What is the future of XD after Adobe's failed acquisition of Figma?

Report · Jan 03, 2024

Report · Jan 17, 2024

SaaS tech marketer here - I've sold against adobe, so pretty familiar with their tactics. They'll fill the hole somehow - I'd put money on it. ROI is in platform sales and if they start making the platform smaller - perceived value will plummet - its hard enough to convince an exec to pay for CC today - it will hurt their base. I am just dying to know how!

Report · Jan 19, 2024

I think this is a fair question to ask and get an official answer. XD is part of the Adobe family. It works with other Adobe products and brings shared value to the Adobe family.

If the Adobe family is broken, the value of other staple products like Photoshop and Illustrator are diminished. If I am going to have to start using a third party prototyping tool, I might consider using a Photoshop and Illustrator alternative too since the programs will be more scattered across brands.

Sure, XD needs some work, but I think it is worth it. I don't really care for Adobe putting my monthy fee to AI as I find creating art fun and do not want to outsource the fun to AI. I'd prefer my fees go to XD.

I opened up the Figma website the other day and was considering trying it out for my next UI project, but I just don't trust them in stability. I suppose since Adobe has been around longer, it seems more worthwhile to to stick with XD. I am also considering other tools too. It is confusing because the tools will always change, but man, is it difficult to go into an interview and not be sure which UI/UX tool will be required for the job. If I put time into learning another tool, how long will that one last? I'd prefer the creative challenge of laying out a page, than the technical challenge of learning a different software ecosystem.

Report · Jan 22, 2024

Such an interesting perspective. I was playing around with Adobe's AI the other day and I couldn't get it to create even close to what I was asking. It was cool and all. Which led me to believe it is cute out of the can "art" or designs but I truly would want to tackle it myself because I would enjoy it and I could make what I was actually seeking.

I would like to think Adobe is thinking about XD and whether or not to build the team up again. Or, they must have something up their sleeve. Unless the XD users all just drop like flies all of sudden but I just know in my heart some of us are still here. Why abandon such a developed product at this point? I imagine they are watching the #s of users that are still using it.

Also, it is a hard sell to purchase CC and Figma. My company is prepped to do it for me and our team but honestly I don't want that. 5 products that really work together like Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, InDesign and Adobe Type make my day more efficient and delightful. Not sure if Figma can handle it. Sketch was messy, and that battle lost at several companies I was at.

Report · Jan 23, 2024

@joel246759296dg5 I was just chatting with adobe support and they said

"

here is no word regarding XD discontinuation. XD is one of the most popular platforms for UI/UX

All the users will be informed well in time, if there is ever a move to discontinue XD.

Rest assured XD is here to stay...

Then....

"XD is in maintenance mode, meaning that the engineering team is not actively working on it. But team will continue to push security updates. It does not mean that the support for the product has ended"...

Then:

"There is no official documentation for XD discontinuation. Only rumors in the community because they think that maintenance mode is equivalent to EOL. Even our team has not received any update. As soon as there is an update from the management team, all the users will be informed about the same."

Report · Jan 23, 2024

I just closed a live chat with Adobe support and basically, "There is no official documentation for XD discontinuation. Only rumors in the community because they think that maintenance mode is equivalent to EOL. Even our team has not received any update. As soon as there is an update from the management team, all the users will be informed about the same."

Report · Jan 25, 2024

That is funny. Rumors are spreading because the lack of official word from Adobe and they aren't even disputing any comment that says XD is dead.

Using the phrase "maintenance mode" is what leads people to think it is winding down. I mean, Windows OS goes from having an actively updated/enhanced version, then it goes to a maintenance/security only updates, then it goes into no patches at all. If Adobe has a different definition of "maintenance mode," it would be best if they defined it for the class...

Report · Jan 22, 2024

I've never used a specialized UI app myself, since as a solo freelancer I've done all of my site prototypes in Illustrator mostly and it has worked just fine, but perhaps i've been missing out on this and I might need to pick one up in the future with works that require more collaboration. So, yeah, would also like to know for sure what's the deal with XD. Is there any chance Adobe might resurrect it? Or is it indeed absolutely finished? If so, why is the XD app still lingering in the CC app list? Why is there no conclusive answer from Adobe? Intel leaks all the time, how come no Adobe worker is willing to comment on this?

