Should I learn Adobe XD as a newbie in 2024?

[Rahmat36856689ycdk]

I heard that due to the merger of Adobe XD and Figma, Adobe XD will not be getting any more updates, is it now in 2024 so I should learn Adobe XD as a newbie? Many people ask me to learn Figma, what do you think? Looking forward to your valuable feedback. Thanks.

Note: I already have good experience with Adobe Illustrator.

[Spas K.]

Adobe Xd is currently in mainenance mode, and it's highly unlikely it will be developed further or receive any updates. Perhaps small bugfixes at best. Most people who still use Xd do so, because they were already invested in it before the Figma situation. Figma as of now has significantly more features with frequent new releases and improvements. It's the market leader, and more companies & teams will have it as a requirement for UX/UI positions. Some people still prefer Xd for small simple projects + the Adobe ecosystem, but it's not the industry standard like Photoshop or Illustrator are.

[daniel@creativespace.es]

Such a pity. So much faster than figma in almost everything. 

Now Figma is cashing in with their insane account structure. 

First Golive, then Muse and now XD. Adobe management... last chance... jumpstart XD again. Please. 

[RyanTriVita]

I completely agree. It's very frustrating that Adobe is abandoning XD (and not providing an alternative). I personally don't like Figma, and I don't want another monthly expense when I'm already paying for Creative Cloud. I still use XD, even though it is missing some basic functionality. (It's still better than Figma.) It's sad that Adobe was trying to buy Figma for 20 billion and then had to pay a 1 billion dollar penalty to end the deal. 1 BILLION dollars could have made XD a class-leading application. 

[daniel@creativespace.es]

Haha, yeah so true... imagine what 1 billion could have given XD 🙂

Most annoying is that voicing this to behemoth Adobe is like shouting in a sealed rubberised room...

[Nemanja33033852h3k0]

If you are optimistic about XD's future, you're not alone—many of us are still using XD. Personally, I prefer XD over Figma. I don’t know about others' experiences, but on my workstation, XD runs faster than Figma and provides a better workflow (at least in my case). However, it's true that XD has become outdated; it's missing many new features. If you work with various clients or in a team, you probably need Figma to meet every client's expectations. In my case, I work for a small digital agency, my developers know how to use my design files, and for 99% of our jobs, XD is still perfect.

[Spas K.]

I think Figma features like variables, modes, auto-layout are the real game changer and what Xd was always missing. At this point Figma works to a big extent similar to how things work in CSS, and you're doing a lot of heavy lifting for front end devs if you set up your design system properly. Figma's environment has some negatives, one being the performance, but the benefits vastly outweigh them.

I would've loved for Xd to have continued developing, as native tools are almost always more performant, but the team just couldn't compete with Figma's frequent updates, features and improvements.

[daniel@creativespace.es]

The whole co-op thing with devs is weird in my opinion... large scale workflows is one thing... small design firms don't need it. 

First thing I do in Figma is removing the auto-leyout stuff to have more creative freedom while designing 🙂

[Spas K.]

I'm also doing frontend development, so it just makes sense to me. The UI/UX tools always were on the technical side, as you're prototyping an interface which will function in a web or other native environment, and needs to follow certain standards, rules, etc. The software doesn't limit you in being creative, but adds tools which make it easier to fit in these standards when you have to. I for one find it better that I don't have to worry about misaligned elements or having to manually adjust 50 layers when resizing a form or a table.

So you can make both "creative" elements, and other parts which are centered around usability. You can only be so creative with a text field.

And easier dev handoff can only be a plus no matter the size of the team.

[daniel@creativespace.es]

Speaking as a "creative", it's a 99% of the time an issue that things from design to final product is not pixel perfect... regardless of how creative you can be with text fields or not... not a Figma or XD thing... just two different human breeds colliding 🙂

Yes software limits "us"... that is the whole issue here 🙂
It limits us from fast workflow... adding interactions... and getting client feedback faster... etc etc...

[Spas K.]

Design isn't about making pixel perfect interfaces, as much as I love doing that. It's also solving issues & figuring out the best solution which works accross multiple devices. It's the reality of how users use websites and apps, and there's creativity not only in visuals, but in implementation and making sure the design is functional for everyone.

On the other part, I'm not sure what you mean. These days it's easier than ever to properly present to clients, get feedback, comments, collaborate. And workflow wise, if you ever designed interfaces in Photoshop or Illustrator, you'd know the difference in speed.

But yeah - do whatever works best for you I guess.

[daniel@creativespace.es]

I'm not very optimistic to be honest 😞

But now I've been full time into Figma for 5-6 months... and I still get a smile on my face when I'm forced (old projects or client needs) to open up XD and do something 🙂

Please do something here @Adobe!!!
How hard can it be to either create a new UX/UI app from scratch if XD is/was built weirdly? 

Just put a few developers on XD again and take it off of maintenence mode. Skip the 3D stuff and focus more on the path you were on.

[Joseph Labrecque]

No.

[creative explorer]

@Rahmat36856689ycdk many people will say no. And I am the opposite. The more you know the better. The last four jobs that I was asked by a four different companies as an instructor was could I recommend or if I want to take on some work working with Xd. Many companies who are old school are still using Xd. One of the standing jokes we have at school is if you were a designer you probably use Xd, and if you aren't a designer, you likely use Figma. But, I do know, it's always good to know both. Figma does have a little of a learning curve, there are some elements I love about it, and some things I wish Figma has that Xd has, like the Repeat Grid. While Xd could be better in some other ways too, but it is what it is!

[daniel@creativespace.es]

LOL, awesome standing joke at your school 🙂

And I couldn't agree more. Adobe needs to listen in on these aspects from their customers and restart XD development with designers as their target audience.

[creative explorer]

daniel@creativespace.es I 100% agree with that statement....if only if it was so easy!