The Importance of HIG for the App Store
We design iOS app screens strictly according to the Human Interface Guidelines. This is an Apple requirement: non-compliance with HIG is one of the common reasons a build is rejected during review. Users leave low ratings if navigation or gestures do not match familiar standards.
Every design mistake — a missed spacing or incorrect contrast — can cost several days of revisions and repeated moderation.
Apple rejects apps not only because of code. Screens that ignore HIG (incorrect spacing, non-standard gestures, custom Back buttons over system navigation) receive comments under Guidelines 10.3 or low ratings from users.
iOS design is not about “making it beautiful” but about understanding where the system itself provides behavior and where custom work is needed.
Our team has over 5 years of experience in iOS design and development. We have gone through dozens of App Store reviews and guarantee that your app will receive approval without interface comments.
Apps that follow HIG pass review on average 2 times faster than those that neglect the rules. Budget savings on post-review revisions average 20% of the project cost.
How does HIG affect review speed?
Compliance with HIG directly determines moderation speed. Apps with correct safe areas, proper contrast, and system navigation patterns get approval within 1-2 days.
Violations — for example, a custom “Back” button or ignoring Dynamic Island — send the build back for revision with a comment from Apple. We build HIG checklist verification into the design stage to prevent such delays.
What is Safe Area and why is it critical?
Safe Area is the area of the screen not covered by system elements (status bar, Dynamic Island, Home Indicator). Ignoring Safe Area leads to content clipping or overlapping the island. On devices with Dynamic Island, the top boundary of safe area is 59 pt; without it — 44 pt.
The bottom for devices without a Home button is 34 pt. In Figma, we set frames for the current safe area of each device: iPhone SE 3, iPhone 15, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max.
| Parameter | HIG requirement | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Safe Area top (without Dynamic Island) | 44 pt | Status bar |
| Safe Area top (with Dynamic Island) | 59 pt | Includes island |
| Safe Area bottom (without Home button) | 34 pt | Home Indicator |
| Touch target | ≥44×44 pt | Visual element can be smaller |
| Minimum text contrast | 4.5:1 | For all text |
| Device | Safe Area top | Safe Area bottom |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone SE (3rd gen) | 44 pt | 0 pt (Home) |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 59 pt (Dynamic Island) | 34 pt |
| iPhone 14 | 47 pt | 34 pt |
Что регламентирует HIG на практике? -> ## What does HIG regulate in practice?
Safe Area and Dynamic Island — rendering iOS screens
On modern devices with Dynamic Island, the upper boundary of safe area has changed. Content pinned to UIWindow.safeAreaInsets.top without taking this into account is overlapped by the island. In Figma, we set frames for the actual safe area of each device.
Minimum touch target size
According to Apple Human Interface Guidelines, the minimum touch target should be 44×44 pt. A 20pt icon with padding smaller than this leads to missed taps. In Figma, we add an invisible hit area layer on top of the icon — this is clearly captured in the Handoff specification.
Typography scale
iOS supports Dynamic Type: the user increases the font in system settings, and the app must respect this. We use semantic text styles — Large Title, Headline, Body, Caption — instead of fixed sizes. We test the layout at Accessibility size AX5 (the largest) to make sure the text is not clipped.
Color system
System colors (label, secondaryLabel, systemBackground, systemGroupedBackground) automatically change when switching Dark Mode. We set custom colors via Color Sets in Asset Catalog with Any and Dark variants. Hardcoding #FFFFFF in code is a direct path to broken Dark Mode.
HIG compliance checklist
- Safe Area on all devices (with/without Dynamic Island)
- Touch target ≥44×44 pt (with invisible hit area)
- Text contrast ≥4.5:1
- Dynamic Type support (test at AX5)
- Dark Mode (system colors or Color Sets)
- VoiceOver (accessibility labels, focus order)
- Custom gestures and buttons — only if there is no system equivalent
Work process: step by step
- Analysis — we study the current design or requirements, identify risk points.
- Design — we create screens in Figma following HIG and your preferences.
- Specification implementation — we annotate all sizes, colors, fonts, states.
- Testing — we check compliance with HIG, accessibility, dark theme.
- Revisions and final — we make adjustments, hand over the finished mockups.
Timeline and cost
Designing one screen with all states and specification takes 4 to 8 hours. A full set of app screens (10–20 screens) — 3 to 5 days. Cost is calculated individually after analyzing scope and complexity. Contact us to evaluate your project. Request a consultation for your project.
Our experience and guarantees
We have specialized in iOS design for over 5 years. We have completed 50+ projects that successfully passed App Store review. We guarantee compliance with HIG and no interface issues. Get a consultation on your project today.
Link to the official Apple documentation: Human Interface Guidelines