The Adobe Research Programme on Illustrator Web (Beta) is the first of its kind, with the prime agenda of eliciting valuable insights from design students. The program is intended to enrich the development of Illustrator on Web (Beta) by understanding the requirements and preferences of its prospects. By engaging with the best design schools like JD School of Design, it is on board to develop a tool organically integrated with the workflow of future designers.

The three main objectives of the program were to collect detailed feedback about the functionality and user experience of Adobe Illustrator on Web (Beta); to learn how design students work with web-based tools within their creative process, and to take insights from that in guiding the ongoing development of Illustrator on Web (Beta).

The viewers consisted of diverse design disciplines: 20 final-year students of Visual Arts, Fashion Communication, Graphic Design, and Fashion Design. Additionally, there were three faculty members and two from the HOD team at JD School of Design who participated in this research.

Program Structure and Activities

The program began by briefly introducing the Adobe team and Illustrator on Web (Beta). Further, the objectives of the User Research program were specified, setting the stage for an interesting and informative session.

• Open-Ended Discussions

There were open-ended discussions to gain a proper understanding of the design workflows of students, their challenges, and the features they would expect from a web-based design tool. These open-ended questions encouraged frank responses and multiple perspectives, hence providing Adobe with full knowledge of the student’s needs.

• Design Challenges

Students were given a design challenge to work on, like creating a poster, flyer, logo, or icon. The class was exposed to Illustrator on Web (Beta), with observations of their interactions, collecting usability insights. This workshop showed real-time feedback regarding the performance and user-friendliness of the tool.

• Quantitative Feedback

A quick survey was forwarded to collect quantitative data related to the student’s experience with Illustrator on Web (Beta). Adobe further invited more feedback and suggestions from participants that could contribute to its future development.

• Key Personnel

Senior Product Manager, Shubham Tripathi; Product Marketing Manager, Smriti Capoor; and Senior Engineering Manager, Kishore NV from Adobe hosted the research program, bringing their expertise and insights to the table.

Insights and Outcomes

The feedback from all participants was highly valuable. The ease of access and collaboration in work that a Web-based tool like Illustrator on Web (Beta) provided made the students very happy to give extremely detailed feedback on the functionalities that were useful to them and where they ran into problems. Additional perspectives were provided by the faculty members and HODs on smoother integration with existing educational tools and platforms.

JD School of Design: Leading the Way

JD School of Design is always working towards updating the students and making sure that their experience is the best. Through this collaboration, Adobe and JD School of Design further ensure our commitment to offering the most modern and diverse tools and experiences in preparing our students for an ever-changing landscape of design.

Participation in the Adobe Research Programme on Illustrator Web (Beta) aligns with the mission of JD School of Design to offer extraordinary learning experiences, by seamlessly connecting academic learning and its real-world applications. By putting the latest tools such as Illustrator on Web (Beta) inside the curriculum, JD School of Design a top design school in Bangalore prepares its students with the exact set of skills and knowledge required to help them be successful in the future. 

Looking Ahead:

These insights that the research program is going to gather are very critical to the further development of Illustrator on Web (Beta). Only through a deep and sincere understanding of the needs of design students will Adobe be able to create a robust product that fuels creativity and collaboration within the design community.

JD School of Design the top design school in Bangalore is extremely proud to be at the forefront of this innovative research program and to give its students the chance to make a difference in the very tools they will be working with throughout their professional lives. This partnership between JD School of Design and Adobe reflects its commitment towards the creation of a dynamic and innovative learning environment.