Stop 09 · Mobile & Responsive DesignTopics · 3/8

iOS Human Interface Guidelines (Overview)

In short

iPhone users have years of muscle memory: swipe from the left edge to go back, tabs at the bottom. Apple's Human Interface Guidelines explain these habits so your app feels like it belongs.

Apple's official design guidelines covering navigation patterns, typography, and interaction conventions specific to iOS — following them (where appropriate) makes an app feel native and familiar to iOS users.

The jaadu drives a small colourful car carefully at a traffic signal on a tidy road.

Think of it like this

Driving rules in a new city

Drive in a new city and you follow its rules: which side to drive on, how signals work. You can still choose your car's colour. The HIG are iOS road rules. Your brand is the car colour.

Watch it happen

Key iOS patterns to know

iOS HIG

Navigation

Typography

Layout

Tab bar

Back swipe

Dynamic Type

Safe areas

44pt targets

1/4A tab bar at the bottom switches between the app's main sections. Usually a handful of tabs, each with an icon and label.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Clarity first

Content is the hero. Controls stay simple and out of the way, with plenty of space.

System font and sizes

iOS uses San Francisco by default. Using system text styles makes Dynamic Type work for free.

Familiar gestures

Edge swipe for back, pull down to dismiss sheets. Don't override these with your own gestures.

Official UI kits

Apple publishes iOS design resources, including Figma kits, so you can start from real components.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Putting an Android-style back arrow and hamburger menu in an iPhone app.

Do this instead

Use iOS patterns like tab bars and the standard back button. They match what iPhone users expect.

Oops

Ignoring the notch and home indicator areas.

Do this instead

Respect safe areas so buttons aren't hidden behind the notch or too close to the bottom edge.

Your mission

Spot the iOS patterns

~25 min

Quick check

Where do iOS apps usually place navigation between their main sections?

Go deeper

1Skim Apple's Human Interface Guidelines for navigation and typography sections.
2Compare a well-designed iOS app's navigation pattern (tab bar, back gesture) to the guidelines.
3Learn when to follow platform conventions strictly versus when brand needs justify deviation.