How to Learn Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a versatile user experience design tool that will help web designers build and test the web pages they are looking to create. Learning Adobe XD is a valuable skill for both novice web designers looking to build their own webpages and professional UX/UI designers hoping to make their web pages more easily navigable, accessible, and memorable. The number of options for learning Adobe XD might be overwhelming at first glance. There are books, video tutorials, classes, and more to choose from; it all depends on your learning style and personal preferences.

Here, we’ll discuss the various methods of learning Adobe XD so you can make an informed decision about how you’d like to get started.

What is 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.

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. The program is built to help users build the kinds of prototypes they were already using in older programs like Photoshop.

In-Person Adobe XD Training

One of the best ways to learn Adobe XD is through live, in-person training seminars. These courses offer students the opportunity to receive one-on-one professional instruction in the features of XD and the philosophies behind user experience design. These courses are often taught by professional user interface designers whose industry experience makes them ideally positioned to give students career-focused training in Adobe Illustrator.

The availability of in-person instruction will depend on where a student lives. Noble offers help with finding local options with their Classes Near Me tool. Most major training providers are located in or around large cities, particularly New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Seattle. Noble itself offers line in-person instruction at their New York City location.

Students may also wish to inquire with local community colleges, libraries, and other post-high school training centers to see if they offer in-person instruction in Adobe XD.

Live Online Adobe XD Training

Some students may find that they cannot attend an in-person training seminar or do not live in the area of their preferred seminar. These students may wish to consider live online training options. These live online courses allow students to receive professional instruction from skilled experts in the comfort of their own homes. Students will be able to receive personalized, in-the-moment feedback, and they can ask questions as problems arise.

Noble offers a variety of live online training options to help students find the course that is right for them. Novice students who want to learn the basics of Adobe XD quickly may wish to consider enrolling in the Adobe XD in a Day course. This class guides students through the program's basic features, such as how to build a wireframe interface layout and convert that layout into a working prototype. This introductory course lets students get a feel for XD without having to invest more than a day or two of study. Adobe XD Advanced offers students a place to build on this training and teaches students how to create more complex layouts and prototypes that include animations, voice responsiveness commands, and locked scroll groups. These courses can be taken together in the Adobe XD Bootcamp.

Noble also provides students with their Classes Near Me tool, which in addition to helping students find local options, allows them to compare different online options through service providers such as Ledet Training, ONLC, and Lumenbrite.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

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.

On-Demand Adobe XD Classes

Some students may find that their schedule does not allow them to attend a regularly scheduled, live training session. For these students, on-demand training options may be an alternative way to receive professional XD instruction. These courses let students dictate the pace of their own learning and let them set their learning goals as they go. Students who need to move faster or slower may find these courses to be preferable to live instruction, as they are not training at a set pace. Students interested in on-demand learning opportunities should consult Noble’s Online Class search tool.

The disadvantages of these courses are that students will be limited in the resources they have access to, and they will need to be more deeply self-motivated. Students may find it difficult to troubleshoot problems they are having without the aid of an instructor. Additionally, since there is no set schedule, it is easier to let training take a backseat to other responsibilities, making it easy to backslide or let skills get rusty.

Which Learning Method is Right for Me?

Given the number of options available to students, picking the right XD training course can seem difficult. Between in-person and online options and live and asynchronous options, it might seem overwhelming. However, there are some key differences between the options that prospective students may want to consider.

Live courses tend to be the most engaging and in-depth training options available, and they allow students to interact directly with expert instructors. Students will receive feedback and guidance directly from instructors there to help them succeed. These courses tend to be the most expensive options, however, and they offer little scheduling flexibility beyond waiting for an available course to open.

Live in-person courses offer opportunities for networking and interfacing, but they are often location restricted. Online courses can be taken from virtually anywhere but can be isolating. The differences between the two options aren’t huge, but it is worth considering how important it is to actually be in the same room as other like-minded students when deciding between an online and an in-person XD course.

On-demand courses are ideal for students who need to be more flexible with their schedule or who want to be able to practice XD at their own pace. On-demand courses come in a number of forms, meaning students can more easily browse to find the right course for them. The drawback to these courses is that they lack an instructor to help guide students through difficult sections. This means that students will be on their own when it comes to finishing assignments, completing modules, or troubleshooting difficult concepts.

Free tutorials may be helpful for students who are looking to learn the basics of XD, but if they want to learn the program at a more advanced level, they will need professional skills training. These tutorials can be incredibly helpful at the start of a student’s training, but students may find that they quickly outpace the options available to them.

Why Learn 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.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost

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.

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 an ideal skill to learn for aspiring web designers who want to build complex, accessible user interface designs.
• There are a number of options available to learn XD, such as live instruction, on-demand courses, and free tutorials.
• Live instruction, both online and in-person, is the most rigorous training and comes with the most benefits, but it is also the most expensive option, and the rigid scheduling issues may make it difficult for some learners.
• On-demand courses are ideal for students who need flexible schedules or who want to set the pace of their own learning. These courses lack live instructors, so getting help and feedback can be difficult.
• Free tutorials are excellent resources for users who are just starting out with XD. However, they are limited, so students who want to learn more advanced skills may need to look for more professional training alternatives.
• Regardless of the type of training a student hopes to receive, Noble can help them find the course that fits their needs.