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Apple revamps Human Interface Guidelines with new organization & more

Apple has completely overhauled its Human Interface Guidelines to make the resource much more comprehensive, better organized, and cross-platform.

Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) has been switched over to a unified document instead of platform-specific guidance. Apple says it's much simpler to explore commonality between platforms while still preserving relevant details about each.

When it comes to navigation, the guidelines have been given a massive revamp. That includes the ability to browse through components, principles, and more. Large sections will now include a visual index, and individual pages will feature links to related resources.

Later in 2022, there are more changes coming. Apple says that the HIG will gain change logs that allow users to easily see updates and edits as they happen.

The HIG provides designers and developers a wealth of information about creating experiences for Apple platforms. It can trace its roots back to design principles that Apple pioneered in the 1980s — a legacy that stretches back to the earliest days of a graphical user interface.



4 Comments

humbug1873 2 Years · 172 comments

Core problem for Mac users. For years the focus is switching and with the new settings app, we finally have proof that Apple is willing to dump good design for the sake of i-Device Design language. 
With Apple de-evolution away from the users perspective and towards money milking machine (if things like AppleCard weren't proof enough) another tik-mark on the Peak Apple as Innovator chart has been reached. Sad.

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Alex_V 6 Years · 269 comments

Wow! It looks encyclopaedic in scope. Developers will surely appreciate having a resource like this to refer to. It will certainly educate and save a lot of time for those who are new to developing or to the platform. I agree with the global approach — one set of rules and guidelines for all of Apple’s OSs. As someone who is interested in design, UI and UX, I’d read it from cover to cover if I had the time.

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abriden 8 Years · 36 comments

Can the guys at Agilebits please pick up a copy ...and remind themselves how 1Password should work.