How Brook used Mural to design an inclusive contraception tool

Brook, a leader in sexual health for over 60 years, set out to develop an inclusive contraception tool to combat misinformation and guide users through their contraception options.

A key part of this process was ensuring the tool was user-friendly, accurate, and aligned with how people seek information. To achieve this, Brook adopted a user-centred approach and used Mural to map out user journeys, refine the tool’s logic, and facilitate collaboration with their users.

What was the problem?

The team identified two key issues:

Outdated Digital Resources: Brook's legacy website housed an old contraception tool that had not been updated for years. Despite its age, analytics revealed continued user engagement, highlighting an ongoing demand for trustworthy information.

The Rise of Misinformation: The rise of social media platforms brought an increase in contraception-related misinformation, particularly targeting Brook's primary audience: young people. This misinformation often promoted inaccurate contraception methods and increased the risk for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

How they used digital to solve it

Using Mural to Map the User Journey

Before any development work began, Brook needed to ensure the tool’s flow made sense for users. The team used Mural, a digital whiteboard tool, to map out the tool’s logic.

Each possible user journey was carefully plotted. By visualising the journey, the team could easily identify any confusing paths or redundant steps. Yellow sticky notes represented different questions users would encounter, while red sticky notes indicated alert messages or key decision points.

Collaboration and Iteration

The Brook team worked alongside clinicians, technical partners, and young people from their Participation Forum to refine the tool. Mural’s collaborative features allowed different stakeholders to provide feedback on different features and pathways of the tool.

The team tested and iterated the structure in Mural. This gave them a cost-effective, low-fidelity way to test and iterate the tool before moving into high-fidelity prototyping

From Mural to a Live Tool

The final product was a responsive, mobile-first tool that provided personalised contraception guidance while actively debunking misinformation using pop-ups.

Impact

The new tool has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback, with users praising its clarity, accessibility, and inclusive design, including myth-busting pop-ups and non-gendered language.

Some feedback they received:

"[I] just went through this even though I generally know my stuff and it’s really helpful! So user-friendly, and great info, very handy!"

“This year demonstrated just how important understanding options can be!! Makes me a little emotional to see this which will educate and empower others"

By prioritising user needs and digital tools from the outset, Brook has created a tool that is both effective and empowering to young people.

If you’d like to learn more about online whiteboards, we have created a resource about the best ones to use.