What is a design tool?
Sketch has long been the go-to tool for user interface and user experience design. In recent years, two popular alternatives have cropped up which are Figma and Adobe XD. So which tool is best for UI and UX designers?
1. Figma
Figma has real-time collaboration which essentially means whatever the content creator makes, it is created in live mode. Developers can see it, stakeholders can see it, project managers, basically anyone who has the link and permission can see it. Developers can code while the designer creates the next page on the same canvas. They can even leave comments for each other.
It is also browser-based which means you only need internet and a decent web browser and you are good to go. Even if your internet connection becomes lost, the platform autosaves your work so you can pick up from where you left off. There is also a desktop tool for both Windows and Mac for ease of access.
Figma’s prototyping is its second main functionality. It has a very fast learning curve, it’s easy to use, and provides a big number of functionalities such as overlays, move-in, and move-out animations, smart animate property, interactions with a long press, hover, after delay, clicks, and scrolling animation. There are also lots of screen presets.
Another main functionality of Figma is the inspect tool. This means there is no necessity to use another tool to hand off. Except for CSS codes, Figma’s handoff also presents codes of IOS and Android.
2. Adobe XD
Adobe’s interface is kept really simple like Sketch, with the toolbar that is aligned at the side, as well as the large artboard area. With Adobe Experience Design, interactive designs can also be displayed on a smartphone or tablet. This way, you can view the prototype on different devices and easily share it with colleagues or customers.
With the Adobe welcome screen, you can create projects based on presets for phones, tablets, or the web, or you can use custom dimensions. There are UI kits for Apple IOS, Google material design, and Microsoft Windows. You can also access a gorgeous step-by-step tutorial file that walks you through the main features of Adobe from the welcome screen.
Adobes Repeat grid features enables you to repeat elements quickly and explore different designs.
Another feature of Adobe introduces a brand new pen tool that enables you to quickly draw paths. You can add, move, and remove ancho points, edit properties, and adjust Bezier curves while you’re still authoring the path, allowing you to draw the perfect shape in no time flat. And of course, you can edit vector objects that you import into Adobe XD.
The Roundup
Because Figma offers real-time collaboration, it wins this battle in my opinion. Adobe has not yet caught up, the feature makes working with others really, really, simple. It saves a lot of time too. For other design tools, check out our article on the Top 10 tools for web designers.