Table of Contents
Do UX Designers Use Mac Or Windows?
There has always been a sizable majority of individuals who favour Mac to Windows when it comes to UX Design. The primary reason for this is that Mac-specific programmes, such as Sketch discourage users from switching to Windows. However, with the introduction of new design tools and the proliferation of web-based products such as Figma — which can be used on either Mac or Windows — is Mac still the ideal tool to use as a designer? Consider the following:
Applications
A UX Designer uses a variety of tools for creating, including Sketch, Figma, Axure, Adobe XD, InVision, and Principle, to name a few. Only two of the six programmes mentioned are Mac-exclusive — Sketch and Principle. Windows supports the remaining four. As Axure and Adobe XD are to Principle, Figma is an excellent alternative to Sketch. Although many employers prefer that you are familiar with Sketch, you may quickly pick it up if you understand how Figma works (vice versa).
Cost
Both Mac and Windows are capable of running the design tools required (such as Figma and Adobe XD), and it is only an issue of portability at this point — since one is a desktop (PC) and the other is a notebook (Mac).
Exhibit
While MacBooks feature an excellent retina display capable of displaying extremely brilliant and vibrant colours, you may spend the additional money saved by constructing your own PC or purchasing a pre-built PC on a better IPS screen that is also larger to work with.
In conclusion, you may use either the industry-standard — Mac or Windows — for UX design since both are viable alternatives. As more design tools become more accessible and web-based, it should make little difference whatever operating system you use. It is all about personal choice and mobility. Both would be acceptable in the field of UX Design, despite the fact that Mac is the de facto norm in many businesses. To learn UX design and graphic design, check out Blue Sky Graphics online graphic design courses!
Tools needed by UX designers
A user experience designer needs a variety of tools to complete the many phases of the user experience process, from research to design to prototyping and handoff. If you work on a PC, you are undoubtedly plagued by the continuous mention of Sketch, a popular, streamlined vector graphics editor with an abundance of helpful plugins that is rapidly becoming an industry standard—but is only accessible on Mac OS. This implies that you are out of luck unless you own an Apple computer. However, Adobe is currently actively developing a true cross-platform Sketch rival (and lookalike?): Adobe XD.
What Is Adobe XD?
Adobe Experience Design CC, abbreviated as Adobe XD, is a free vector graphics editor and prototype application that was unveiled as Project Comet at Adobe MAX 2015. The programme was initially released in preview in March 2016 as part of the Creative Cloud and is still in beta, getting upgrades practically monthly.
Previously, Adobe focused on enhancing established tools like Photoshop and Illustrator with capabilities for UX designers. While both are excellent pieces of software, none is lightweight or streamlined for this sort of work. Over time — and particularly when Adobe Fireworks (the iconic web-based prototype tool purchased from Macromedia) was deprecated in 2013 — an increasing number of UX designers believed that the Creative Cloud did not live up to market expectations. As a result, they jumped to Sketch (if they had a Mac). While Adobe’s answer to this huge migration was rather late (Bohemian Coding debuted Sketch six years ago), the wait was well worth it, especially if you have been forced to use less-than-ideal tools on your PC. Consider the following comparison between Adobe XD with Sketch.
The User Interface and Special Features
When you first launch Adobe XD, the UI will feel extremely familiar, both to Sketch users and long-time Adobe aficionados. Adobe deviated from the anticipated darker buttons and menus in the Creative Cloud, opting instead to provide the best of both worlds. Unlike Sketch, you will see a toolbar on the left, but also the larger layers panel and dynamic properties on the right. It is simple to use and quick to master, regardless of the prior tool you used.
Repeat Grid
Adobe XD has several unique capabilities, such as the Repeat Grid, which enables you to repeat a collection of objects, such as a Material Design card, with changeable data and customisable spacing between the copies.
As with Sketch, you may develop an interactive prototype with XD without the need of third-party plugins. Using wires and transitions, the Adobe prototype editor enables designers to link interactive sections to other panels graphically. Once the interactive prototype is complete, you can publish and share it through the web or via the Adobe XD mobile app. However, XD prototypes lack functionality for gestures and fixed parts like headers, which are available in InVision and other prototype-only tools that integrate with Sketch.
Adobe XD Assets Panel
Adobe included the Assets panel in the August 2017 update, a creative method to organise an interactive style guide containing colours, character styles, and symbols. When you make a modification in the Assets panel, it affects all instances of the object in your artwork. Additionally, Sketch has colour variables, character styles, and symbols, each of which is stored within its own panel.
Changing the Assets panel’s components modifies the entire project.
Adobe revealed many upcoming features for XD on its official blog. One of them enhances the Assets function by allowing the designer to publish the project’s style guide, which includes downloadable fonts, assets, and colour hexadecimal codes, in addition to the interactive prototype and an inspection tool that allows developers to examine the prototype’s features. This is referred to as the “handoff for developers,” and it is currently feasible in Sketch (and Photoshop) with the help of plugins. Another upcoming feature promised is real-time collaboration within XD, which is similar to the collaboration function offered in Google Docs and other UX design tools such as Figma.
