DIGITAL JUSTICE
About Project
When the pandemic made in-person hearings impossible, FTR developed a virtual court platform that leveraged Microsoft Teams — an entirely new concept for the judicial system. My role was to design the instructional framework, onboarding content, and training materials to help court staff transition from decades of in-person tradition to a digital platform.
This project was as much about human adaptation as it was about design — transforming how justice was accessed and delivered.
The Challenge & Strategy
Court proceedings had relied on physical presence for generations. Suddenly, clerks, judges, and legal professionals needed to manage hearings virtually — often with little to no digital experience. The challenge was to create an intuitive, accessible learning system that demystified new technology and built confidence quickly.
The learning materials had to serve a wide range of users, from judges and clerks to technical staff, all with different comfort levels and responsibilities. The solution needed to be clear, role-specific, and easy to use under pressure.
Design Process
I began by researching how traditional courtrooms functioned — observing workflows, communication flows, and role dependencies. From there, I mapped these real-world processes against the new digital infrastructure to identify where guidance and design support were most critical.
Key Strategies
Wireframe & Prototype
Creating wireframes and prototypes of the platform’s user experience to guide both design and content development.
Training Guides
Developing interactive step-by-step training guides that mirrored the actual user journey within Microsoft Teams.
Visual Aids
Designing onboarding flows and visual aids that simplified technical setup, scheduling, and courtroom protocol in a virtual setting.
Instructional Content
Writing clear, accessible instructional content tailored to different court roles and technical skill levels.
X-Team Collaboration
Collaborating with product engineers, designers, and judicial staff to ensure every learning material aligned with real-world use.
Outcome
The virtual court platform was successfully launched and adopted by one of the largest judicial systems in the country. The onboarding and training materials became core to its implementation — helping thousands of court professionals transition smoothly to remote hearings during a time of disruption.
The system evolved into a multi-million-dollar SaaS platform, remaining in use long after pandemic restrictions lifted — a testament to its lasting utility and design clarity.
