hig-components-controls
Apple HIG: Selection and Input Controls
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Key Principles
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Clear current state. Users must always see what is selected. Toggles show on/off, segmented controls highlight the active segment, pickers display the current selection.
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Prefer standard system controls. Built-in controls provide consistency and accessibility. Custom controls introduce a learning curve and may break assistive features.
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Toggles for binary states. On or off. In Settings-style screens, changes take effect immediately. In modal forms, changes commit on confirmation.
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Segmented controls for mutually exclusive options. 2-5 items, roughly equal importance, short labels.
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Sliders for continuous values. When precise numeric input is not critical. Provide min/max labels or icons for range endpoints.
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Pickers for long option lists. Too many options for a segmented control. Works well for dates, times, structured data.
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Steppers for small, precise adjustments. Increment/decrement in fixed steps. Display current value next to the stepper with reasonable min/max bounds.