Some design tools like Figma were created specifically for the cloud, while others are just now making their way there. Regardless of when they got there, there’s no doubt that cloud-based design tools are on the rise.
One can argue that desktop apps such as Sketch or Adobe XD are similar in functionality and features, but the truth is that cloud-hosted design tools steal the show when it comes to collaboration and ease of use, for the following reasons:
Work Better Together With Your Team
By connecting the world of design and development, they make it possible for entire product teams to collaborate on the same design in one place. Perhaps you’ve already heard of Figma’s real-time collaboration, and tools like Proto.io and UXPin offer good collaborative environments as well.
Work on Any Platform
Since everything is online, these tools run on any operating system that uses a web browser: Mac, Windows PC, Linux machines, and even Chromebooks. With that said, everyone can still share, open, and edit your design files.
Flexible and Simple Sharing
With cloud-based design tools, inviting your team to work together is a breeze. Say goodbye to juggling multiple files in emails or Slack— all you need is one up-to-date preview link and you’re good to go.
There’s Always Room for Improvement
For all their benefits, existing cloud-based design tools still lack some much-needed features:
- The design is not translatable into code — you can’t turn your design (including interactions) into production-ready code, export it, and handoff to your devs.
- Documentation and versioning are far from perfect — if you want to streamline your version control or documentation, you will need to integrate with third-party tools.
- You need to follow a fixed workflow — they force you into following a certain workflow and using their own tools.
Keep Everyone On The Same Page
Bridging the worlds of design and development, we’re creating a common space where everyone can focus on what matters most to them. Developers on tweaking code and designers on the visual side of things.
Co-Create Like Never Before
When Supernova comes to the cloud it will bring with it unparalleled performance. That means you can co-design at the speed of light thanks to production-ready code generated from existing designs. Never again will you need to start your design from scratch, and you can forget about the vicious circle of copy-pasting code snippets ad nauseam.
One Home For Your Design Principles
With a Design System Manager and custom documentation accessible in the cloud, everyone can be on the same page. We’re bringing a single centralized home for all your essential design principles with versioning distilled to the tiniest bits and components.
