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Review prototypes

  1. Adobe XD User Guide
  2. Introduction
    1. What's new in Adobe XD
    2. Common questions
    3. Design, prototype, and share with Adobe XD
    4. Color Management
    5. System requirements
      1. Hardware and software requirements
      2. Adobe XD, Big Sur, and Apple silicon | macOS 11
    6. Workspace basics
    7. Change app language in Adobe XD
    8. Access UI design kits
    9. Accessibility in Adobe XD
    10. Keyboard shortcuts
    11. Tips and tricks
  3. Design
    1. Artboards, guides, and layers
      1. Get started with artboards
      2. Use guides and grids
      3. Create scrollable artboards
      4. Work with layers
      5. Create scroll groups
    2. Shapes, objects, and path
      1. Select, resize, and rotate objects
      2. Move, align, distribute, and arrange objects
      3. Group, lock, duplicate, copy, and flip objects
      4. Set stroke, fill, and drop shadow for objects
      5. Create repeating elements
      6. Create perspective designs with 3D transforms
      7. Edit objects using Boolean operations
    3. Text and fonts
      1. Work with drawing and text tools
      2. Fonts in Adobe XD
    4. Components and states
      1. Work with components
      2. Work with nested components
      3. Add multiple states to components
    5. Masking and effects
      1. Create a mask with shapes
      2. Work with blur effects
      3. Create and modify gradients
      4. Apply blend effects
    6. Layout
      1. Responsive resize and constraints
      2. Set fixed padding for components and groups
      3. Create dynamic designs with stacks
    7. Videos and Lottie animations
      1. Work with videos
      2. Create prototypes using videos
      3. Work with Lottie animations
  4. Prototype
    1. Create interactive prototypes
    2. Animate prototypes
    3. Object properties supported for auto-animate
    4. Create prototypes with keyboard and gamepad
    5. Create prototypes using voice commands and playback
    6. Create timed transitions
    7. Add overlays
    8. Design voice prototypes
    9. Create anchor links
    10. Create hyperlinks
    11. Preview designs and prototypes
  5. Share, export, and review
    1. Share selected artboards
    2. Share designs and prototypes
    3. Set access permissions for links
    4. Work with prototypes
    5. Review prototypes
    6. Work with design specs
    7. Share design specs
    8. Inspect design specs
    9. Navigate design specs
    10. Review and comment design specs
    11. Export design assets
    12. Export and download assets from design specs
    13. Group sharing for enterprise
    14. Back up or transfer XD assets
  6. Design systems
    1. Design systems with Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Work with document assets in Adobe XD
    3. Work with Creative Cloud Libraries in Adobe XD
    4. Migrate from linked assets to Creative Cloud Libraries
    5. Work with design tokens 
    6. Use assets from Creative Cloud Libraries
  7. Cloud documents
    1. Cloud documents in Adobe XD
    2. Collaborate and coedit designs
    3. Coedit documents shared with you
  8. Integrations and plugins
    1. Work with external assets
    2. Work with design assets from Photoshop
    3. Copy and paste assets from Photoshop
    4. Import or open Photoshop designs
    5. Work with Illustrator assets in Adobe XD
    6. Open or import Illustrator designs
    7. Copy vectors from Illustrator to XD
    8. Plugins for Adobe XD
    9. Create and manage plugins
    10. Jira integration for XD
    11. Slack plugin for XD
    12. Zoom plug-in for XD
    13. Publish design from XD to Behance
  9. XD for iOS and Android
    1. Preview on mobile devices
    2. Adobe XD on mobile FAQ
  10. Troubleshooting
    1. Known and fixed issues
      1. Known issues
      2. Fixed issues
    2. Installation and updates
      1. XD appears as not compatible on Windows
      2. Error code 191
      3. Error code 183
      4. Issues installing XD plugins
      5.  Prompt to uninstall and reinstall XD on Windows 10
      6. Issues with preferences migration
    3. Launch and crash
      1.  XD crashes when launched on Windows 10
      2.  XD quits when you sign out of Creative Cloud
      3. Issue with subscription status on Windows
      4. Blocked-app warning when launching  XD on Windows
      5. Crash dump generation on Windows
      6. Crash log collection and sharing
    4. Cloud documents and Creative Cloud Libraries
      1. Issues with XD cloud documents
      2. Issues with linked components
      3. Issues with libraries and links
    5. Prototype, publish, and review
      1. Unable to record prototype interactions on macOS Catalina
      2. Issues with publish workflows
      3. Published  links do not appear in browsers
      4. Prototypes do not render correctly in browsers
      5. Commenting panel suddenly showing up on shared links
      6. Unable to publish libraries
    6. Import, export, and working with other apps
      1. Import and export in XD
      2. Photoshop files in XD
      3. Illustrator files in XD
      4. Export to After Effects from XD
      5. Sketch files in XD
      6. Third-party apps not visible in Export

Reviewing prototypes shared by designers.

