Apple’s HIG & Google’s Material Design 3

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Apple’s HIG & Google’s Material Design 3

As of 2025, both Apple and Google have refined their interface guidelines to support increasingly personalized, accessible, and adaptive user experiences. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) and Google’s Material Design 3 provide comprehensive frameworks for creating intuitive, consistent, and visually engaging applications across their respective platforms.

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)

Clarity
Interfaces should be legible and easy to understand, ensuring that text is readable at every size and arrangements are precise.


Deference
The UI should help users understand and interact with content without competing with it.


Depth
Visual layers and realistic motion convey hierarchy, impart vitality, and facilitate understanding.

Key Components of the HIG

Layout and Navigation
Utilize safe areas to ensure content isn't obscured by device features. Employ standard navigation patterns to provide a consistent and predictable user experience.


Typography and Color
Use system fonts for consistency and legibility. Apply color sparingly to align visual continuity and communicate status information.


Icons and Imagery
Design app icons that are simple, recognizable, and consistent with the overall app design. Use imagery that supports the content.


Accessibility
Ensure that all users can interact with your app by supporting accessibility features.

Google’s Material Design 3: Core Principles

Material as a Metaphor
Use tactile surfaces to convey how objects interact in a physical space.


Bold, Graphic, Intentional
Employ deliberate color choices, edge-to-edge imagery, large-scale typography, and intentional white space to establish visual hierarchy and immerse users in the experience.


Motion Provides Meaning
Design motion to be meaningful and intentional, lead the user and maintain continuity.

Key Components
Theming and Typography leverage dynamic color palettes and updated typography styles to align with user preferences and enhance readability.