Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a UX/UI design and prototyping application used to create wireframes, interactive prototypes, and design specifications for websites and mobile apps.
Definition
Adobe XD is a UX/UI design and prototyping application used to create wireframes, interactive prototypes, and design specifications for websites and mobile apps.
Overview
Adobe XD was built to cover the UX design workflow end to end within one application — sketching low-fidelity wireframes, building higher-fidelity visual designs with reusable components and design systems, and then wiring screens together into a clickable prototype that can be shared with stakeholders or tested with users before any code is written. Its Auto-Animate feature let designers create polished micro-interactions and transitions between screens without manual keyframing. Adobe XD entered a UX design tool market that has become increasingly dominated by Figma, whose real-time multiplayer collaboration model reshaped expectations for how design teams work together, and Adobe has since shifted more of its own design and AI investment toward Firefly and Creative Cloud rather than treating XD as a primary growth product. Many teams that previously used XD have migrated some or all of their workflow to Figma or other design tools as a result. Adobe XD is still used by some individual designers and teams comfortable with its existing files and workflow, particularly those already invested in Adobe's Creative Cloud ecosystem alongside tools like Adobe Illustrator, though prospective users evaluating a new design tool today are more likely to be pointed toward Figma or a comparable current-generation product.
Key Features
- Wireframing and high-fidelity UI design in one tool
- Interactive, clickable prototyping between screens
- Auto-Animate for creating micro-interactions and transitions
- Reusable components and shared design systems
- Design handoff specs for developers
- Integration with other Creative Cloud assets
Use Cases
History
Adobe XD (Experience Design) was Adobe's vector-based tool for designing and prototyping user interfaces and user experiences. It was announced as "Project Comet" at the Adobe MAX conference in October 2015, addressing designers' need for something faster and more purpose-built for digital product design than Photoshop or Illustrator. The first public beta — released as "Adobe Experience Design CC" — arrived for macOS on March 14, 2016, with a Windows version later that year, and XD reached its 1.0 release out of beta in October 2017. It offered artboards, interactive prototyping, and design-system features, competing with tools like Sketch and Figma before Adobe wound down active development.
Sources
- Adobe — XD release notes (official) · as of 2026-07-17
- TechCrunch — "Adobe XD: designing at the speed of thought" (2017) · as of 2026-07-17