MacDirectory Magazine

MacDirectory 77 FEATURE The graphics navigation has become startlingly brisk in this release, and on par with what you have grown to expect in Photoshop. XD's new import engine opens Photoshop and Sketch documents far faster now, as well. Photoshop is where you work to develop the graphics and visual concepts for the design. If you're on the road and have a sudden inspiration, you can capture it in Adobe Sketch. And of course, everything that comes into XD remains fully editable. One other new feature that has been added is auto-recovery of files, lessening the anguish of power failures and program crashes. And what if you in need of a superb UI and you're not the world's greatest designer? Adobe has that covered, too. Start out with a wireframe model from Wires, a free, downloadable kit of design templates (wireframes). If you need some inspiration, you can download free UI Kits and unique icons from several of the world's top designers. There are also specific resource kits for iOS from Apple as well as Microsoft and Google covering their applications and platforms. More to Come In the briefing, Andrew Shorten, Senior Director of Project Management for XD gave a glimpse into some upcoming features. One will be the ability to prototype overlays like menus and keyboards. With a new beta feature, collaboration becomes easier with the ability to publish and share design specs with optional password security. Adobe also intends to open up XD more to outside developers, allowing third parties to create extensions, enhancing the program's versatility. It now plays nicely with Dropbox, Zeplin, Avocode and Sympli. Some of the most dramatic announcements did not come in the form of features and enhancements. Some were about Adobe initiatives to spread word of the growing need for UX designers. A study recently undertaken for Adobe shows that the demand for UX designers now equals that of software engineers in operations where user experience is critical. The trend is showing a steady increase. 87% of the hiring managers they surveyed reported that hiring UX designers is a priority. Obviously, Adobe intends to have XD become the tool of choice for those entering the field. To make it more available, now offers a free starter plan for both Mac and Windows users—it's a single- project, single-user version without the collaboration features. A subscription to the full application suitable for workgroups and enterprise, already part of Adobe CC, is $9.99 per month or $119.88 (prepaid) per year. Adobe is also launching the Adobe Fund for Design, up to $10M in grants for up- and-coming cutting-edge designers and shops. They will have early access to tools and a closer relationship with Adobe support. Unfortunately, we believe, Adobe does not appear to be pursuing the kind of outreach and support for higher education that it that it did when it launched its Digital Publishing Suite. Then, it brought the tools into the hands of who will build the industry going forward. We see a real need for a similar path here, and see it as a missed opportunity for both Adobe and the experience designers of the future. So will user experience design be the next centerpiece of Adobe's growth? We certainly wouldn't rule that possibility out. The importance of understanding the value of a great user experience put Apple at the head of the pack. Now Adobe is offering that opportunity to their customers. For more information, visit: www.adobe.com

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