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Answered

What alternative does Adobe have to XD.

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
January 27, 2024
6 replies
27841 views

I want to use XD in my classroom, but it won't be of any use if it's no longer there next year.

Correct answer creative explorer

MarkeMenschNatur
For your information, InVision has decided to call it a day and end operations in December 2024. Many of their staff were laid off in August 2022. The writing was on the wall...as a network connection informed me who worked there to find other prototype tools for education (by already made the switch to Figma...teaching Xd, Figma and InVision), but decided on that fateful day, decided to not teach InVision for the September intake of 2022. I am quite surprised InVision carried on for two more years, but I sometimes wonder if it was InVision Studio that did them in (it always crashed on our computers!) who used that to compete with Xd, Sketch and Figma.

With regards to Webflow, some have taken to a different route, and that's Framer, paste from Figma and bring your Figma designs to life. But, publish in Framer. Framer operates like Figma. You have the choice to download the app on Mac and PC. Unlike Webflow, which only runs in your browser without a standalone app option. I have never used either Framer or Webflow, but did attend a meet-up on Framer as a former student (who created a start-up) was hosting and that they use Framer for their client work and invited me to check it out. It was okay, nothing that I would get too excited about, but it was something to consider if I wanted to teach it...

F

fenixo

Participating Frequently

I've been using FIGMA for a few weeks now and apart from the first few days to get used to it, it's absolutely superior to XD.

I've been working as a web designer for 24 years, I started with ADOBE FIREWORKS, then I switched to ADOBE XD..... so I have all my past work, a good 24 years of work in .FW format which is no longer usable and obviously the most recent in .XD format.

I wonder how long XD will still be active? Just to get myself going and convert at least the most basic things I've done over time into FIGMA.

D

davidp14169635

Participant

Our design and development teams will be saying goodbye to all Adobe products. Adobe does not bring the value it once did, and abandonment of this platform is just the last straw.

ellices63621269

Participating Frequently

What did you all decide to go with?

M

mu34343086pyxl

Participant

Figma or Creatie.ai or Penpot. If you have enough budget and don't mind increasing costs as your team or project scales up. Creatie.ai is a good choice as a XD or Figma alternative with extensive capabilities enhanced by its AI features. Penpot, if you consider open-source solution or you want to run the tool on-premise. Hope this helps.

MarkeMenschNatur

Participating Frequently

I could imagine that Adobe has already made a deal with Invision in the background. The time frame would fit.

https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/invision-design-collaboration-services-shutdown/

Otherwise, we now go straight into implementation, e.g. with tools such as Webflow.

Best regards
Toby

creative explorer

Community Expert

The main reason why I still teach XD as well as Figma is many of the companies are still asking for XD in the job positions are:

Recently, this was yesterday between a former student and I

Or job postings for this week:

1. A web agency who predominately used Adobe products, with Xd

2. An Engineers and Geoscientists, using either Figma/or XD

3. A tool company using Xd

Or when former students asking me or me asking them:

The main reason why I still teach Xd is because if companies are still asking for this, and nobody can do the job, people like me who still dabbles in it can get freelance work...but, this is also an opportunity for students to get their foot in the door. The more applications and skills they know, the better opportunity they can get in sooner than later....

I once interviewed for a graphic designer at a company that we were hiring. I knew the applicant, and I knew he was a wizard with QuarkXPress, but not so much about InDesign. So, I asked him, of his skill level. He said he was 'Advanced Level!" I said great, because we have a test for you in InDesign. The truth came out, and he said, sorry, I really don't know InDesign, and declined the test. Goes to show you, two complete different applications aren't always the same.

Many of my students prefer Xd while many prefer Figma. But, if schools can teach them both, at least they have a chance to work in Xd, and maybe even teach the company Figma and show how intuitive it is.

m

Spas K.

Community Expert

There's no alternative for now. The plan was to acquire Figma in place of developing Xd, which failed. It's unlikely they will reinvest into Xd, as it's so far behind at this point, and was plagued by bugs and bad decisions from the start.

C

CyAyA

Participating Frequently

Hello,

It would be nice to still have the choice beetween figma and other tools, Xd is much more 'fluid ' than figma whi is really We don't have choice : Figma at the end or alternative could be some open source prototype apps it depends of your budget and goal.

Ares Hovhannesyan

Community Expert

Adobe have Dreamwaver for web designers and code editors. I use it till now. Also Adobe Muse is still available to download.

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Wim5F94

Participating Frequently

I am a teacher myself at a digital design school. Up to a few years ago we used Sketch and Adobe XD in our classes. Then we switched to Figma simply because

A) the industry massively moved on from Sketch, XD, and similar tools and converted to Figma

B) students love Figma. A few of our teachers tried to hold on to XD and Sketch, but students preferred Figma. Students were asking why anyone would be teaching XD when everyone else is using Figma. Obviously no rational answer could be given. All instructors dropped Sketch and/or XD.

A quick reality check:

https://uxtools.co/survey/2023/basic-prototyping/#basic-prototyping-tools-graph

And on top of that Figma is second in highest rated (behind Protopie).

Surveys only tell part of the story, but still. Figma's position and hold is comparable to Photoshop.

You would do your students a disservice by continuing to teach XD in my opinion. Besides, XD is currently no longer developed and in maintainance mode: based on Adobe's past behaviour we all know where this is headed.

And even IF Adobe decided to pick up XD's development again, allow me to ask you a question:

We have to prepare students to work in the industry. Would you teach them GIMP instead of Photoshop? Would we as teachers feel that is a wise and responsible thing to do?

Simple answer is "No". XD is a dead tool. It has had its chance, and then Figma happened. Adobe as an inflexible and archaic behemoth of a company proved unable to keep up and predictably attempted a buy-out instead. That failed as well (luckily enough because Adobe would have run it aground for the same reasons XD failed to remain competitive).

Switch to Figma in your classes. Join the Empire. 😉

W

Wim5F94

Participating Frequently

Ps Adobe has no alternative to XD. Or Figma.

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