The review workflow

Adobe XD facilitates easy collaboration between designers and reviewers on shared prototypes.

After a designer is done with the design process, they can create a private or a public web link to the prototype and send it to the reviewer. The reviewer annotates the prototype with their feedback. 

The designer can view the feedback, make changes, and if necessary send the prototype or web link to the reviewer for a second look. 

For more information on the workflow, see The reviewer workflow.

Designer-Reviewer workflow
Designer-Reviewer workflow

The reviewer workflow

You can comment on designs and prototypes without signing in at the first instance. 

If the prototype is protected by a password, enter the password to view the prototype.

Entering a password to view a password protected prototype
Entering a password to view a password protected prototype

 If password is entered multiple times in a short span of time, malicious activity is suspected, and reCAPTCHA will get activated.

After you are signed in, click the View Comments icon to open the comments panel. 

  1. To sign in using Adobe ID, click Sign In and provide your Adobe credentials.

    To sign in as a guest, click Sign in as a Guest at the top of the comments panel. When prompted to provide a name, type a name, and enter the CAPTCHA code.

  2. Use the following tools to get the best viewing experience:

    • Hotspot hints: Hotspot hints are available for anyone viewing a shared prototype. These hints indicate the elements that are interactive, which the reviewers need to click. The hints appear when you click a space in the artboard where there is no interactive element.
      Note: These hints do not appear if the designer has disabled them while sharing the prototype.
    • Full-screen mode: View prototypes in full-screen in the browser and in Preview mode. Click the Full-screen icon on the upper right corner of the screen while viewing the shared prototype. The prototype then expands to fill the entire screen, allowing you to see all the design details clearly. To exit full-screen mode, press Esc.
    Drag the pin to a specific portion of the canvas, and type in a comment
    Drag the pin to a specific portion of the canvas, and type in a comment

  3. Type in comments at the top of the comment panel. To add a new line to the comment, press Shift + Enter.

    You can also switch from a regular comment to a pinned comment. A commenting notification email provides a direct link to the artboard where a comment is made, and not just the home artboard.

    XD assigns a number to every pinned comment. The comments in the comments panel also reflect these numbers allowing designers to easily identify the context of the comment.

    If you type a comment in the edit field and add a pin, and then navigate to another artboard, the comment field is empty for the other artboards. When you return back to the original artboard, the comment and pin are preserved. You can also use Cancel to cancel an added comment in the comment field.

     To move a pin after you place it, drag it to another place on the canvas. You can only move pins that you have placed.

    Unresolving a comment
    Unresolving a comment

    The author can view the comments and mark them as resolved when done. You can check your resolved comments by clicking the Filter icon, and selecting Resolved.  If you think your comment has been wrongly marked as resolved, you can click Move to Unresolved to keep the comment open.

    The author, and reviewers can reply to comments added by other reviewers. When you reply to a reviewer's comment, the reviewer receives a notification through mail, and from the Creative Cloud desktop app. When the notification is clicked, it directs them to the referenced artboard.

    The author can delete comments from reviewers, or replies on the comments. The author can also use @mention to display users invited to access a private invite design. In the case of public prototypes and design specs, only users who have commented at least once, appear in the reviewer list. When you use @mention the reviewer receives a notification through mail, and from the Creative Cloud desktop app. When the notification is clicked, it directs the reviewer to the referenced artboard.

    @mention hint dialog box provides the following options:

    • Public link: Lists the reviewers who have commented in the prototype or design specs at least once.
    • Private link: Lists the stakeholders who have been invited to prototype or design specs link.

View all comments across multiple artboards

The view all screen comments feature in Adobe XD makes it much easier to manage stakeholder feedback in prototypes and design specs. You can now view all comments in a single list, and click an individual comment to go right to the affected artboard and reply, resolve, or delete the comment.

Use the All Screen Comments toggle button at the lower-left corner of the commenting panel to list comments added across multiple artboards in a single view. The toggle is turned on by default in a published design specs or prototype link.

View comments across multiple artboards
View comments across multiple artboards

A. View comments B. All Screen Comments toggle button C. Filter comments 

Comments are displayed for each artboard separately along with artboard name. All artboards where comments have been added are displayed in this All Screen Comments view. The blue highlight on the left indicates comments for current artboard. Clicking a comment set that is not for current artboard will take you to that artboard to set the context first. You can then reply, resolve, or delete an individual comment for that set.

The number 3 on top of notification icon on upper-right corner of the commenting panel indicates unresolved comments across multiple artboards.

You can now choose to filter some of the comments based on reviewer names, time, or status of comments. Click the funnel icon at the lower-right corner of commenting panel to filter comments.

  • Reviewers filter displays names of all reviewers who added comments on a prototype or design specs link. Click a reviewer name to filter the comments specific to that reviewer.
  • Time filter options are TodayYesterdayLast 7 days, or Older.
  • In Status filter, you can use Resolved to view only the list of all resolved comments.

A blue dot on top of the funnel icon indicates that a filter is active. Click Clear to remove the filter on comments.

Filter comments
Filter comments

A. Filter comments by reviewers B. Filter comments by time C. Filter comments by status D. Clear applied filter E. Filter applied 

You can turn off the All Screen Comments toggle to view the comments specific to the current artboard. To view comments on per-artboard basis, you can toggle the All Screen Comments off anytime by clicking the icon next to it. 

Move pins

You can click the pin numbers on artboard and drag them to any other appropriate portion on the canvas.

  • Hover mouse on the pin in an artboard. 
  • Click the pin when a crossbar appears on top of it and move it to your desired location on the artboard.
Move pins
Move pins

Reply, resolve, or delete comments

You can open the shared link on the web browser to resolve, delete, or reply to comments.

  • Hover the mouse over a comment and click it to set the context for a current artboard. Click Reply to respond to a comment. A number on top of Reply link indicates the number of replies received for a comment.
  • After fixing the comment, click Resolve to indicate that the comment has been resolved. Your reviewer can also click Resolve to indicate that a comment has been fixed. As a designer, you can click Unresolved to reopen a comment.
  • Click delete icon to delete any unwanted comments.
Resolve, delete, or reply to comments
Resolve, delete, or reply to comments

A. Reply to a comment B. Delete comment C. Edit comment D. Pin comment E. Resolve a comment 

How do you work with prototypes that are privately shared with you (Preview)?

Designers and reviewers can access private prototypes and design specs from the Shared with You (Preview) section of Your Work. Shared with You also shows private artifacts and shared folders. 

For more information on using Your Work as an enterprise customer, see Asset settings.

Designers and reviewers have a different user experience in the Your Work section of Creative Cloud based on their roles. 

If you are a designer, you can view the following extra options in Your Work:

  • Shared with You (Preview): Displays the prototypes and design specs that have been shared with you for review.
  • Published: Shows a list of your published prototype and design specs links.

If you are a reviewer, you can view only the following options in Your Work:

  • Shared with You (Preview): Shows a simplified stakeholder experience that displays the prototypes and design specs shared with the stakeholder for review. You can also click the ellipses next to the shared prototype name and opt to remove the prototype or design specs and leave the review cycle.
  • Files: Shows an empty folder unless you have received files for review from the reviewer or if you have uploaded and managed your assets on the Creative Cloud.

This view helps the reviewers focus on their main task of reviewing and commenting on the artifacts  shared with them.

 This feature is applicable only for the private links of design specs and prototypes shared with the reviewers.

Share with you section
Share with you section

Designer workflow

  1. After creating a private link, select Open in browser icon in the Invite tab to automatically sign you into the web view of the asset.

  2. Click Your Work on the upper left corner of the screen to automatically display the Published view in Your Work showing your prototypes and design specs.

    Designer view
    Designer view

  3. Press the browser back button to navigate to the web view of the prototype.

Reviewer workflow

  1. Click the link received in the review workflow mail to access the prototype for commenting (if you are logged in with your Adobe ID).

     Though you do not require a paid Adobe ID to access the prototype, ensure that you have signed in to your Adobe account with the same email address from the review workflow mail.

  2. Click Shared Items in the web view of the prototype or design specs to direct you to the Your Work section of Creative Cloud. If your Creative Cloud account is mapped to the email address, or if you are already logged into your Creative Cloud account, you are automatically directed to Your Work.

  3. The reviewer view in Your Work displays the Shared with You (Preview) and Files options. You can also click the ellipses next to the shared prototype name and opt to remove the prototype or design specs and leave the review cycle.

Learn more

To learn more about reviewing prototypes in XD, watch this video.
Viewing time: 3 minutes

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