Report · Jan 22, 2024

I think this is a very hard decision for Adobe to make. And it will be the best one for all of us when they get there. Either XD will come out of maintenance mode or they will have a reason that something else will emerge.

To me nothing beats a vector app like Adobe Illustrator. However XD has the most amazing prototype mode to make art boards interactive. XD cannot stand up to Illustrator but as a rapid prototyping tool it is incredibly fast, efficient and easy to use with some practice.

Kudos to you for creating UX artifacts in .ai. I did that as well before I used XD, Sketch, UX PIN, Axure, Proto io, and Sigma and others. Illustrator and Photoshop will always be essential needs to me to get the job done but a prototyping tool like XD brings that efficient and real interactive quality to life that we need to understand how a user would perceive a product.

Report · Jan 22, 2024

That's why I still do not understand why they gave up on Fireworks.
Fireworks had all checkboxes checked:
- prototyping features,
- vector tools,
- raster tools,
- graphic optimization tools - much better than those in Photoshop.
If only Adobe gave Fireworks a chance to shine, but they did not know how to make it shine.

Report · Feb 12, 2024

It was a Macromedia product....

Report · Feb 12, 2024

So what? Animate, Captivate, Connect, Robohelp, ColdFusion, Dreamweaver are also ex-Macromedia apps.

Report · Feb 09, 2024

I had been using XD for years and thought it was a great product. But since they've decided to boneyard the tool, I've switched over to Figma. I tried using AI but found that it's incredibly nonintuitive to use. I realize it's power, but it's so hard to use if you are not proficient at it. The learning curve as with photoshop and their other tools is super steep!

Report · Feb 12, 2024

Thanks for keeping this chat going, it is disgusting that Adobe have said nothing, on a quick search this chat comes up first! Come on Adobe, are you not customer focused? Good or bad news, we can take it! But no news is worse.

Report · Feb 12, 2024

In a bloomberg.com article, an unnamed Adobe spokesperson is quoted say that XD is dead.

Report · Feb 12, 2024

So they should get rid of it in the CC app list and reduce the subscription price accordingly.

Report · Feb 13, 2024

I agree. I also think Adobe has too many seperate apps as it is. I think they should consolidate Photoshop with Illustrator for starters. It's a mess traversings so many different apps for the same kinds of media.

Report · Feb 13, 2024

Consolidate bitmap graphic app and vector graphic? Bad idea, not gonna happen.

Report · Jun 16, 2024

So they should ... reduce the subscription price accordingly.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Report · Feb 12, 2024

Yep - but without figma it leaves a massive hole in their offering. It will be replaced, or they would hemmorage users. Agreed, an update would be nice - but they had to pull the plug on a train that had been moving for more than two years. Bloomberg means nothing, all paid media.

Tried Figma, hate it. Might as well use PSD/AI - my love for XD as a traditional GD is that it is super light, and distraction free, similar to INDD for print. I am actually leaning towards functionality being ported into INDD, but making it channel/media agnostic.

I would be SUPER happy on all fronts if they would just align their short cuts haha.

Report · Feb 12, 2024

I agree. Some semblance of a better offering for us would be nice. I found XD to be very portable and produced decent work for rapid prototyping and a design system that was far greater than sketch and all the invision confusion. I am learning Figma and honestly it does not move at light speed in terms of what I am trying to do and how to get it to my devs.

Report · Jul 16, 2024

@Tan34583873up61 As @Chris W. Griffith has mentioned, 'XD' is in 'Maintenance Mode'...it's been like that since May 2023 I think. I notice they still do updates I guess for security reasons. Someone posted that 'XD' is no longer for new users, and that isn't correct, as my students are still able to download Xd. You just have to wait 24 hours to install it.

Many companies and businesses still use Xd and likely will do so until Xd is finally 'dead'...Figma is pretty decent. Penpot is getting better. But, it's always better to learn more now, sooner than later, because you just never know when Adobe does decide to stop it altogether and not provide any security updates.