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Is Adobe XD Only For Prototyping?
Designers will select from a plethora of UX develop techniques for anything from creating a seamless design environment to developing flows for the next device breakthrough or prototyping dynamic interfaces for consumer research. If it’s one of the more common programmes like Sketch, web-based Figma, the increasingly growing Adobe XD, or the newly-introduced InVision Studio—acquaintance with the right UX design software, like this Adobe XD analysis, would speed up the product design phase. Learn Adobe programs through our online graphic design course at Blue Sky Graphics.
Selecting the Best UX Design Tool
When contemplating the resources that designers use, it is necessary to recognise that designers’ roles change and grow on a daily basis. Few people really realised what a customer interface designer does 6-7 years ago. Nowadays, any designer is supposed to conduct consumer testing, prototyping, and competitive analysis.
These developments had an effect on how designers can handle their workflow, domain awareness, strategies, and software. Clients now want not only a finished end product, but also everything from wireframing to prototyping to a seamlessly animating user interface.
Growing your field of knowledge is no longer just a way to earn more money; it is also a career necessity. New product design methods generally involve the usage of new technologies, which necessitates designers spending time studying how to use them—hence the dramatic proliferation of new design tools in recent years.
A mock-up of Adobe XD
Designers no longer focus on Photoshop as their primary develop method. It is now a race for app platform programmers to draw both newcomers and experts. Sketch has been a big player for many years, and Figma, which has raised more than £46 million in funding, is catching up with its web-based immersive prototyping platform.
InVision, a prototyping forum, recently agreed to reach the market with its own modelling method, InVision Studio. It didn’t progress as quickly as everybody had anticipated, but although Studio appears to be solid, it’s still quite underwhelming and famously buggy after the initial publicity.
Adobe has fallen back in the search for the ultimate UX/UI interface platform since dominating the digital design universe for too long. Not being able to remain in that spot for long… join Adobe XD. While being a little late to the chase, Adobe XD has risen in prominence and has emerged as a viable competitor since its initial release in 2016.
Adobe XD Review: Advantages and Disadvantages
Some could claim that Adobe is a fossil, incapable of being as agile as its younger competitors. However, a business like Adobe has the resources to grow efficiently, as well as the financial flexibility to render learning Adobe XD a worthy investment. This is a significant benefit, rendering Adobe XD very useful and perhaps the leading UX modelling platform in the future.
A peek at Adobe XD
The Adobe Product Library Manager streamlines the process of developing design artefacts.
Before we get into the features of Adobe XD, let’s take a step back and question ourselves, “Is it really worth the time to acquire a new tool that has identical capabilities to the software we already know?” Let’s look at four metrics and find out: price, ease of use, environment, and market share.
The price
One of the reasons for the early popularity of industry classics like Sketch and Figma was their relative affordability. Adobe XD is included in the Adobe Artistic Cloud package, which includes access to over 20 applications for £50 per month, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro, so it’s impossible to tell the difference. When you already have a membership, it may be difficult to justify spending that much money on trying a different tool.
In May 2018, Adobe published a starter kit that allows you to use Adobe XD for free! It only has one current project, so it’s a perfect way to test the waters and see what it has to bring.
Ease of Implementation
The basic interface of an Adobe system is common to most visual designers: tool panel on the left, main area in the centre, levels, and so on the right. Adobe XD has the bonus of helping you feel at home straight away. The learning curve is soft, with more complex interface schemes and icon overrides becoming the priority.
Adobe XD, along with identical applications, can accommodate complex design schemes and symbol libraries. It also includes specific tools for connecting screens and creating immersive prototypes that can be included in user testing without the usage of any code. By animating micro-interactions via artboards, the new version of auto-animate in Adobe XD makes prototyping rich interactions even easier.
Prototypes produced in Adobe XD
Adobe XD can construct auto-animate transformations using a drag motion.
Adobe XD’s operating climate
Using Adobe XD in the Adobe group is one of the main selling points, particularly if you still have Creative Cloud or use other Adobe applications on a weekly basis. The Adobe product suite has a dedicated tool for most artist needs that fits well for Adobe XD, from vectors to images.
Share of the Market Adobe XD had a poor business share in 2017 and was unable to cope with Sketch’s domination. After two years, Adobe has caught up (with over 12 million Creative Cloud subscribers) and has shown considerable potential for further exponential development.
To return to the question of whether mastering a modern construction method is worthwhile, consider this: whether you have a hammer, you can hammer in a nail but not a screw—and you never know when you would need to pull a screw. The likelihood of encountering a team or client that only uses Adobe goods will rise as Adobe XD becomes more popular. The more expertise a designer has, the more design projects they can carry on and the more individuals with whom they will be able to work effectively.
Adding to the Toolkit of a Designer
Designers who work with a number of organisations and on a variety of initiatives would inevitably need a varied collection of problem-solving skills. You would have a huge benefit over other candidates if you have a bigger design toolbox. This is especially true for freelancers who work for new clients every few months—a project requiring technical knowledge of a certain design method can arise at any time. Due to a lack of experience with the form, there could be a loss of opportunities for contact.
It’s debatable whether a designer can focus on broadening their repertoire or honing a specific specialisation. There’s no reason not to leap in and expand your horizons with Adobe XD, which is fast, easy, and easy to learn.
