Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a vector-based user experience design tool for web apps and mobile apps, developed and published by Adobe Inc. It is available for macOS and Windows, although there are versions for iOS and Android to help preview the result of work directly on mobile devices. Adobe XD supports website wireframing and creating click-through prototypes.[1]
Adobe XD running on macOS Catalina | |
Developer(s) | Adobe Systems |
---|---|
Stable release | 36.1
/ January 2021 |
Operating system |
|
Platform | x64, ARM64 |
Available in | English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese |
Type | User interface builder |
License | Trialware |
Website | adobe |
History
Adobe first announced they were developing a new interface design and prototyping tool under the name "Project Comet" at the Adobe MAX conference in October 2015. This was in response to the rising popularity of Sketch, a UX and UI design-focused vector editor released in 2010.[2]
The first public beta was released for macOS as "Adobe Experience Design CC" to anyone with an Adobe account on March 14, 2016.[1] A beta of Adobe XD was released for Windows 10 on December 13, 2016.[3] On October 18, 2017, Adobe announced that Adobe XD was out of beta.[4]
Features
Adobe XD creates user interfaces for mobile and web apps. Many features in XD were previously either hard to use or nonexistent in other Adobe applications like Illustrator or Photoshop.[5]
- Repeat grid: Helps creating a grid of repeating items such as lists, and photo galleries.
- Prototype and animation: Creates animated prototypes through linking artboards. These prototypes can be previewed on supported mobile devices.
- Interoperability: XD supports and can open files from Illustrator, Photoshop, Photoshop Sketch, and After Effects. In addition to the Adobe Creative Cloud, XD can also connect to other tools and services such as Slack and Microsoft Teams to collaborate. XD is also able to auto adjust and move smoothly from macOS to Windows. For security, prototypes can be sent with password protections to ensure full disclosure.[6]
- Voice design: Apps can be designed using voice commands. In addition, what users create for smart assistants can be previewed as well.
- Components: Users can create components (previously known as symbols) to create logos, buttons and other assets for reuse. Their appearance can change with the context where they are used.
- Responsive resize: Responsive resize automatically adjusts and sizes pictures and other objects on the artboards. This allows the user to have their content automatically adjusted for different screens for different sized platforms such as mobile phones and PCs.
- Plugins: XD is compatible with custom plugins that add additional features and uses. Plugins range from design to functionality, automation and animation.
References
- Lardinois, Frederic (March 14, 2016). "Adobe launches Experience Design CC, a new tool for UX designers". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- Rhodes, Margaret (October 18, 2015). "Adobe's Project Comet Is a Start-to-Finish UX Design App". Wired. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- Hassan, Mehedi (December 13, 2016). "Adobe XD now available to Windows 10 users in beta". MSPoweruser. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- Lardinois, Frederic (October 18, 2017). "Adobe's XD prototyping and wireframing tool is now out of beta". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- "Adobe XD. The New Hope". Futurice. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- "Create and share designs, layouts, and prototypes quickly | Adobe XD CC". www.adobe.com. Retrieved 2019-02-14.