Adobe XD enables UX designers design interactive user experiences for web and mobile apps using a single app.
You can design quick and simple designs on artboards in XD. Then wire the artboards together to create an interactive prototype that you can share and iterate with stakeholders. You can also use plugins to automate repeat operations or parts of designer workflows that are tedious, complex, or repetitive.
Adobe XD integrates well with Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects.
You can continue designing in your preferred applications, bring the assets into XD, and then use XD to create and share prototypes. XD supports SVG and bitmap files without any loss of fidelity. You can then enhance the assets further in Adobe XD or use them to develop interactive prototypes.
In a nutshell, the workflow can be described in the following high-level steps:
- Design: Create design layout elements, add artboards, and import resources from other applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe After Effects. You can also use plugins to automate repeat operations or parts of designer workflows that are tedious, complex or repetitive.
- Prototype: Select objects or artboards in your design and create interactions between artboards.
- Share: Once your project is ready to be reviewed, you can share prototypes or design specs, or export the project or assets with your stakeholders.
Read on for more details on designing, prototyping, and sharing in XD. You can also view the following video tutorials to get a quick glimpse of what you can do with Adobe XD.
Gather your assets in one of the following ways:
- Use Adobe XD's design tools to design your assets from scratch. For more information, see Drawing tools and Text tools.
- Copy your designs from Photoshop, Sketch, After Effects or Illustrator, and paste them into your artboard in Adobe XD. You can also import, drag, or copy and paste a JPG, SVG, PNG, or GIF file from:
- File Explorer (on Windows)
- Finder (on Mac)
- Web browser
- OS clipboard
For more information, see Working with external assets.
Note:
.PDF files cannot be opened/imported on Adobe XD.
Enhance the objects in your design. For example, combine or mask objects, change stroke and fill properties, use overlay to stack content on top of a base artboard, and move or rotate objects or use responsive resize to design assets for multiple screen sizes and layouts. Use linked assets to create and maintain a single version for UI kits, sticker sheets or style guides, and share them across documents for a consistent design scalability and plugins to automate repeat operations or parts of designer workflows that are tedious, complex, or repetitive.
For more information, see:
- Select, resize, and rotate objects
- Combine objects using Boolean operations and mask objects with shapes
- Group, lock, and duplicate objects
- Move, align, distribute, and arrange objects
- Set stroke, fill, and drop shadow for objects
- Use responsive resize and constraints
- Create and manage plugins
- Use linked components
Lay out repeating elements effortlessly using the Repeat Grid feature to create a grid out of existing content without duplicating them manually. For more information, see Create repeating elements.
Use plugins to automate repeat operations or parts of designer workflows that are tedious, complex, or repetitive. For more information, see Create and manage plugins.
Add more artboards for each of the screens you need in your prototype. For more information, see Working with artboards.
You can create interactive prototypes by using voice capabilities, auto-animate, drag gestures, and timed transitions. For more information, see Voice design and prototyping in XD, Create prototypes using auto-animate and drag gestures, and Use timed transitions.
You can preview the interactivity in prototypes and while previewing, record the interaction as an MP4 file.
Link artboards:
To link artboards or set up interactivity, select the artboard or an object and click the arrow on the right. A wire appears. Simply drag and connect the wire to another object or artboard. In the pop-up window that appears, specify the transition options and the duration for the transition.
You can also use overlay to simulate the concept of transitions without duplicating content across multiple artboards.
For detailed information, see Create interactive prototypes.
Preview and record prototypes:
Click the Preview icon on the upper right of the application. XD displays a preview screen that allows you to view and navigate the different pages. The Preview screen has a Record icon that allows you to record the flow between pages and save it in MP4 format.
For more information, see Preview and record interactions.
Note:
Recording prototypes is not supported in Adobe XD on Windows. However, there's a workaround. Press the Windows + G keys and use the native recorder to record the Preview screen.
Share prototypes with project stakeholders using one of the following ways:
- Publish prototypes to the web, and provide a web link or a private invite (Preview) for stakeholders to view or comment on your prototype. You can also generate embed code that can be used to embed the prototype in any website that supports iFrames. For more information, see Publish prototypes.
- Publish design specs and provide a web link or a private invite (Preview) to developers. Developers can inspect the design spec for measurements, colors, and character styles, and copy them. For more information, see Publish design specs for developers.
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