, whether the user can type or only choose, and whether the state should be persistent, instant, or confirmed later. If you are asking about text entry, say whether you need validation, autocomplete, or tokenized input. If you are asking about a value display, tell it whether the value is discrete or continuous and whether labels must show range endpoints.
Best workflow for better output
Use the skill as a decision filter: first ask which control fits, then ask for a concise UI spec, then validate against nearby references if the output touches adjacent patterns like search, menus, or dialogs. If the first answer is too generic, add constraints like “must work in macOS settings,” “needs keyboard support,” or “must avoid custom components.” That produces more accurate hig-components-controls guide output than asking for a full form design in one step.
hig-components-controls skill FAQ
Is hig-components-controls only for Apple platforms?
Yes, this skill is centered on Apple HIG guidance, so it is best for Apple-native or Apple-inspired interfaces. If you are designing for web-first or non-Apple design systems, it can still inform control logic, but it should not be treated as a universal UI rulebook.
How is this different from a normal prompt?
A normal prompt may give you a plausible answer; the hig-components-controls skill narrows the answer to Apple’s preferred control behavior, wording, and state handling. That matters when the decision is between several valid UI patterns and you want the one that aligns with Apple conventions instead of a generic UX preference.
Is it beginner-friendly?
Yes, if you already know the problem you are solving. The skill is beginner-friendly for “what control should I use?” questions, but it is less helpful if the input is underspecified. Beginners get better results when they provide the screen type, the data type, and the expected number of choices.
When should I not use it?
Do not use hig-components-controls when the problem is primarily navigation, modal flow, search structure, or alert copy. It is also a poor fit if you need deep product policy decisions unrelated to selection or input controls, since the repository is optimized for control-level HIG guidance.
How to Improve hig-components-controls skill
Give the skill the real constraint set
The biggest improvement comes from stating what the control must optimize for: speed, accuracy, accessibility, compactness, or minimal cognitive load. For hig-components-controls, that context changes the recommendation. A picker and a segmented control may both work, but one may be better for long lists, while the other is better for a small set of closely related options.
Include the failure mode you want to avoid
If the current UI is failing, say how: users miss the current state, the list is too long, the field invites invalid values, or the control is awkward on mobile. That helps the skill choose the pattern that fixes the actual problem instead of restating a best practice. It also makes the hig-components-controls install decision easier because you can tell whether the guidance is solving your real issue.
Ask for output that can be implemented
Request a concise spec, not just a recommendation. Good follow-up prompts ask for label text, default state, commit behavior, keyboard behavior, or validation rules. For example: “Recommend the control, then give the label, default value, and interaction behavior for a macOS preferences pane.” That makes the answer easier to hand to design or engineering.
Iterate with one control at a time
If your form contains several inputs, split it into separate questions: one for selection, one for freeform text, one for feedback display. This reduces cross-contamination and improves precision, especially when comparing combo boxes, token fields, and text fields. For the hig-components-controls skill, narrow prompts usually produce clearer Apple HIG-aligned guidance than broad page-level redesign requests.