App Design Guidelines

Shopify’s App Design Guidelines show you what great Shopify apps look like and how they’re crafted. These guidelines remove the guesswork, so you can build apps that are predictable and easy to use.

Apps that follow the App Design Guidelines, and meet other applicable criteria, are eligible for Built for Shopify status.

We base our design guidelines on some basic principles. These principles, supported by clear directives, help ensure better app experiences for merchants.

Purpose-built

Each app’s layout, style, and feature set should be optimized for a specific merchant segment. Your app should equip merchants with the tools to meet their unique needs, based on what they sell and who they sell to. Specialized apps provide more value than generic apps.

Streamlined with the Shopify admin

Merchants expect a predictable user experience that works like the rest of the Shopify admin. Put merchant needs and context ahead of trying to make your app unique just for the sake of being different.

Adaptive

With the majority of online store traffic happening on mobile, designing for mobile devices must be at the forefront of the app building process.

Accessible

To provide a great experience for all Shopify merchants and their customers, apps must be built using accessibility best practices.

There are distinct directives that you must follow to meet the App Design Guideline standards. Some directives also determine if your app will be approved in the Shopify App Store.

Shopify App Store requirements

Follow these requirements or your app will be rejected from the Shopify App Store.

Mandatory

Follow these requirements to meet design quality standards and pass the App Design Guidelines review process.

Caution

Some design decisions come with limits and consequences. These are acceptable, but be cautious and intentional when implementing them.

Unacceptable

If your app contains any behaviors, patterns, or content that’s marked as Unacceptable, then your app won’t pass the App Design Guidelines review process.

Apps are a crucial part of the Shopify ecosystem. They enable merchants to add functionality to their stores without leaving the familiar environment of the Shopify admin.

Using Shopify App Bridge, you can create apps directly inside the Shopify admin. A single front end written with Shopify App Bridge can power point-of-sale, desktop, and mobile experiences. Apps built with Shopify App Bridge are more performant, flexible, and have more features.

By building with Shopify App Bridge and following these App Design Guidelines, you’ll create a streamlined experience with the rest of the Shopify admin.

Start building now

Learn about some of the patterns, components, and features that are common in Shopify apps by building an example app.

The NavigationMenu App Bridge component being showcased next to its code equivalent.