Adobe XD: The fastest way to design, prototype, and share

Love is in the air - and, no, we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day. This month Adobe has rolled out the latest update to its popular prototyping tool Adobe XD and it boasts a whole lot more love for users and its Creative Cloud siblings. 

Aware of the need for seamless transition between tools, Adobe has concentrated its efforts on making it easier than ever to use Adobe XD with Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects. Along with the ability to communicate your concepts faster via a new narration tool and added support for voice prototyping in multiple new languages (including accents and personas), it’s a very exciting time to be an Adobe XD user. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the key new features in Adobe XD – and if you want to see the tool in action, be sure to tune into the Adobe Live sessions taking place at AWWWARDS today and tomorrow from 1000 - 1600 CET (0900 - 1500 GMT). Register here. 

Improved integration with Adobe Creative Cloud apps

A seamless workflow is every creative’s dream, which is why Adobe has focused on making Adobe XD compliment existing processes. Now featuring deeper integration with other popular Adobe design tools, users can open Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch app files in XD and quickly turn them into prototypes, as well as export XD files to After Effects to create advanced animations.

Record interactions with audio

Adobe XD now allows users to add narration to prototypes when recording. This is an invaluable new feature, particularly for creatives working remotely who want to walk clients or team members through the application flow but can’t be there in person. Check out the feature in action below:

Additional language support

The added support for voice and audio interaction doesn’t end there. This iteration of Adobe XD supports seven languages, with Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese now joining English, German, French, Japanese and Korean.

The added support for Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese extends to the language of the application, voice recognition and speech playbacks, meaning users can now fully prototype interactive voice experiences in either of those languages. 

View all comments across artboards

Gone are the days of emails back and forth for feedback. Users can now turn on ‘view all comments’ in the Adobe XD commenting panel to access feedback across all artboards. Reviewers can pin comments to specific areas of a prototype, which can then be clicked on by the designer, who will be taken to the affected artboard to reply, resolve or delete. 

Eyedropper of dreams

Where would designers be without the humble eyedropper tool? Don’t fret, it’s not going anywhere, instead it’s easier than ever to access with Adobe XD now featuring a new shortcut. Simply select an object, hit ‘i’ on the keyboard and voilá! The eyedropper appears and from there you can select whichever colour takes your fancy. 

Plugins aplenty

As the development of Adobe XD evolves, so does its ecosystem of plugins, app integrations, UI and graphic kits. With over 100 plugins available for Adobe XD, and more launching every week, XD provides a robust platform that enables you to customise your experience to work exactly for you.

Get on board: Adobe Live from Awwwards

Built for designers, by designers, Adobe XD is the fastest way to design, prototype, and share any user experience, from websites and mobile apps to voice interactions, and more. And it’s free. Built openly with the community, XD has a focus on performance and provides a smart and modern workflow that allows you to concentrate on what you do best: creating.

Want to see it in action? Join the Adobe Live sessions from Awwwards Amsterdam on 14 and 15 February from 1000 - 1600 (CET) (0900 - 1500 GMT) for an in-depth analysis of the Adobe XD toolset. The Adobe livestream is also a fantastic opportunity to connect with creatives around the globe; listen to talks from leading visionaries in UX and VR who will share their tips on good experience design, and discover the latest UX and UI trends and news. Register now for your chance to watch the future of UX unfold.