What is Adobe XD?

Adobe XD is a popular user experience design application made available through the Adobe Creative Cloud. Users can build wireframe mock-ups of user interfaces using a number of tools to manipulate things like menus, functional buttons, or scrolling text and images. Then, users can convert those mock-ups into working prototypes that can be handed over to testers to experiment with and provide user feedback. The program is built for easy testing and collaboration, allowing many designers the ability to share and iterate on the same design. In this overview, you’ll learn more about Adobe XD, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it to determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with Adobe XD?

Adobe XD is a versatile page layout design application that lets users build realistic, working prototypes of web layouts for testing and collaboration. The software lets users take basic shapes, designs, and applications and build them into vibrant and memorable web page designs. The program then lets users transform those designs into working prototypes within the application so that they may test and update their designs in real-time.

The ease with which Adobe XD allows creatives to build and test designs means that it is incredibly easy to produce a prototype, share it with other users to test the prototype's functionality, and receive feedback from those tests to return to the original design for iteration. This ease assures that designers aren’t having to undertake long, arduous processes every time they want to test a new iteration of a design, meaning that they can test more frequently and with more diverse groups of users.

Creatives who are interested in entering the world of web design and user experience design will greatly benefit from learning user interface design software like Adobe XD. Anyone already familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud benefits even more from this training, as the program is built to help users build the kinds of prototypes they were already using in older programs like Photoshop.

How Do You Download Adobe XD? How Much Does it Cost?

Adobe XD is available directly through Adobe’s website. A brief free trial is available during which users can access the full program and begin experimenting with the user experience design tools available. Once the free trial has ended, users will need to sign-up for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription to continue using the program.

New Creative Cloud subscribers can choose a plan that determines how much the program will cost. Users can pay a monthly or annual subscription, and they can subscribe for a month at a time or receive a discount on a yearly subscription. The cheapest plan for receiving access to XD will cost students about $9.99 a month. Subscribers can also opt to license all of the Adobe Creative Cloud programs (including XD) for as little as $54.99 a month.

What Are the Benefits of Learning Adobe XD?

Every minute, approximately 175 new web pages are made. A strong web presence is vital for any business or organization in the modern information economy. This means that Web Designers, User Interface (UI), and User Experience (UX) Designers are in high demand. Organizations need to hire individuals to ensure their web presence consists of memorable, user-friendly, accessible web pages.

One important aspect of building these web pages is the early design process, wherein models and working prototypes are made to test the interface and provide a plan for programmers to build on. This process has been streamlined in recent years thanks to the development of dedicated web page design applications, such as Adobe XD. Designed to serve as a dedicated user interface design tool, XD incorporates many elements of older Adobe programs used to design interface layouts.

Creatives interested in entering the world of web design and user experience design will greatly benefit from learning user interface design software like Adobe XD. Anyone already familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud benefits even more from this training, as the program is built to help users build the kinds of prototypes they were already using in older programs like Photoshop.

Read more about why you should learn Adobe XD.

Adobe XD Careers

Owing to the sheer number of web pages produced and the increasing emphasis that companies and organizations place on their digital footprint, Web Designers and User Experience Designers are highly sought after in many industries. These designers work with building web pages and user interfaces for various interfaces ranging from web page navigation to digital marketplaces to video game heads-up displays. The sheer variety of digital interfaces that users interact with on a daily basis means that skilled professionals who can build those interfaces will be in high demand. Since Adobe XD was built with this large diversity of interfaces in mind, it is an ideal tool for aspiring digital designers to master in order to jump-start their careers.

Noble offers professionalization training in Adobe XD. The Adobe XD Bootcamp provides students with hands-on training in both User Interface and User Experience design. Students will learn how to use Adobe XD to build wireframe designs, optimize those designs for desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, and how to design with advanced tools such as animations and scroll groups. Through practical exercises, students will build working prototype designs and learn how to use the tools in XD to design layouts more efficiently.

For students looking to receive more in-depth professional training, Noble’s Digital Design Certificate program gives students hands-on instruction in every stage of webpage design. Students will learn how to use creative design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator to build digital assets that will be imported into Adobe XD to create functioning, interactive interface elements. Students will also receive training in the business side of web design, receive one-on-one career mentoring, and build a working portfolio of sample designs.

