Introduction to MURAL for UX
Summary
Participating in a project or meeting with MURAL and not sure where to start? Learn the basics about the structure, experience, and key features of the app to succeed while collaborating, all from the perspective of a UX practitioner.
Key Insights
-
•
Mural is designed as a remote-first digital workspace that supports hybrid and distributed teams.
-
•
The platform enables spatial and relational organization of ideas, which aligns better with brain processing than linear slideshows.
-
•
Mural includes facilitation tools like Summon, voting, and timers to guide workshops and collaborative activities.
-
•
Visual collaboration in Mural spans ideation, research, low-fi wireframing, and high-fi review phases.
-
•
Mural integrates frameworks such as Lean UX Canvas and Luma Institute methodologies enabling asynchronous facilitation.
-
•
Mural serves as a virtual office space that breaks down traditional barriers of seniority and location by democratizing input.
-
•
Design teams can import high-fidelity assets from tools like Figma into Mural to engage stakeholders unfamiliar with those tools.
-
•
Mural excels in consultant and research contexts where structured, choreographed remote workshops are critical.
-
•
Visitors and users might have restricted permissions such as image uploading depending on admin settings.
-
•
Mural helps replace physical printouts and whiteboards with a shared digital canvas for comments, edits, and annotations.
Notable Quotes
"I use mural for a lot of research where I create interactive co-creative experiences with customers."
"Mural is not just a digital whiteboard — it is the digital office space where collaboration happens across time and space."
"With Mural, information is delivered two ways, not just one; everyone can contribute and view together."
"Holding down the C button lets you drag connectors to visually link objects in Mural."
"We use frameworks in Mural that come with built-in instructions enabling asynchronous facilitation."
"Mural’s facilitation superpowers allow you to conduct workshops with 30 people divided into groups seamlessly."
"We put high-fidelity designs in Mural so stakeholders unfamiliar with Figma can still comment and interact."
"Mural democratizes collaboration by letting people contribute regardless of seniority or location."
"You can pan around by holding the space bar and dragging to explore the Mural canvas freely."
"Most presentations at Mural happen inside Mural itself — slides are becoming a thing of the past."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Drag and drop ease, and collaborative affinity diagramming in the tool, were unexpected but very welcome advantages."
Taylor Jennings Joe Nelson Alex KnollRepository Retrospective: Learnings from Introducing a Central Place for UX Research
March 9, 2022
"We have a role to play in democratizing the future and amplifying more visions of what that future can hold."
Nicole AleongFuture Orientations to Everyday Life: Futures Anthropology as a Methodology
March 26, 2024
"Innovation labs don’t work because their mission is to be innovative, not necessarily to solve real customer problems."
Jeff GothelfInnovation Studios: the Engines of Enterprise Experimentation
May 14, 2015
"Tools are great, but they do not solve all problems; training and understanding the why behind accessibility is essential."
Saara Kamppari-MillerDesignOps for Inclusive Design and Accessibility
May 26, 2022
"Taking care of the basics and creating opportunities lets us get out of the way and let the team thrive however they see fit."
Tess DixonC'mon Get Happy
September 29, 2021
"When your team sees themselves in your North Star and structure, they feel safe, secure, and inspired to stay."
Liam ThurstonWhy Your Design Team Is Quitting, And How To Fix It
June 10, 2022
"People care about titles way too much. I had a guy whose business card said star-bellied sneak—love that."
Ian SwinsonDesigning and Driving UX Careers
June 8, 2016
"My kids know everything. If you listen to conversations with them, they say I know, Ma, I know."
Leisa ReicheltOpening Keynote: Operating in Context
November 7, 2018
"Doing fewer things well and working at a natural pace improves quality and reduces burnout."
Rachael Greene Alison DavisBuilding a Design Ops Practice that Really Works (Most of the Time)
October 2, 2025