Although I haven’t had Adobe XD for very long, it has quickly become my new standard for any UI/UX design projects. I enjoy using it just as much as the work that is created with it. Below are some of my favorite features, along with the benefits of using Adobe XD.
User Interface:
Adobe XD has a wonderful UI that is easy to learn and doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary features and tools built in. Every feature has been well thought out by the Adobe XD design team for the sole purpose of designing for UI/UX and web design.
Screen Sizes:
XD comes with device size templates so you can easily choose the screen size you want to start with. Once you open it, it has a built-in guide that tells you exactly where the fold line would be on the device.
Assets:
With assets, you can create a full design system to use throughout your project including colors, character styles and components (formerly symbols). Once you have a design system in place, you can easily edit any of these elements and it will update throughout your design.
Components:
As mentioned above, components are an asset type that can easily be changed throughout your design once established. However, another great feature for components is that you can drag and drop new instances of your component from the asset panel (such as a button or graphic card) and either edit just that instance or edit the master component which will update all instances of that element.
Prototyping:
Previewing your work is better than ever with XD. You can easily create links from one artboard to another to showcase how the site or app should work. An easy record feature allows you to make a quick video with the animations and functionality of the design to present to clients.
Sharing:
The share feature allows you to create a link to the working prototype and easily send to your clients to let them move around the site mockup as if it were already built.
Exporting for Development:
Along with sharing for clients, XD has a feature built in to share the design specs for your development team. With the design spec link, developers can easily download all assets and see all dimensions throughout the work so your vision is communicated accurately.
Plugins:
There are many plugins that are great for speeding up your workflow. Some of my favorites are Maps generator (easily find locations and drop in maps in your work) and unDraw (an app that allows you to find illustrations for your design that are completely customizable).
Animations:
XD finds the differences between artboards and auto animates them when you preview your work. You can choose from a couple different options to show small animations such as slide and ease-in & out motions.
Cross platform support:
Another feature I love is that you can easily create vector elements in illustrator and copy and paste them to XD. The work stays live so you can easily change colors and sizing. You can also open your .psd files right into XD and edit them easier (and faster) than opening them in photoshop.
Speedy workflow:
XD is super fast and you never have to wait for something to load. You can create as many artboards to your heart’s content without worrying about slowing down the program, which is great for trying a quick new look to see if it works or doesn’t.
While these are just some of my favorite features from XD, there are still many more to discover. Adobe is also still developing XD and often release new features and updates. If you haven’t used Adobe XD, I highly recommend checking it out and seeing what all it can do. It has quickly become one of my top design programs and I can’t wait to see what future updates bring to it.