What do I do after I make a prototype?

Question

I'm really trying to understand the purpose of XD. The best I can tell is to just make what you want an app or website to look like but not for making actual apps and websites. Then what's really the purpose of it?

If I created a full prototype, then how do I go about making it into an app or website? What's the next step?

I'm a pro user of InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop for over 23 years and burning out. I'm seeing many jobs wanting UX/UI experience like with XD and I want to learn it, I just can't wrap my head around it's real purpose.

rayek.elfin · Answer

Prototyping software such as Figma, Penpot, Justinmind, etc., are meant to create testable interactive low, medium, and high fidelity working prototypes of entire interfaces/apps/websites or parts of those that can be quickly tested in multiple design cycles (hence the agile thing people are talking about) without having to invest too much time or energy in each design cycle.

Generally once a workable and functional prototype version is conceived after several of those design cycles the designer then proceeds to create developer specs outlining detailed specifications to create the front-end code and behaviour which are then implemented by the developer(s) (team(s).

This is actually quite an oversimplification of the process, btw. It also entails things like user research, etcetera.

Things are moving fast in the industry right now, with AI supported coding and all. Figma is introducing they call "Figma Make" and "Figma Sites" which (they hope) will allow designers to convert static designs to actual working interactive prototypes and fully coded applications and websites. Pretty much because Figma is feeling the heat from AI driven coding platforms like Bolt and Lovable.

In any case XD is dead and buried. Almost everyone in the UX industry is now working in Figma and a smaller part in other tools. Forget XD. Not worth it. If jobs are still advertizing XD experience, it is because HR is behind the times.

No wonder: things move fast in UX and coding. Many an HR person tends to lag behind (besides their lack of knowledge), and has a tendency to throw in all possible pizza ingredients in a UX job's requirements.

Just learn Figma. Adobe XD is dead and useless. And lightyears behind XD at this point.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded