Voice capabilities in Adobe XD let you take users beyond the screen. Learn how to design and prototype using voice commands and speech playback.

Voice prototype integration with XD

Voice capabilities in Adobe XD allow designers to incorporate the medium of voice into their prototypes and design rich experiences such as integrating voice search within a mobile application, adding a speech output for turn-by-turn directions in a car navigation system, or including both into an interactive kiosk in retail environments.


Voice commands allow you to trigger an interaction using a verbal command. Similar to using a Click or Tap as a Trigger, you can add a specific utterance as a trigger within XD’s prototyping mode. Speech Playback gives you access to a powerful text-to-speech engine that you can use to interact with your prototype.

Voice design and prototyping
Voice design and prototyping

Benefits of voice capabilities in XD

  • Ability to design, prototype, and share experiences using the medium of voice.

  • Create experiences for new platforms and devices, such as voice assistants and smart speakers.

  • Ease of use in adding voice like any other prototyping interaction with no previous experience in voice technology or coding.

Prerequisites to use voice within prototypes

  • XD version 13.0 or later to add and preview voice capabilities.
  • A reliable Internet connection to interact with voice features.
  • You cannot use voice commands with embedded or offline prototypes.

Hardware dependencies when getting started with voice

  • Adobe XD requires access to the microphone of the device it is being used on.

  • Ensure that the speakers are enabled and set to an appropriate volume level to hear any speech playback incorporated into your prototype.

Supported languages for voice capabilities

While voice command and speech playback features of Adobe XD are translated to all localized versions of XD, voice command and speech playback capabilities are available in English, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French. Do note that these capabilities are based on the Language and Region settings on your computer.

Speech detection has been optimized for accents and speech playback offers a wider variety of voices with accents based on your region.

Specific use cases associated with voice prototyping

Voice prototyping is a quickly evolving technology with new devices entering the market all the time. A few examples of voice prototyping with Adobe XD include:

  • Voice search within a mobile application.
  • Third-party applications for voice appliances such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Microsoft Cortana.
  • Speech output for turn-by-turn directions in a car navigation system.
  • Interactive kiosk in retail environments.

Common workflows associated with voice prototyping

Some of the workflows are:

  • Add voice control as an input to a prototype and preview the integration.
  • Add a speech response to the voice input in the artboard.
  • Share a voice-enabled published prototype with other designers or test usability with prospective users.

Create prototypes using voice commands

For information on how to create, publish, and preview a voice prototype and speech playback response, see Create prototypes using voice commands.

Activate voice commands in the preview mode

When previewing a prototype on a:

  • Desktop or laptop: hold down the spacebar.
  • Adobe XD Mobile app (iOS/Android): use a long press gesture anywhere on the screen. Place your finger on the screen (without moving it) and use the voice command before lifting your finger back.
  • Mobile browser in a smartphone: hold down the microphone icon located in the lower right-corner of the screen.

Best practices associated with using voice capabilities

  • A common pattern when working with voice and speech is to not actually combine them in one interaction. To use them together, use a voice trigger to transition from the first artboard to the second artboard. Then on the second artboard, use a time trigger for speech playback. This combines a visual response and speech playback when using a voice trigger.
  • If you want to add multiple voice triggers to the same artboard, use placeholder objects. For example, add multiple circles to an artboard in design mode and in prototype mode, add a different voice trigger to each circle. To hide the circles, click the eye icon in the layers panel. Though the objects are not visible on the artboard, the voice triggers associated with them continue to work during preview.

Troubleshooting voice-related errors and issues

Why does my voice trigger not work in preview mode?

Assuming that you have set up the voice command in a proper manner, check your mic settings to ensure that Adobe XD has permissions to access your microphone.

Does the voice trigger command exactly match your utterances?

Adobe XD does its best to match what is said to the available set of commands. Though it does not need an exact mapping, how close it should be varies for different phrases. A significant part of working with voice is testing how Adobe XD handles different phrases in your design.

Why am I unable to hear the speech playback in preview mode?

Ensure that your device is not muted, and the volume is turned up. A good way to validate speech playback is to enter the prototyping mode, add an interaction to an object that uses a tap trigger and speech playback. In the preview mode, click the object to hear the speech playback.

Why am I unable to use my headphones to preview my prototype?

Some wireless headphones may not work properly with voice triggers and speech playback. If you are having issues, try disconnecting your wireless headphones.

How do I troubleshoot voice interactions using notifications?

You can now troubleshoot voice triggered interactions during prototype previews on the desktop or web. For more information, see Troubleshoot voice interactions using notifications


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