---
title: Design an app
description: ServiceNow provides a unified design system that improves usability and performance. It supports accessibility standards and ensures a consistent look and feel across the ServiceNow AI Platform.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-development/design-an-app.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Plan your app before you start building, Standard app development, Getting Started guide for developers, Building applications]
---

# Design an app

ServiceNow provides a unified design system that improves usability and performance. It supports accessibility standards and ensures a consistent look and feel across the ServiceNow AI Platform.

## Key design principles

1.  Follow ServiceNow design guidelines for consistency.
2.  Plan for responsive behavior to support multiple devices.
3.  Verify accessibility conformance for all UI elements.

For more information, see [Horizon Design System](https://horizon.servicenow.com/).

## Usage guidelines

Start with user personas to define workflows and UI needs. Avoid unnecessary custom styling to preserve governance.

**Parent Topic:**[Plan your app before you start building](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/plan-app-building.md)