# UI Design Dos and Don’ts - Apple Developer

> Apple's essential visual and interaction design rules for mobile user interfaces

UI Design Dos and Don'ts is Apple's quick-reference guide covering fundamental interface principles for iOS and iPadOS. It provides clear baseline rules for touch targets, typography, contrast, spacing, and asset resolution, making it a reliable reference for designers or for feeding into AI coding tools like Cursor as custom context.

Website: https://developer.apple.com/design/tips

## What it is for

- Review mobile app mockups against standard iOS touch target and contrast rules
- Add as custom documentation in AI editors like Cursor to enforce proper iOS UI standards
- Onboard junior mobile developers and designers to core interaction guidelines

## Features

- Specific touch control sizing guidelines (minimum 44x44 point hit targets)
- Legibility baselines including minimum 11pt font sizes and contrast requirements
- Image asset requirements including @2x and @3x Retina resolution standards
- Layout and hierarchy guidelines for touch-based navigation and control alignment
- Direct links to deep-dive sections within the Apple Human Interface Guidelines

## Pricing

Free

## Details

- Type: Website
- Category: [Design](https://xiry.app/topics/design.md)
- Topic: [Design Systems](https://xiry.app/topics/design/design-systems.md)
- Open source: no
- Platforms: Web
- For: iOS developers, UI/UX designers, and mobile product creators
- Alternative to: Material Design Guidelines
- Tags: ios, hig, apple, ui design, mobile design, guidelines

## Why it was saved

- [@amazonjeff67, 6 November 2024](https://x.com/amazonjeff67/status/1854275516473254044): Apple's official mobile HIG tips page (Touch Controls, Hit Targets, etc.) shown in the video — useful both as the source to add to Cursor and as a design reference itself.

## Related

- [Awesome DESIGN.md](https://xiry.app/resources/awesome-design-md): Curated collection of plain-text design systems extracted from popular tech websites. (GitHub repo, Open source)
- [Minimal Product Design Cheatsheet](https://xiry.app/resources/minimal-product-design-cheatsheet): Quick typography, color palette, and iconography reference for clean product interfaces. (Tip, Free)
- [Modulor](https://xiry.app/resources/modulor): Open-source, token-driven design system and Figma UI kit by GR8 Tech. (Website, Open source)
- [Refero Styles](https://xiry.app/resources/refero-styles): AI-readable DESIGN.md style references extracted from popular websites. (Web app, Free)
- [Building Effective Agents: Workflow and Agent Patterns](https://xiry.app/resources/building-effective-agents-workflow-and-agent-patterns): Architectural framework categorizing LLM workflows and autonomous agent patterns (Framework, Free)
- [Checklist Design](https://xiry.app/resources/checklist-design): Curated UI and UX checklists for websites, apps, and user flows (Website, Free)

Updated 10 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/ui-design-dos-and-don-ts-apple-developer

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