Teaser: Looking to boost your career by learning Adobe XD? This guide provides information on the different ways you can learn this user experience design tool, which is used to create wireframe layouts of webpages and digital applications, and the careers that commonly use Adobe XD.
Adobe XD is a user experience design tool that allows users to create wireframe layouts of webpage and digital application user interfaces and turn them into working prototype interfaces for testing and collaborative design. These tools allow users to build complex layouts using animations, sound effects, slideshows, and voice recognition commands. If you’ve always wanted to learn Adobe XD but can’t figure out how to get started, this guide is for you. Here, you’ll learn more about the various ways to learn Adobe XD, free resources to take advantage of, and the types of careers that commonly use Adobe XD.
Adobe XD is Adobe’s vector-based user interface design tool. XD was designed to address Photoshop’s and Illustrator’s inadequacies as web design tools, and as such, XD is built entirely with user interface design in mind. Users can build vector-based wireframes for websites and share them with other users as functional prototypes of webpages, allowing users to test their own web designs for future iterations. Links, animations, voice responsiveness, and automated scrolling features let users model working websites with complex and interactive features, and collaborative tools allow teams of designers to work together on building web designs.
Adobe XD is one of the newest additions to the Adobe Creative Cloud, and like most Creative Cloud programs, it is designed with heavy Creative Cloud integration in mind. Users can import Photoshop and Illustrator designs and assets as parts of their UI designs, and Adobe InDesign is an ideal tool for building sketches of web pages. Unlike other Adobe Creative Cloud software, XD is still a relatively new tool, meaning that it doesn’t have the decades of iteration and releases that Photoshop and its ilk have received. This means that updates are frequently adding new tools, but it also means that the program hasn’t become an unchallenged industry standard yet.
Adobe XD is an ideal skill for web designers and UX/UI developers to learn as a dedicated web interface design tool. The ease with which it allows users to build working prototypes of web pages makes the process of testing and iterating on designs faster and more efficient than ever.
Read more about what Adobe XD is and why you should learn it.
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. The program is built to help users build the kinds of prototypes they were already using in older programs like Photoshop.
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.
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.
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 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.
There are a handful of free courses and tutorials available for students who want to try out Adobe XD before committing to a long-term training course. Adobe offers a seven-day free trial of XD, during which time users can experiment with the full program and utilize Adobe’s in-app training tools.
During this free trial, users can take advantage of the free services offered by Noble. Noble offers a free Intro to Adobe XD tutorial video, which can be paired with Noble’s Intro to UI Design and Intro to UX Design recordings to give students a foundation in both XD as a program and the basics of designing applications for web users. Noble’s resources blog also offers students articles and interviews to help ease students into Adobe XD.
These free tutorials won’t replace professional training for students looking to make a career out of UX/UI design. Still, they will provide students with the basic training they need to feel more comfortable with XD before enrolling in a professional training program. In addition, the free trial period can be lined up with a shorter professional training course, such as InDesign in a Day, to assure that a student can access the program.
Read about more free Adobe XD videos and online tutorials.
Students looking to learn Adobe XD may find the prospect intimidating, mainly because it is a much newer program than many of the more firmly established, industry-standard Adobe products. Despite its frequent updates, since Adobe XD came out of beta, it has become a common program used by UX and UI Designers, partly because it is fairly easy to pick up and learn. While more advanced features may prove harder to master, students can generally anticipate finding the program relatively approachable before ramping up into more complex designs.
There aren’t any technical prerequisites to learning Adobe XD, but there are a few things that new users should consider making themselves familiar with before they begin trying to learn the program. Students should be familiar with the basics of their computer platform, and if they are planning to use Adobe XD professionally, they should have an understanding of the basics of user interface/user experience design and a sense of where their designs will be used, as to best optimize them during testing.
Adobe XD is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software tools, meaning that to use the programs, users will need to purchase a Creative Cloud subscription and pay a fee based on their subscription package. There is a free trial available, but once it has expired, users will only be able to access XD while subscribed to the Creative Cloud.
Read about how difficult it is to learn Adobe XD.
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.
Deciding the best way to learn Adobe XD can feel overwhelming as so many different options are available. The key, however, is first to gauge what you plan on doing with XD to determine how much training you’ll need.
Students who are only looking for an introduction to XD may want to consider taking advantage of free resources like the ones available through Noble’s XD Learn page and the Web Design and Development playlist on their official YouTube channel. These tutorials won’t replace professional skills training for students looking to use XD professionally, but for users who want to experiment with web design layout, they are a great first step.
Students looking to get a strong working knowledge of Adobe XD, grow their resume with a new skill, or complement another professional skill such as Photoshop may wish to consider enrolling in a professional skills bootcamp. Bootcamps, like the Adobe XD Bootcamp, offered by Noble, give students live, hands-on training in building web layouts using XD. These courses tend to focus on single skills and are built to help students learn the specific functions of these programs.
Students looking to build a new career or branch out into a new field will want to consider more intensive skills training through a professional certificate program. Noble’s Digital Design Certificate program and Web Design Certificate program both provide students with hours of in-depth training, one-on-one career mentoring, and practical exercises designed to build necessary skills. While both will help designers looking to build websites, the Digital Design Certificate program is focused on graphic design and teaches the creative skills required to build dynamic and memorable web assets. The Web Design certificate program focuses on front-end web development and teaches students the coding skills required to turn prototypes into functioning web and digital applications.
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.