How to Learn Adobe XD

For many students, hands-on instruction is the best way to learn a new skill. Live Adobe XD training is available both in-person and live online, and Noble’s Classes Near Me Tool can help students locate live and online learning opportunities available to them. These live courses let students interact directly with their instructors and receive personalized feedback on their work. Hands-on learning exercises will help students master Adobe XD and prepare them for a career in web design.

On-demand courses are also available for students looking for a more flexible schedule to learn XD. These courses let students dictate the pace of their training, which can be ideal for students who have obligations that prevent them from attending in-person classes. These courses will require students to be self-motivated, as they won’t be provided tailored feedback. Students interested in on-demand learning options can utilize Noble’s website to search for on-demand XD courses.

There are also a number of free tutorials and training options available. Noble’s XD Learn page and the Web Design and Development playlist on their official YouTube channel provide users with free articles, tutorials, and videos to help them learn XD. These resources won’t be enough to replace more professional training options, but they are ideal places to begin learning XD basics.

Read the full guide on how to learn Adobe XD.

A Brief History of Adobe XD

Adobe XD, released in 2016, is a dedicated user experience design tool. For decades, users attempting to design web page layouts using Adobe products had to use either Illustrator or Photoshop, which lacked significant features since they weren’t designed with that functionality in mind. XD was created to address this concern, as it would be a program specifically designed to help users design web interfaces and layouts.

XD has received frequent updates since its release in 2016, as Adobe is attempting to close the gap between XD and its competitors. XD now boasts responsive voice integration, video playback features, and working text hyperlink prototyping. These features help make XD a complete user experience design tool.

Since it was designed with the Creative Cloud in mind, XD allows users to continue using Illustrator and Photoshop for the purposes those programs legitimately serve to build better user experience designs. Users can create illustrations and photographs that can be easily ported into XD for use as web layout assets.

Comparable Applications/Programming Languages/Fields

Unlike most Adobe applications, XD is relatively new and has come onto the market after some of its biggest competitors. Most notably, Figma and Sketch are common in web design. Noble provinces students with an article comparing XD, Figma, and Sketch to help students figure out if learning XD is the right path for them as they start training in UX/UI design skills.

The advantage of learning XD is that it is a newer program receiving fairly regular updates. While it doesn’t have the full functionality of Figma, it does have many features that Figma lacks, and new features are rolled out regularly. The other major advantage is that XD is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and has native integration with programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Users familiar with these programs may then find XD easier to learn than some of its alternatives.

Learn Adobe XD with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble offers a number of online options for Adobe XD training. For novice users, the Adobe XD in a Day course provides students with training in the program's basic features, such as how to build a simple wireframe layout and collaborate with other designers. This course is designed to give students the required knowledge to learn more advanced XD skills at their own pace. Adobe XD Advanced offers students this advanced training, building on existing XD skills to teach students how to use scroll groups, animations, and sound effects to create dynamic and complex design prototypes. These courses can be taken together in the Adobe XD Bootcamp.

Noble also offers career-focused training through their Digital Design Certificate and Web Design Certificate programs. These immersive courses teach students the skills they will need in future careers as Digital Designers and Web Designers. The Digital Design Certificate program focuses more on web design's creative and visual side, teaching students how to design assets in Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign to be imported into XD for use in a web layout. The Web Design Certificate focuses on the technical side of the field, teaching students how to code in HTML/CSS and JavaScript to turn their designs into functioning web interfaces.

These certificate programs teach students who want to enter the UX/UI design industry. They come with one-on-one career mentoring sessions and provide industry-recognized certificates of completion, confirming to prospective employers that graduates have received professional training in several important career skills. In addition, because they are hands-on courses, students will participate in practical design exercises and build their own sample designs or working prototypes to place in a sample design portfolio when they enter the job market.

Key Insights

• Adobe XD is a dedicated user interface design tool optimized for users seeking to build web pages and mobile application interfaces.
• Adobe XD is available as part of an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, and users can opt to either license only XD or the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications.
• Web Designers and Web Developers use XD to help them build prototypes of web pages to test their features and receive user data and feedback before handing designs off to programmers.
• XD exists to fill in the existing gaps as users build web page interface designs using programs like Photoshop.
• Noble Desktop offers students several different options for professional, live XD training.