Design Pathway

Start your path

Pathways are simple and easy-to-navigate collections of the videos, documentation, and resources you'll need to start building great apps and games.

When we talk about great design, we’re not talking about something that’s just well-organized. Great design is guided by an understanding of humanity. Well-designed apps satisfy the emotional and practical needs of the people you are designing for. They feel stable and trustworthy, they have streamlined and simplified workflows, and they offer aesthetically pleasing, enjoyable, and even delightful experiences. With that in mind, let’s explore how you can approach designing your app or game.

Learn the building blocks of design

Foundational design principles don't tell us how to do specific things, they tell us why we should do those things. These building blocks express core truths about how we process information, make decisions, and interact with the world around us.

Start your design path by peeking behind the curtain of Apple’s design principles in these three video sessions from Apple designers and evangelists. You’ll find out how Apple team members and the developer community get inspired, learn how to create welcoming, empowering, and gratifying user experiences, and find ways to simplify your navigation without compromising personality.

Interface with the HIG

When you’re ready to dive deeper into design, the Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) will be your best friend. The HIG is the home for guidance and best practices for Apple platforms, a comprehensive resource that you’ll rely on from first sketch to final pixel. We’ll be honest: It’s pretty big. But we encourage you to get started by exploring these introductory pages. From there, you can gradually begin to branch out and see where your work takes you.

• Getting started: Begin work on an app or game that feels at home on every platform you support.
• Foundations: Learn to understand fundamental design elements.
  • App icons: Communicate the purpose and personality of your app or game.
  • Inclusion: Prioritize respectful communication and present content in ways that everyone can access and understand.
  • Layout: Make your app or game experience more approachable — and help people enjoy it on all devices.
  • Typography: Clarify an information hierarchy, communicate important content, and express your brand.
• Patterns: Get guidance on common actions, tasks, and experiences.
  • Feedback: Help people know what’s happening, discover what they can do next, understand the results of actions, and avoid mistakes.
  • Onboarding: Provide a flow that’s fast, fun, and optional.
  • Searching: Offer various search techniques to help people find content on their device, within an app, and within a document or file.
• Components: Explore the system-defined components that give people a familiar and consistent experience.
• Inputs: Learn about the various methods people use to control your app or game and enter data.
• Technologies: Discover the Apple technologies, features, and services you can integrate into your app or game.
  • Augmented reality: Deliver immersive, engaging experiences that seamlessly blend virtual objects with the real world.
  • Game controls: Enhance gameplayer and increase player immersion.
  • Gestures: Help people elicit a close personal connection with content.

Assemble your toolbox

Like all craftspeople, good designers need proper tools. Your list of equipment begins with the Apple Design Resources, the building blocks of Apple design. The Apple Design Resources include the fonts, icons, product bezels, and other materials you’ll need to get started, as well as design templates for Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, and Keynote. You’ll also want to explore SF Symbols, a library of more than 6,000 symbols that integrate seamlessly with Apple platforms — some of which you’ll find on this page!

• Apple Design Resources
• SF Symbols
• Fonts for Apple platforms

Produce your prototypes

Prototyping is the art of generating, testing, and validating new ideas. Start by setting aside a few hours for a tutorial that walks you through the basics of the prototyping process. To get a little more insight into the process — and travel back in time — check out a vintage but timeless video about what prototyping can mean in practice.

Get inspiration from the developer community

The Apple developer community is an incredible source of groundbreaking ideas. Find out how to get ideas, approach challenges, and solve problems.

• Read the remarkable stories of Apple Design Award winners and finalists.
• Get insights from Apple designers on everything from philosophy to simplification to what you can do when something just doesn’t feel right.
• Find out how members of the Apple Prototyping team create useful prototypes, get external feedback, and bring a little sparkle to their work.

Go further

The tools and links above are enough to get your started — but they’re only the beginning. The links below will help you explore the community, keep up with the latest news, and get access to Apple tools and documentation. Don’t worry about plunging into all this at once. Just keep in mind that all great designers started on Day 1 with a basic set of tools, a blank canvas, and their imagination. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

• What’s new in design: Discover the latest inspirational designs, videos, articles, resources, and updates to design guidance.
• WWDC design sessions: Explore the full collection.