Apple HIG: Content Components
Check for .claude/apple-design-context.md before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.
Key Principles
- Adapt to different sizes and contexts. Content components must work across screen sizes, orientations, and multitasking configurations. Use Auto Layout and size classes.
- Make content accessible. Charts need audio graph support. Images need alt text. Collections need proper VoiceOver navigation order. All content components need labels and descriptions.
- Maintain visual hierarchy. Use spacing, sizing, and grouping to establish clear information hierarchy. Primary content should be visually prominent.
- Use system components first. Evaluate UICollectionView, SwiftUI Charts, WKWebView before building custom. System components come with built-in accessibility and platform adaptation.
- Respect platform conventions. A collection on tvOS uses large lockups with parallax. The same collection on iOS uses compact cells with touch targets. On visionOS, content gains depth and hover effects.
- Handle empty states. Show a meaningful empty state with guidance on how to populate it, not a blank screen.
- Optimize for performance. Use lazy loading, cell reuse, pagination, and prefetching for large datasets.
Reference Index
| Reference | Topic | Key content |
|---|---|---|
| charts.md | Charts | Swift Charts, bar/line/area/point marks, chart accessibility, audio graphs |
| collections.md | Collections | Grid/list layouts, compositional layout, selection, reordering, diffable data sources |
| image-views.md | Image Views | Aspect ratio handling, content modes, SF Symbol images, accessibility |
| image-wells.md | Image Wells | Drag-and-drop image selection, macOS-specific, placeholder content |
| color-wells.md | Color Wells | Color selection UI, system color picker, custom color spaces |
| web-views.md | Web Views | WKWebView, SFSafariViewController, navigation controls, content restrictions |
| activity-views.md | Activity Views | Share sheets, activity items, custom activities, action extensions |
| lockups.md | Lockups | Image+text elements, tvOS card layouts, focus effects, shelf layouts |
Component Selection Guide
| Content Need | Recommended Component | Platform Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visualizing quantitative data | Charts (Swift Charts) | iOS 16+, macOS 13+, watchOS 9+ |
| Browsing a grid or list of items | Collection View | Compositional layout for complex arrangements |
| Displaying a single image | Image View | Support aspect ratio fitting; provide accessibility description |
| Selecting an image via drag or browse | Image Well | macOS primarily; use image pickers on iOS |
| Selecting a color | Color Well | Triggers system color picker; macOS, iOS 14+ |
| Showing web content inline | Web View (WKWebView) | Use SFSafariViewController for external browsing |
| Sharing content to other apps | Activity View | System share sheet with configurable activity types |
| Content card (image + text) | Lockup | Primarily tvOS; adaptable to other platforms |
Output Format
- Component recommendation with rationale, referencing the relevant HIG reference file.
- Configuration guidance -- key properties and setup.
- Accessibility requirements for the recommended component.
- Platform-specific notes for targeted platforms.
Questions to Ask
- What type of content? (Quantitative data, images, web content, browsable collection, share action?)
- Which platforms?
- Static or dynamic content?
- How much content? (Few items vs hundreds/thousands affects component choice and optimization.)
Related Skills
- hig-foundations -- Color, typography, accessibility, and image guidelines
- hig-patterns -- Data visualization, sharing, and loading patterns
- hig-components-layout -- Structural containers (scroll views, lists, split views) hosting content
- hig-platforms -- Platform-specific component behavior (lockups on tvOS, web views on macOS)
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