hig-patterns
by raintree-technologyhig-patterns is an Apple Human Interface Guidelines pattern skill for choosing the right interaction model for onboarding, loading, permissions, undo, sharing, and other app flows. Use it to answer whether to use a modal, how to show progress, and how to design Apple-aligned UI behavior with less guesswork.
This skill scores 78/100, which means it is a solid listing candidate for directory users: it has a clear Apple HIG pattern scope, actionable trigger phrases, and enough workflow guidance to reduce guesswork, though it still lacks some supporting assets and explicit install affordances.
- Strong triggerability: the frontmatter names many concrete user intents such as onboarding, loading states, drag and drop, undo/redo, permissions, and delete confirmation.
- Good operational clarity: the body includes direct principles like minimizing modality, providing feedback, and supporting undo, which gives agents usable decision rules.
- Helpful cross-references: it points users to related HIG skills for foundations, platforms, and component-specific guidance, improving progressive disclosure.
- No install command or supporting files are present, so adoption relies entirely on the SKILL.md content.
- The repository appears narrowly scoped to Apple HIG interaction patterns, so it is most useful for Apple app UX decisions rather than broader product design work.
Overview of hig-patterns skill
hig-patterns is an Apple Human Interface Guidelines pattern skill for deciding how common app interactions should behave in iOS, iPadOS, and related Apple experiences. It is most useful when you need a defensible answer to questions like whether to use a modal, how onboarding should flow, how to show loading, or when to offer undo instead of confirmation.
What hig-patterns is for
The hig-patterns skill helps you map a product goal to the right interaction pattern, not just generate UI copy. It is aimed at product designers, engineers, and AI agents that need to make Apple-aligned UX decisions under time pressure.
Best-fit tasks
Use hig-patterns when you are designing or reviewing onboarding, search, settings, permissions, notifications, multitasking, drag and drop, sharing, file management, or feedback states. It is especially relevant for hig-patterns for UI Design when you already know the feature area but need the interaction model.
What makes it different
This skill is opinionated around Apple HIG pattern selection: minimize modality, give immediate feedback, prefer undo, and choose the least disruptive control that still fits the task. It is less about visual styling and more about interaction choice, which is what usually blocks good Apple UX decisions.
How to Use hig-patterns skill
Install and activate it
Use the hig-patterns install flow from your skill manager, or install from raintree-technology/apple-hig-skills with the repository’s standard skills command if your environment supports it. Once installed, point the model at the task and the Apple platform context, then ask for the pattern recommendation rather than a generic UI critique.
Give the right input
A strong hig-patterns usage prompt includes: platform, user goal, current flow, what is failing, and any constraints like no extra screens, must work offline, or destructive action risk. For example: “Design the best Apple HIG pattern for deleting a synced note on iPhone when users often act by mistake and need a quick recovery path.”
Read these files first
Start with skills/hig-patterns/SKILL.md, then check .claude/apple-design-context.md if it exists in your workspace. The skill body is short and self-contained, so there are no helper folders to explore; the main value is in the pattern rules and cross-references to adjacent HIG skills.
Workflow that gets better results
Use this hig-patterns guide workflow: describe the task, ask for the recommended pattern, validate it against Apple constraints, then ask for edge cases and fallback behavior. If you already have a proposed UI, ask the skill to assess whether it is over-modal, under-informative, or missing feedback.
hig-patterns skill FAQ
Is hig-patterns only for Apple design work?
Yes. hig-patterns is built for Apple platform interaction decisions, so it is strongest when the output needs to align with Apple HIG rather than generic web or Android patterns.
How does it compare with a normal prompt?
A normal prompt can produce a decent idea, but hig-patterns gives you a sharper decision frame: when to use a sheet vs alert, how to handle progress, when undo is better than confirmation, and what level of interruption is justified. That usually reduces back-and-forth and vague advice.
Is it beginner-friendly?
Yes, if you can describe the user task plainly. You do not need deep HIG expertise to use it, but the quality depends on how clearly you state the platform, action, and risk level.
When should I not use it?
Do not use hig-patterns if you need visual branding, component library code, or platform-agnostic UX advice. It is a pattern-selection skill, so it is least useful when the real question is layout implementation or design system tokens.
How to Improve hig-patterns skill
Provide the decision, not just the feature
The best inputs tell the skill what choice you are stuck on: “modal or inline,” “confirm delete or undo,” “spinner or progress bar,” or “permission now or later.” That creates better hig-patterns usage than asking for a general design review.
Include the failure mode
Mention what can go wrong in the flow: accidental taps, long waits, repeated errors, sensitive data, or user uncertainty. hig-patterns is strongest when it can weigh interruption, recoverability, and feedback against each other.
Ask for constraints and tradeoffs
If you need the recommendation to fit an existing screen, short task flow, or accessibility requirement, say so up front. The skill is more useful when it can explain why one Apple pattern is preferable under those constraints instead of listing multiple options.
Iterate with a narrower follow-up
After the first answer, refine with a concrete edge case: “What if the action is destructive but reversible?” or “How should this work on iPad with multitasking?” That is the fastest way to turn a good hig-patterns guide response into an implementation-ready pattern.