Apple Hig System Experiences

---
name: apple-hig-system-experiences
description: Use when designing widgets, Live Activities, controls, notifications, App Shortcuts, Siri snippets, watch complications/faces, status bars, or tvOS Top Shelf.
---

# Apple HIG: Select the system surface before designing its content

Use this family to select and compose topic procedures. Infer the platform and
requested work from the supplied project; preserve its framework and constraints.

## Work through the decision

1. Decide whether the task needs a widget, ongoing Live Activity, notification, Siri snippet or another system-owned surface. Enter that surface’s procedure before fitting an app screen into it.
2. Specify the useful glance/action, data freshness and deep-link destination. Respect the surface’s update, interaction, presentation and privacy constraints rather than assuming full-app behavior.
3. Cover the relevant family/size, appearance, redaction, account and unavailable-data contexts. Shared surfaces require explicit decisions about whose information may be visible.
4. Deliver a surface/content/state contract and preview/check matrix; preserve documented platform support and unresolved source conflicts.

## Enter the topic procedure

Read the selected topic’s SKILL.md before its supporting guidance. For a review,
inspect actual evidence and return findings; for an implementation request, make
the authorized change; for design or adaptation, produce a usable specification
or patch. Load related topics only when the chosen procedure calls for them.

- [App Shortcuts](.topics/apple-hig-app-shortcuts/SKILL.md)
- [Complications](.topics/apple-hig-complications/SKILL.md)
- [Controls](.topics/apple-hig-controls/SKILL.md)
- [Live Activities](.topics/apple-hig-live-activities/SKILL.md)
- [Notifications](.topics/apple-hig-notifications/SKILL.md)
- [Snippets](.topics/apple-hig-snippets/SKILL.md)
- [Status bars](.topics/apple-hig-status-bars/SKILL.md)
- [Top Shelf](.topics/apple-hig-top-shelf/SKILL.md)
- [Watch faces](.topics/apple-hig-watch-faces/SKILL.md)
- [Widgets](.topics/apple-hig-widgets/SKILL.md)

## Completion evidence

Report the concrete decisions or changes, their source support, and which checks
passed, failed or were not executed. A source citation or a list of links is not
the requested work product. Retain platform exceptions and unresolved source
conflicts; the absence of a platform subsection does not establish support.