<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2kVV1QL" /></figure>
Things were going fine for us. We designed on Sketch. And then we would try to figure out our app flow. This would involve getting screens arranged in their order of sequence and sharing the pic between us which always turned out to be horrible and confusing.
<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2k20EhW" /><figcaption>Imagine having more than 20 screens here</figcaption></figure>
Or otherwise it would be going old school. Taking printouts and physically figure it out on a white board. All these methods lacked one essential component for any successful design — feedback from initial testers. How can we make the users get the sequence — we had to rely on their understanding rather than them experiencing it. We could only be sure they understood it, if they held it in their hands and get a first hand experience. Figure out where they could go wrong, how we could minimize or negate that possibility through better design.
Then Adobe hit back with Experience Design (XD).
<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2kVVxyc" /></figure>
Adobe XD was exactly what we were looking for. XD allowed us to make real prototypes on real devices that we could give to real users. This brought out a great clarity to us and the users. It greatly simplified our process. Changes could be made in the initial stages itself.
Just take a look at what our whole artboard looked like in XD:
<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2k20HKq" /><figcaption>Adobe XD interface</figcaption></figure>
Don’t get intimidated by these images. It is far more easier than it looks. All you need to do is link the various buttons in the screens based on your app flow — Its just drag and drop and literally takes less than 10 mins!
<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2kVUKgt" /><figcaption>Linking the screens together is just drag and drop</figcaption></figure>
<figure><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2k22pM5" /></figure>
Hats off to the Adobe guys for getting this product out in the market. Mind you, the product is still in beta, but damn it’s awesome.
There are however a few things missing in Adobe XD:
– XD does not give you the ability to animate individual elements. For ex: you won’t be able slide in a single button separately on the screen. It only allows screen transitions for now.
– XD does not support Photoshop import. Yes, you read that right. Currently, the software only allows vector imports. This can be a big problem if you already have your app designed in Photoshop.
But since the software is still a work in progress we are hoping they would add additional features. Oh and the whole thing is just under 80 MB. Kudos Adobe!
Adobe XD can really become the de facto prototyping tool. The Windows version of the software was just release in beta sometime back. In the end it will all depend on how much Adobe decides to charge us when they come out with the full version.
All in all, there is no denying the fact that there is a new player in the prototyping wars. And this newbie happens to be the oldest of them all.
Adobe XD is currently available in beta free for Mac and Windows <a href="http://ift.tt/2kVTnyB">HERE</a>
If you are looking for some quick tutorials. These are our top picks.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrMBuqjtjpk&amp;t=1309s">How to Use Adobe Experience Design CC By Terry White</a>
<a href="http://ift.tt/1Ro3un1">How to Create a UI Prototype By Rafiq Elmansy</a>
<img src="http://ift.tt/2kVSmX8" width="1" height="1">
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<a href="http://ift.tt/2k236EM">App Prototyping with Adobe XD</a> was originally published in <a href="http://ift.tt/2cAqCpx">Prototyping: From UX to Front End</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

App Prototyping with Adobe XD

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