Over 4,000 designers responded to Taylor Palmer’s annual UX Tools survey.
Here are some key takeaways from the results.
1) Miro had massive growth
In the brainstorming category, Miro grew from 5% usage in 2019 to 33% in 2020. This has become one of my personal favorite tools.
2) People love Whimsical
Most tools averaged a rating of 3.5 out of 5, but Whimsical achieved a great score of 4.5. Miro also had high scores, but Whimsical looks to be a great contender.
3) Windows adoption is climbing
More designers are using Windows. 25% of respondents used Windows as one of their platforms for design this year, up from 18% last year.
4) Figma usage skyrocketed
Taylor said the Figma numbers were so high, Taylor had to double-check them. They were the clear winner in multiple categories, including the “Which tools are you most excited to try in 2021?” section.
5) Testers like Zoom & Maz
Zoom is the clear winner here, especially as it becomes a household name. Maze also had a strong showing and high user rating. 25% don’t use software at all.
6) Notion is a budding favorite
There were several surprise appearances from Notion in multiple categories. It’s clearly becoming a popular solution for many designers.
7) Adobe XD is slowly emerging
Adobe XD grew 10x from being used by 1% of respondents in 2019 to 11% for managing a design system. However, it’s still behind Figma and Sketch.
Wrapping up
Big thanks to Taylor for putting this together every year! Be sure to visit uxtools.co/survey-2020 to see all the results.
Have you changed tools in 2020? Let me know on the Twitter thread. If you’re feeling generous, perhaps like or retweet the thread, too:
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Also published here.