# Discord Social SDK Design Guidelines

These design guidelines provide best practices and guidelines for designing social features in your game. Following these patterns can create a seamless and engaging user experience that leverages SDK social features to enhance your game.

If you are looking for a place to get started, we recommend you start with [Principles](/guides/design-foundations-principles) or the [Getting Started](/guides/getting-started-getting-started) guide.

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Principles" href="/guides/design-foundations-principles"}
Fundamental best practices for integrating Discord's social layer into your game. These principles ensure a seamless and engaging user experience.
:::

:::card{title="Signing In" href="/guides/discord-account-linking-design-guidelines-signing-in"}
Strategies for implementing user authentication and account linking, allowing players to connect their Discord accounts with your game.
:::

:::card{title="Connection Points" href="/guides/discord-account-linking-design-guidelines-connection-points"}
Key integration points where your game can interact with Discord's services, enhancing the overall player experience through seamless connectivity.
:::

:::card{title="Branding Guidelines" href="/guides/design-foundations-branding-guidelines"}
Guidelines for using Discord's brand assets within your game, ensuring consistent and respectful representation of the Discord brand.
:::

:::card{title="Unified Friends List" href="/guides/friends-relationships-design-guidelines-unified-friends-list"}
Techniques for designing a unified friends list - allowing players to see and interact with their Discord friends directly within your game.
:::

:::card{title="Direct Messages" href="/guides/direct-messages-design-guidelines-direct-messages"}
Best practices for enabling direct messaging between players, facilitating private communication, and enhancing social interactions.
:::

:::card{title="Chat History" href="/guides/lobbies-voice-design-guidelines-chat-history"}
Best practices for implementing chat history in Discord Social SDK integrations
:::

:::card{title="Social Settings" href="/guides/design-foundations-social-settings"}
Best practices for implementing and managing access to the Discord social settings in games using the Discord Social SDK
:::

:::card{title="Provisional Accounts" href="/guides/provisional-accounts-design-guidelines-provisional-accounts"}
Designing around provisional accounts for users who prefer not to link their Discord accounts, allowing them to enjoy social features still.
:::

:::card{title="Status & Rich Presence" href="/guides/rich-presence-user-status-design-guidelines-status-rich-presence"}
Leveraging Discord's presence and rich presence features to display detailed player status and game activity for in-game social interactions.
:::

:::card{title="Consoles" href="/guides/design-foundations-consoles"}
Integrating Discord's social features on console platforms, ensuring a consistent experience across different devices.
:::

:::card{title="Game Friends" href="/guides/friends-relationships-design-guidelines-game-friends"}
Techniques for managing and displaying in-game friends, allowing players to connect and play with their Discord friends easily.
:::

:::card{title="Linked Channels" href="/guides/lobbies-voice-design-guidelines-linked-channels"}
Guidelines for linking Discord channels to your game, enabling players to connect and communicate across different platforms.
:::
::::

***

## Change Log

| Date           | Changes         |
| -------------- | --------------- |
| March 17, 2025 | initial release |

## Related pages

- [API Reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [App Fundamentals](./app-fundamentals-index.md)
- [Best Practices](./best-practices-index.md)
- [Bots & Companion Apps](./bots-companion-apps-index.md)
- [Building Games](./building-games-index.md)
- [Building on Discord](./building-on-discord-index.md)
- [Change Log](./change-log-index.md)
- [Communities & Servers](./communities-servers-index.md)
- [Components](./components-index.md)
- [Core Concepts](./core-concepts-index.md)

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