MURAL
a short introduction on its use for design tutorials
by Oscar Brito-Gonzalez, Stage 3 Leader BA (Hons) Architecture Spaces and Objects
MURAL
is a sort of whiteboard, a canvas that can be customised for collaborative design sessions,
tutorials, etc.
the dimension of the Mural is customisable, from a paper to a wall size, allowing for individual
or collective work spaces.
MURAL
The structure of Mural allows for different levels of organisation:
Imagine that a Mural account is a building, this called Workspace.
Within that building/workspace there are Rooms, that could be assigned to people, sessions, etc.
Within each of those rooms there are Murals, that can be customised for different sizes, activities…
MURAL
this is a Mural that we have configured for design tutorials. We have set a page size template
at the left, so students may understand the scale of their graphics. We have pre-divided the mural in A2 pages and students may import and fit their work within, as a wall pin-up or as
an open portfolio. Here you see three students pinned-up with their A2 portfolios.
This is a close up of the pin-up of one student, showing the sketches from tutors and peers before/during/after the tutorials.
Mural allows for students to discuss each others work, and interact.
at the bottom left there is a navigation tool showing where you are in relation to the whole Mural.
At the middle bottom you see the participants present in each session. You may follow the screens of the participants, (the level of zoom, the position on the Mural) by clicking on their initials.
You may leave real time comments in the comment box at the right. The comments remain and students and staff may revisit after each session.
There is a timer at the top left, useful to time presentations, tutorials, etc.
There is a sketch function that allows to draw using different colours, levels of thickness, transparency, etc. This is particularly useful in design tutorials, co-design sessions and peer discussions.
There is a very useful image import tool. You may search images online, or on your computer. This tool is far more immediate that browsing on, for example, Google images, and is very useful in tutorials to search and discuss precedents, which may be incorporated into the Mural boards.
Mural may be used in a very structured way for workshops, seminars, assignments, by setting up and/or using templates.
This, for example, is a template available at Mural for a design studio, setting up a series of tasks.
At the right column there is a table of contents that may be used to navigate the mural.
Some BA Architecture student feedback on using Mural:
Student 1
It was hard to get the hang of Microsoft Teams the first time, however, I think introducing Mural to our studio makes it easier and more interactive in real time (moving your cursor to what you would like the viewer to see).
Student 2
So far I have been finding the new interfaces very useful and straightforward to use. In particular, I think the way in which Mural is organised with the page sequence is very helpful, and we are able to follow the tutorials and see other students’ work even before the tutorial day. I am happy with the way tutorials have been working so that we are able to listen to the discussions and follow the presentations as they take place with Teams too.
We will be collecting more feedback.
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