The two second test
Platform Design watchOS is the watchos folder of ehmo's platform-design-skills pack. Its SKILL.md covers Apple Watch design in eight sections, from glanceable design and the Digital Crown to complications, Always On, workouts, notifications and accessibility, with coded rules and Swift examples.
The first section calls glanceability the defining constraint of watchOS. If a user cannot extract the key information within 2 seconds of raising their wrist, the skill says the design has failed.
Rules carry codes such as W-GL-01 for glanceable design, W-DC for the Digital Crown, W-CP for complications, W-AO for Always On and W-WK for workouts, so a review can point at a specific line.
Eight sections
- Glanceable design and accessibility are CRITICAL.
- Digital Crown, navigation and complications are HIGH.
- Always On display, workouts and health, and notifications are MEDIUM.
- Each section ends with anti-patterns, such as replicating an iPhone screen layout on the Watch.
Concrete values the agent can use
Body text has a 16pt effective minimum and titles start at 18pt. Sessions target 5 seconds or less, and the first screen is the only guaranteed screen, so primary information must show without scrolling.
A screen dimensions table lists widths, heights and corner radii from the 41mm Series 9 up to the 49mm Ultra 2. Complication families come as a reference table with shape and typical content.
When to install it
Fits
- Watch apps and complications written with SwiftUI and WidgetKit.
- Workout apps needing live metrics, haptics, auto-pause and a clear summary.
- Reviews that should catch private data shown in the dimmed Always On state.
Does not fit
- Phone interfaces, which sit in the iOS skill. Related: design-mobile-apps.
- Pure web work. Related: web-accessibility-skill.
Use it with UiChemy
This skill writes watch app code and has no connection to WordPress. When a wearable product also needs a website, build the pages in Figma, convert them with UiChemy, and click Get Started on uichemy.com. Related: polish and apple-design.
How to install Platform Design watchOS: Apple Watch Rules for AI Agents
git clone https://github.com/ehmo/platform-design-skills.gitClone the repo
Use the command above. The README lists a skills CLI install only, so cloning keeps this page agent neutral.
Take the watchos folder
Copy skills/watchos from the clone. It contains SKILL.md, AGENTS.md, metadata.json and rules.
Load it into your agent
Place the copy in your agent's skills location. The pack names no agent folders, so look up the right path for your tool.
Review a watch screen
Ask the agent to check a SwiftUI watch view against the glanceable design rules and report by rule code.
Check that it loaded
Ask for a review of one Watch screen. The reply should apply the 16pt body minimum or cite W-GL rules, and flag anything needing a scroll to understand.
Key features
- Raise, glance, lowerW-GL-02 targets sessions of 5 seconds or less, and W-GL-05 tells the agent not to assume continuous attention once the wrist drops.
- One idea per screenW-GL-06 asks for a single piece of information per screen, with clear hierarchy through size, weight and color if several appear.
- Screen size tableWidth, height and corner radius for five watch sizes, from 176 by 215 for the 41mm Series 9 to 205 by 251 for the 49mm Ultra 2.
- Digital Crown bindingCrown scrolls vertical content, drives value pickers with a haptic detent per value and updates on every increment with no debounce.
- Navigation patternsA table maps vertical scroll, a horizontal TabView, NavigationStack push and pop, and modal sheets to their gestures and use cases.
- Complication familiesSupport accessoryCircular, accessoryCorner and accessoryRectangular at minimum, with tinted and full-color variants and TimelineProvider updates.
- Meaningful complicationsContent must make sense unaided, so 72F rather than 72, and a tap must open a relevant context instead of the app root.
- Always On handlingReduce complexity, redact sensitive data, update at most once per minute with TimelineView, and avoid layout shifts when the wrist lifts.
- Workout behaviorLarge live metrics, milestone haptics, auto-pause for running and walking, WaterLock for swimming and a one-action save or discard summary.
- Haptic type tableMaps notification, directionUp, directionDown, success, failure, retry, start, stop and click haptics to their use cases.
Frequently asked questions
What does the watchOS design skill cover?
Apple Watch design in eight sections: glanceable design, Digital Crown, navigation, complications, Always On display, workouts and health, notifications and accessibility. Rules carry codes such as W-GL-01 and include Swift examples plus anti-pattern lists.
How do I install the watchOS skill?
The README gives a skills CLI command that this page skips. Clone ehmo/platform-design-skills and copy skills/watchos into the folder your agent loads skills from. The pack names no agent folders, so check your agent's documentation for the location.
What does it say about text size?
Use large, high-contrast text with an effective body minimum of 16pt in the system font, and titles at 18pt or larger. It also asks to truncate aggressively and use SF Symbols instead of text labels when meaning is unambiguous.
How should complications be built?
Support at least accessoryCircular, accessoryCorner and accessoryRectangular through WidgetKit on watchOS 9 and later. Provide tinted and full-color variants, update through TimelineProvider with future entries, and make taps open a relevant context.
What does it require for Always On?
Remove animations and secondary UI in the dimmed state, hide sensitive data such as messages and health details, update no more than once per minute, and use the system dimming. Test both states so the layout does not jump.
Does it include workout guidance?
Yes. It asks for large live metrics, haptics at milestones, auto-pause for running and walking, WaterLock during swimming and a clear summary screen where the user saves or discards the workout in one action.
Does it work with Claude and other agents?
The README says skills activate automatically when agents detect platform-relevant tasks and does not list supported agents. The folder follows the SKILL.md format with an AGENTS.md file, so Claude or another agent that reads it should work.
What license covers it?
The repository is MIT licensed according to GitHub metadata and the README. Keep the license text with any copy you place in another repository or share with a team, so the terms travel with the folder.