Designing macOS UIs for Rapid Development

Good design decisions early on can save weeks of development time when building macOS applications. This isn’t about cutting corners - it’s about designing interfaces that are both user-friendly and developer-friendly.

Here are some practical insights about designing macOS UIs that don’t become development nightmares.

Design Decisions That Save Development Time

Use Standard UI Patterns Whenever Possible

Every custom UI element created is something that will need to be maintained indefinitely. These approaches typically save significant development time:

• Use standard NSTableView/NSCollectionView (or SwiftUI List/Grid) instead of building custom data displays
• Stick with system-provided controls (buttons, toggles, popups) rather than designing custom ones
• Leverage existing patterns: source lists, toolbars, inspectors, and preference panes

Replacing custom implementations with standard components can significantly reduce codebase size and automatically handle edge cases that might otherwise be missed.

Design for Both SwiftUI and AppKit Capabilities

For modern Mac apps, it’s common to use a mix of SwiftUI and AppKit. Design with both in mind:

• Focus on hierarchical data structures SwiftUI handles well
• Avoid designs requiring pixel-perfect control (SwiftUI often decides exact layout)
• Plan for reusable components that work in both frameworks

Designing UI components that can be implemented in either framework provides flexibility to choose the right tool for each screen.

Design for Data Flow, Not Just Visuals

The most visually appealing mockup can become a development disaster if it ignores how data actually flows:

• Map out data dependencies between screens before finalizing designs
• Consider whether data needs to be loaded all at once or can be streamed
• Design clear loading and error states for every screen

Incorporating loading states from the beginning of the design process can reduce development time compared to adding them as an afterthought.

When to Follow Apple Guidelines (And When Not To)

Follow Apple When:

• Designing navigation patterns: Apple’s sidebar, tab bar, and split view patterns are battle-tested
• Using system functions: Save dialogs, sharing, printing - users expect these to behave consistently
• Implementing keyboard shortcuts: Follow system conventions (⌘S for save, etc.)
• Working with system symbols: Use SF Symbols as intended

Consider Alternatives When:

• The app has specialized needs: DAWs, 3D software, and other specialized tools often need custom interfaces
• The standard controls don’t convey the data well: Sometimes a custom visualization is truly necessary
• Cross-platform consistency is required: If shipping on multiple platforms with the same look and feel

In specialized domains like audio editing, following industry conventions rather than platform conventions can sometimes create a better user experience as it aligns with users’ established mental models.

Common Pitfalls That Waste Development Time

Toolbar Placement Issues

A common mistake is designing UI elements that look like they belong in toolbars but trying to place them elsewhere:

// This DOESN'T work - toolbar items can only live in NSToolbar
toolbar.insertItem(withItemIdentifier: .flexibleSpace, at: 0)

A single mockup showing toolbar buttons floating in a content area can lead to days of wasted development effort. Remember:

• Toolbar items must live in the window’s toolbar area
• Custom buttons or controls that look like toolbar items but need to appear in content areas should be designed differently
• If toolbar-like controls are needed in content areas, design them as distinct button styles

Ignoring Safe Areas and Layout Margins

A significant time sink can be designing elements that extend to window edges without accounting for how macOS handles margins:

• Design with awareness of the title bar height
• Account for toolbar space if the design uses it
• Remember that content should respect standard layout margins (typically 20px)

Many developers have spent days trying to override AppKit’s default margins before realizing it’s more efficient to adapt designs to work with standard margins.

Over-Using Custom Table/Collection Views

Designers often create beautiful custom table designs without realizing how expensive they are to implement:

• Standard NSTableView and List components are incredibly powerful with the right styling
• Custom tables often break accessibility, keyboard navigation, and selection behaviors
• Creating a one-off table design creates ongoing maintenance burden

Implementing custom table views often takes several times longer than configuring standard components, with poorer results.

Understanding View Hierarchies and Management

A solid grasp of macOS view management principles saves considerable development time:

View Controllers vs. Views

• Design with clear boundaries between major sections (these become view controllers)
• Avoid deep nesting of custom views (flatter hierarchies are easier to maintain)
• Consider which elements need to be reused across screens

Respecting Platform Conventions

• Design alert/confirmation dialogs as sheets attached to windows
• Use popovers for temporary UI that should disappear when clicking elsewhere
• Consider sidebar widths that feel natural on macOS (around 220-260pt)

State Management

The biggest time-saver is designing clear visual states:

• Create mockups for empty, loading, error, and populated states
• Design responsive layouts that gracefully handle resizing
• Account for both light and dark mode versions

Practical Workflow Tips

Some practical guidelines to follow when designing macOS interfaces:

1. Start with system components: Begin by assembling standard controls before considering custom ones
2. Build a component library: Create reusable design components that map to AppKit/SwiftUI equivalents
3. Design at 1x and 2x: Always check designs at both standard and Retina resolutions
4. Use SF Symbols: They automatically adapt to user settings and accessibility needs
5. Test on actual devices: Figma/Sketch mockups often don’t capture real platform behavior

Further Resources

For developers looking to deepen their understanding of macOS design principles and implementation, these official Apple resources are invaluable:

• Apple Human Interface Guidelines for macOS - Comprehensive design principles and patterns for creating Mac apps that feel at home on the platform

• Planning for macOS - Technical planning guide with platform capabilities and implementation considerations

• Apple Design Resources - Download official Apple design templates, UI components, and guidelines for macOS (and other platforms)

These resources provide authoritative guidance directly from Apple and contain detailed specifications that can save considerable development time when implemented correctly.

Conclusion

Designing macOS interfaces that are both beautiful and feasible to implement isn’t about limiting creativity - it’s about focusing creativity on the right problems. By understanding the platform’s capabilities and constraints, designs can come to life more quickly and maintain better over time.

What approaches have you found helpful for streamlining macOS development through thoughtful design? Share your thoughts in the comments.