InDesign UX Resources
This page contains links for help and discussion on creating UX (User eXperience) wireframes and prototypes with Adobe InDesign.
How to
The InDesign UX Design Patterns guide details how to create User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) elements from InDesign without coding.
Topics include
- Popups and Feedback (to notify the reader)
- Indicated Progress (to keep the reader motivated)
- Navigation (it doesn’t have to read like a book 😉 )
- Visual Exploration (to let the reader have fun)
Articles
- Wireframing and Prototyping in InDesign, InDesign Magazine Issue 69, an article I wrote after the Adobe MAX presentation
- InDesign For Interactive Design Wireframing, InDesign Secrets, by David Blatner
- Using InDesign to Create UX/UI Designs, InDesign Secrets, by David Blatner
- Creating Wireframes And Prototypes With InDesign, by Schlomo Goltz (also, additional resources provided with the article)
- How to Approach a Responsive Design
- Design Strategy — Creating Wireframes And Prototypes With InDesign
- Wireframing Using InDesign (PDF)
Video Presentations and Courses
- Non-linear Navigation with InDesign & in5 – my video course on Ajar Academy
- Create a Video Pop-up with InDesign & in5 – my video course on Ajar Academy
- UX Design Tools: InDesign – my video course on Lynda.com
- InDesign CC: Interactive Document Fundamentals – Mike Rankin’s course on Lynda.com can help you learn about the interactive tools in InDesign
- InDesign UX for Wireframing and Prototyping – presentation at Adobe MAX 2014 (now offline)
Tools
- in5 (InDesign to HTML5) – exports interactive features, animations, and Folio Overlays for InDesign.
- SWFPresenter – clever tool that allows InDesign animation in PDFs (when SWFs are supported). Not recommended now that SWF has almost no support.
- Adobe Reader – commenting features.
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Great resources – great software – thank you!
Thanks, David! 🙂
I’m curious if this can be used to create complex navigation menus
Yes, these techniques can absolutely be used for complex menus, assuming you use a format that supports Object States (in5 HTML, FXL Epub, or Publish Online—not Interactive PDF).
In fact, in5’s Menu Builder makes this super easy:
https://ajarproductions.com/blog/2017/06/12/how-to-build-a-drop-down-menu-in-adobe-indesign/