Figma + Adobe XD for Freehand: Run Better Design Reviews

Web designers can’t just make designs as they wish. They need to keep the wishes and suggestions of stakeholders and users in their mind while working on a project. The outcome must fulfill users’ requirements which is very difficult usually.

The problem is that you as a web designer want full authority on your files, stakeholders wish that their suggestions are included in the process and users need to offer their feedback.

 Here freehand comes in the picture: it is a product of a web design company in Dubai called Invision. With freehand, design teams can visually collaborate. It looks like an online whiteboard.

It allows you to centralize all your design files that solves many challenges most designers face. As most design apps weren’t created for laymen or cross-team partnerships, getting feedback on those design tools is very difficult.

Freehand aims to solve three main hurdles faced by web designers. Now, designers who work on Adobe XD and Figma can easily add prototypes and artboards directly to the Invision app through Freehand.

This feature enables you to do design work where you desire while getting the sponsor and user comment. In this review, we will discuss how freehand solves some major challenges faced by web designers.

When to share design projects with a broader group?

Investors are keen to see the earliest possible drafts of a design project but designers don’t want anyone to intrude in their “safe zone” where they develop their work until it is ready for evaluation.

What’s more, design archives often hold long type histories, voluntary designs, or upcoming states that can’t provide a good early experience which confuses the sponsors.

Certainly, you would have heard stories of blunders made by a non-designer when they accidentally change, transfer or even remove items in the design file. This gives additional headaches to all the team and of course, draws the wrath of designers.

Now, you must be thinking, what’s the solution? You can solve this issue by designing web projects in your desired design app and then incorporating artboards to Freehand whenever you are up for it.

What’s more, Figma and Adobe XD plugins for Freehand allow you to keep control over your personal sandbox. Whereas, investors get to view the design drafts in all stages of the process in a comprehensive, purpose-built place for teamwork.

The app offers cool features like reactions, sticky notes, and commenting functions that feel friendly to even non-designer members of the team. You can consolidate your design drafts on Adobe XD and Figma with other project files using InVision Spaces. In this way, your team will be able to access relevant files they need which will make your project highly organized.

How can non-designers navigate the designs to deliver valuable feedback?

Produce your design work in any design software and then select items for your team to see and examine artboards on Freehand. Add all information on prototypes and designs you have added to the canvas.

Freehand has arrows, text tools, and colour options which you can use to inform people about the status of prototypes, interpret the experience, and establish a specific flow.

If your stakeholders and users appraise design work async, you should use Freehand Loom’s add-on to dynamically help your team to give their best feedback. This integration allows you to make straightforward video walkthroughs.

As a result, the Q/A lag diminishes that can come up without a live session with the designer before the team comments. Moreover, stakeholders and users can review live designs and deliver instant feedback by commenting and putting up sticky notes in the meeting when the project is still new.

How to gather user comments early and often?

We have mentioned that suggestions of stakeholders are fundamental to the design procedure. What’s equally important is to collect users’ feedback to make sure that your work is up to the mark.

Moreover, it’s important to get that feedback often. You need to encourage users to review your design and give their feedback. Additionally, you should make them feel that their suggestions and criticisms are noted and appreciated. In this way, they would be excited to leave feedback more often.

Here is the solution: make your design on your preferred design tool then export artboards and originals to Freehand. Here, you can easily hold feedback meetings around designs. It makes Freehand the number 1 tool to gather quick and honest user criticism.

Precisely, export your prototypes to freehand employing Figma and Adobe XD plugins. Now, share its link on your beta users’ group to allow them to offer suggestions async. You can also set a same-day consumer interview using freehand to gain instant feedback.

Consumers can reach out to you in the accessible and all-encompassing canvas without any need for you to share your working design document. On top of that, designers can access all reviews from the canvas even after the session to make their designs better.

Final Words

InVision has come up with a useful tool for designers in the form of Freehand. With Figma and Adobe XD add ons, Freehand works as a central point of collaboration for stakeholders, users, and designers.