From Idea to Interface: Designing iOS 26 Screens with Liquid Glass Design

With iOS 26's Liquid Glass design language set to revolutionize mobile interfaces this fall, designers face a unique challenge: how do you transform a simple app idea into a stunning, functional interface that leverages Apple's most advanced UI system yet?

The traditional flat design process won't cut it anymore. Liquid Glass demands a completely reimagined approach that considers transparency, depth, dynamic adaptation, and contextual awareness from the very first sketch.

Whether you’re planning your next iOS app or want to refresh an existing one, designing for iOS 26 starts with wireframes. In this post, we’ll show you how to go from idea to interface using MockFlow’s new iOS 26 UI Kit, purpose-built to help you visualize Liquid Glass designs instantly.

Phase 1: Ideation Meets Reality

Understanding Your Glass Canvas

Before diving into wireframes, you need to grasp what makes iOS 26 fundamentally different. Unlike traditional interfaces with solid backgrounds and opaque elements, Liquid Glass creates a living, breathing interface that adapts to multiple variables simultaneously.

What is Liquid Glass Design?

Liquid Glass design is Apple’s new visual language introduced in iOS 26. It combines the clarity and translucency of glass with fluid, dynamic motion to create interfaces that feel more layered, immersive, and modern. It's not just about aesthetics - it’s about crafting a more intuitive and spatial interface that adapts seamlessly to user interactions.

Think of your interface as existing in a three-dimensional space rather than a flat canvas. Your UI elements don't just sit "on top" of content - they interact with, reflect, and refract the environment around them.

Image credit/Source: Apple website

Key areas where Liquid Glass adapts include:

1. Background content – Whether it's wallpapers, videos, or in-app visuals, the glass layer shifts appearance based on what's behind it.
2. User behavior – Interfaces react to scrolling speed, touch gestures, and navigation patterns, creating a more fluid experience.
3. Environmental factors – Lighting conditions, time of day, and device orientation can influence transparency and blur levels.
4. Content density – Sparse layouts vs. dense screens prompt different levels of opacity and layering to maintain clarity.
5. Device capabilities – The design adjusts based on screen type, available processing power, or battery-saving modes.

Real-World Examples:

1. A music app's controls that shift color temperature to match album artwork
2. Navigation elements that become more opaque when overlaying complex imagery
3. Text that automatically adjusts weight and size based on background contrast
4. Interactive elements that pulse subtly to maintain visibility in changing contexts n

Phase 2: Research and Planning

The UX research and planning begins with studying Apple's native app implementations to understand proven Liquid Glass patterns. Safari demonstrates full-screen content with floating, color-adaptive navigation; Camera showcases simplified interfaces with transparent overlays that don't obstruct core functionality; and Music integrates artist animations with dynamic controls that reflect album artwork.

Beyond Apple's examples, designers must analyze how different app categories will adapt - considering whether social media apps can maintain usability with transparent overlays over user-generated content, if productivity apps can preserve complex interface functionality with glass effects, and how gaming apps might use transparency to enhance immersion rather than hinder gameplay.

Phase 3: Wireframing for Transparency

Start with the Experience: UX First, UI Later

Before applying the Liquid Glass visual treatment, it’s important to define what your app does. That starts with:

1. Identifying core user flows (e.g., onboarding, main actions, feedback)
2. Mapping screen-to-screen interactions
3. Sketching functional wireframes to layout content and actions clearly

These low-fidelity layouts act as blueprints. They should define content blocks, action placements, and flow hierarchy with minimal visual distractions. Wireframes help you iterate quickly on usability, layout, and logic - long before you start applying depth, blur, or dynamic layering.

Only when these wireframes are solid should you begin thinking about the new visual rules that Liquid Glass introduces.

✨ The Glass Wireframing Method

With iOS 26, traditional wireframing methods that assume flat, opaque blocks are no longer enough. Apple’s Liquid Glass design system introduces a layered, translucent UI structure that requires a more nuanced wireframing approach - one that accounts for transparency, depth, and motion. This is where the Glass Wireframing Method comes in.

