Adobe’s free tool for designers that will give them a whole lot of new features. Adobe XD is a design and prototyping tool which is currently free to download. The first version was released in March 2016 and there is still much more to come.

What is Adobe XD?

Adobe Experience Design (XD) is a tool for designers that lets them create interactive prototypes of apps and websites. It is a drag-and-drop software which is literally a piece of cake to use.

Adobe XD 0.5 is the first public preview version and is available on Adobe’s official website as a free download. The very first version consists of following features:

• A design tool
• A prototyping tool
• Cross-platform integration
• Sharing feature that allows smooth sharing of prototypes and designs
• Easy-to-use
• Drag-and-drop builder
• Fast performance with no lags

The next update is scheduled to be released anytime at the end of this year which will add more power to the existing features. Some of the features that are expected to be released with the first update include:

• A better color picker tool
• Scrollable content
• A powerful design tool with rich text, gradients, effects and more
• Support for Windows 10
• Powerful prototype tool with mobile testing feature, integration at micro level, and an improved prototype sharing feature
• Addition of layers
• Inclusion of API layer

These updates are not expected to be released all at once rather these will be released in chunks. By the end of this year, all these features will become the part of Adobe XD.

A Closer Look at the Adobe XD

Adobe XD has two tabs; design and prototype. These tabs can be selected as per need.

The design tab is where you design the app or the website. It lets you design the layout in an easy-to-use interface. The designers just have to drag and drop the objects, images, shapes etc. on the frame. Objects can be edited easily, for example, you can use repeat grid to create a duplicate wireframe in no time. Those who have used Adobe Illustrator need no more than an hour to get used to the interface.

The prototype is the tab which allows you to create interactive workflow by linking objects and screens. It lets you develop a linked workflow of your app or website that you are creating. Again, establishing these links is super-easy. Just drag the arrow to the screen of your choice to create a link.

Creating a design for your app or for your first website with Adobe XD 0.5 is not a big deal. It is just a matter of a few hours. If you are into this field, Adobe XD is one of the tools that you cannot miss. Though it has only the basic features for now but imagine its strength with the release of the updates. It is sure to become better over time.

When Adobe XD was released, it was downloaded by more than 75K users in just two days. Since then, downloads have multiplied exponentially. Adobe can now take the risk of investing money in its new tool as they have seen the huge demand.

Things will get better in the coming days. Keep following Adobe XD.

Apple macOS users can download the free preview build and try Adobe XD here -> http://www.adobe.com/products/experience-design.html