So you’ve spent months building the next revolutionary mobile app. Features are solid, code is clean, and you’re ready to change the world. Then reality hits, users are confused, engagement is not at the level you anticipated, and your App Store reviews read like frustrated sighs.
Sometimes the difference between apps users love and apps they delete often comes down to following the OS(Operating Systems) design guidelines. Not the sexy, cutting-edge stuff from tech conferences, but the bread-and-butter principles Apple and Google have perfected over decades in their mobile experiences.
Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)
The Apple Human Interface Guidelines have existed since 1977, detailing design principles for Apple II, and they’ve evolved into something far more comprehensive than those early computer manuals. The Apple Human Interface Guidelines emphasize three core principles:
Clarity: Your grandmother should figure out your app without tech support. Every element should scream its purpose without actually screaming.
Deference: Know when to step back. Your beautiful gradient shouldn’t compete with the content users came to see.
Depth: Create satisfying layers and hierarchy that make navigation feel natural.
SF Symbols And Other Resources
One of Apple’s most underrated gifts to developers is their free resources. From the developers resource site you can find almost anything you would need to properly present, design and develop a software product for Apple’s ecosystem. One of the most helpful for me lately has been SF Symbols 7 This isn’t just about having pretty icons; it’s about speaking the same visual language your users already know.
Material Design: Google’s Digital Physics
Google introduced Material Design in 2014. It was developed to create a novel visual language, synthesizing the classic principles of interface design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science.
Material Design is an adaptable system—backed by open-source code—that helps teams build high quality digital experiences. The beauty lies in its four core principles:
- Material as Metaphor: Digital surfaces should feel real
- Bold, Graphic, Intentional: Don’t be wishy-washy with your design choices
- Motion Provides Meaning: Every animation should have a purpose
- User-Initiated Action: Users should feel in control, not like passengers
Why This Actually Matters
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Here’s where things get interesting from a business perspective. Research indicates that apps following these principles see a reduction in user errors by up to 30% compared to those that do not. That’s not just a nice-to-have, that’s a direct impact on your support costs and user satisfaction.
Even more compelling; a recent survey from UserTesting indicated that 70% of users abandon applications due to poor usability . When you consider that acquiring a new user can cost 5-25 times more than retaining an existing one, suddenly those design guidelines start looking like a pretty solid investment.
The Framework Wars: When to Use What
iOS Development: Stick to the Script (Mostly)
If you’re building for iOS, the HIG isn’t just a suggestion—it’s your roadmap to App Store approval. A side benefit is that an application will complete the App Store approval process in a more timely manner because the UI and its controls appear and operate in the manner expected by the reviewers.
Android and Cross-Platform: Material World
For Android development, Material Design isn’t just recommended—it’s practically mandatory for creating apps that feel native. With Google and Android’s wide adoption, using the principles of Material Design will make your users feel at home with your product.
The Practical Stuff
Start Small, Think Big
You don’t need to overhaul your entire app overnight. User engagement can increase by up to 50% when elements are distinctly categorized. Start with these quick wins:
- Fix your touch targets: Recommendations suggest a minimum target size of 44x44 points, ensuring that 90% of users can interact without frustration
- Implement proper feedback: Studies show that apps with proper feedback see engagement rates that are higher
- Standardize your spacing: Use consistent grids (8px for Material, 4px multiples for iOS)
When to Break the Rules (Carefully)
Guidelines aren’t binding documents, they’re more like really good advice from experienced mentors. It’s about striking a balance between innovation and consistency. Users want apps that look and feel like they belong on their device, but they also appreciate when developers push the boundaries and come up with fresh ideas.
The key is understanding why the guidelines exist before you decide to ignore them. If you’re deviating to solve a real user problem, you’re probably on the right track. If you’re deviating because “it looks cooler,” you may want to reconsider.
The Design System Mindset
How do you want your design system to be used within your organization or as your product grows? This is the million-dollar question that separates good teams from great ones.
Think of these design guidelines as the foundation of your product’s personality. They’re not constraints—they’re the grammar that lets you write beautiful, coherent sentences in the language of user experience.
They also serve as a template for what you want to consider adding to your own design system. While there is no “right” way to deploy a design system, it is more about what is right for your team. These guidelines offer a good tutorial on what your design system should try to achieve.
The Closing Argument: Guidelines as Competitive Advantage
Following design guidelines isn’t about playing it safe—it’s about respecting your users’ time and mental energy. 85% of users indicate design as a primary reason for downloading apps , making this strategic, not just aesthetic.
The real magic happens when these guidelines become second nature to your team. When your designers and developers can focus on solving unique problems instead of reinventing basic interactions, that’s when innovation thrives.
Whether you’re team iOS, team Android, or swimming in the choppy waters of cross-platform development, these guidelines are your life raft in the sea of user experience decisions. They won’t solve every problem, but they’ll keep you from drowning in the chaos of arbitrary design choices.
Your users might not notice when you follow the guidelines perfectly, but they’ll definitely notice when you don’t. And in the app ecosystem, being unnoticed is infinitely better than being uninstalled.
Ready to dive deeper? Check out Apple’s HIG and Material Design for the complete guide.