Think of your screen not as a flat canvas, but as a stack of visual layers, each with a specific role and behavior. Designing with this mental model helps you better reflect the way iOS 26 renders and responds to user interaction.

1. Background Layer: This is the foundational layer containing content like wallpapers, dynamic backgrounds, or app-specific imagery. It sets the tone but stays out of the way.
2. Glass Layer: These are semi-transparent elements - panels, modals, cards, or containers that float above the background. They create spatial depth while allowing the background to show through.
3. Solid Layer: This includes critical text, icons, and buttons - elements that must always remain readable and accessible. These are often placed atop the glass for maximum contrast.
4. Dynamic Layer: Floating elements or overlays that appear or shift based on user interaction. These could include popups, alerts, and context-based tools like inline action menus.

By wireframing with these layers in mind, your design decisions become more intentional and adaptive to Apple’s Liquid Glass principles.

To make your wireframes even more useful - especially for collaboration or handoff - you can adopt a transparency notation system that indicates how opaque each element should be in the final design. This helps bridge the gap between wireframe and visual spec.

1. 100% Opacity: Use this for vital content - main text, primary CTAs, logos. These must remain crisp and readable on any background.
2. 70% Opacity: Ideal for supporting text, secondary buttons, and navigation tabs - visible but not dominant.
3. 40% Opacity: Decorative UI such as dividers, outlines, or icons that serve to guide the user visually but don’t demand attention.
4. 20% Opacity: Subtle tints, background overlays, and atmospheric visual effects that reinforce depth without adding clutter.

Using these indicators in your wireframe helps developers and visual designers interpret how to bring the layout to life while preserving the intended layering and contrast.

Phase 4: Component Selection and Design

Essential Wireframe Components for iOS 26

To effectively design within the Liquid Glass paradigm, your wireframes should consistently include these elements:

1. Glass Cards & Modals: Semi-transparent UI blocks that float above content
2. Blurred Background Zones: Areas where layered context matters (e.g., action sheets, control centers)
3. Floating CTAs: Clearly visible primary actions with strong contrast and full opacity
4. Layered Navigation Bars: With transparency or adaptive coloring based on scroll
5. Contextual Overlays: Dynamic layers that appear with interaction or gestures

MockFlow’s iOS 26 UI Kit includes all of these, pre-built with the right layering and opacity styles, so you can easily mock up your design without worrying about the technical complexity behind Liquid Glass.

MockFlow iOS26 UI Kit for wireframing

Design Tips for Liquid Glass Wireframes

Here are some quick guidelines to stay aligned with Apple’s new design principles when using MockFlow:

1. Layer Thoughtfully: Place elements in logical visual layers - headers over glass panels, cards over backgrounds - mirroring how physical objects stack.
2. Use Blur with Purpose: Apply blur effects behind interactive surfaces to enhance contrast while keeping the layout light and breathable.
3. Prioritize Content Focus: Liquid Glass works best when paired with minimal distractions. Avoid overusing borders and visual noise.
4. Design for Both Light and Dark Modes: MockFlow’s kit supports dual modes, helping you test visual fidelity across iOS themes.
5. Maintain Spatial Balance: Since Liquid Glass emphasizes depth, ensure enough spacing between components to avoid a cramped feel.

Why Start Designing for iOS 26 Now?

iOS 26 sets a new standard for how mobile apps look and behave. Early adopters of the Liquid Glass design language can:

1. Deliver more immersive app experiences
2. Stay ahead of the curve with App Store UI expectations
3. Shorten design-to-development cycles using wireframes as a single source of truth

Try It Now: Visualize Your iOS 26 App in Minutes

MockFlow’s iOS 26 UI Kit is now live and free to use in all plans, including the Basic one. Whether you're sketching a new idea or revamping your app for iOS 26, this kit gives you the speed and precision to bring Liquid Glass to life.

→ Start designing your iOS 26 screens in MockFlow today.