Magistrates Court Calendar

UX Design | UI Design

An progressive web app designed for magistrates of Queensland courts.

Project Overview

The Magistrate's Court Calendar is a progressive web-app, designed for Magistrate's of Queensland, to see the types of court hearings. Magistrate's needed a simple and intuitive way to see their upcoming allocated court types in any particular week or month. They also often traveled to various locations, so the app needed to be viewable on both computer and iPad. 

Roles

• User Experience Designer

• User Interface Designer

Company

Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Software Used

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe XD

The Challenge

How can we create a simple web app that allows easy viewing of all court types at any given magistrate or location?

Goals

The goal was to create a streamlined calendar experience to view any magistrate's court date, type and location. Not all magistrate's were very tech-savvy, so the design needed to be simple and easy enough for information to be conveyed in the most efficient manner. 

The app also needed to be intuitive for administrators, to input and manipulate data within the application. 

Background

Before the production of this calendar, the legacy system was an excel spreadsheet which was constantly being updated by admin staff. Magistrates needed to always have an up-to-date version of this excel spreadsheet, in case any changes were made. 

Reading the spreadsheet was also problematic as the excel spreadsheet was quite large. Finding the right information proved to be tedious and needed a more efficient way to disseminate information quickly. 

What was so difficult?

We conducted in-depth interviews with magistrates, court administrators, and other relevant stakeholders to gain insights into their pain points and requirements. Key findings from the interviews include:

Mobile Accessibility

Magistrates often needed to access their calendars while on the go, whether in court or during fieldwork. Thus, a mobile-friendly platform was a high priority for them.

Desire for Flexibility

Users desired a system that allowed for flexible appointment rescheduling. They found it cumbersome to change dates and times of appointments in the existing system and wished for a more efficient way to handle changes.

System Complexity

Users expressed frustration with the existing system's complexity. They found it challenging to navigate and perform basic tasks such as finding correct dates and rescheduling allocations. Many users were also old and unfamiliar with technology. So an intuitive system was imperative.

Defining the process

Working with my strategic team, we broke the project down into four key phases, each comprised of important steps. This approach helped plan out the project roadmap and determine key milestones and deliverable dates. 

With the tight timeline to MVP, working with an agile, sprint-based process allowed me to iterate on and validate potential solutions early and often. The Concepting phase repeated as a series of week-long sprints to work through different features.

Research gathering

During the research phase, we conducted immersive interviews with judicial administrator officers to explore their legacy systems. These conversations provided valuable insights into system nuances and frustrations.

Through meticulous analysis, we uncovered and dissected pain points and challenges in their current system. This allowed us to propose tailored solutions effectively.

Furthermore, we gained clarity on their visionary aspirations, understanding how they envisioned an improved system. This knowledge paved the way for comprehensive solutions aligned with their long-term goals.

Building Empathy

Using quantitative and qualitative data from interviews, I defined two main target group profiles: magistrates and admin officers. This helped me empathize with their perspectives and prioritize goals based on their needs.

By segmenting and defining these user profiles, I cultivated empathy and understanding for their unique requirements. This approach guided the prioritization of goals and objectives, ensuring proposed solutions addressed their specific pain points.

For magistrates, I explored their responsibilities, challenges, and aspirations within the judicial system. Understanding their motivations informed goal prioritization to cater to their needs.

Simultaneously, I delved into the world of administrative officers, understanding their roles, responsibilities, and daily challenges. This exploration allowed me to empathize with their frustrations and identify improvement opportunities aligned with their operational requirements.

Concepting

I embarked on the process of wireframing to define how information will be laid out on screen. Through an iterative design approach, I explored a multitude of possibilities, ensuring that the user's journey within the application was both intuitive and seamless.

However, the wireframing process was not a solitary endeavor. Recognizing the significance of collaboration and user feedback, I actively engaged with the users throughout the design journey. By involving them in concept testing and validation, I fostered an environment of co-creation, allowing their insights and perspectives to shape and enhance the overall user experience.

Design Solutions

The MVP Solution is a secure web platform consisting of two primary calendars. The UI is designed to be very minimalistic and clean, to allow the user to find information quickly and easily. 

I conducted extensive experimentation with different UI layouts to determine the optimal placement of dates and the names of each magistrate. Through rigorous user testing, a clear consensus emerged, indicating that the dates were best suited for a horizontal bar positioned at the top of the interface. This arrangement ensured that the dates, being fixed positions, were easily visible and readily accessible to users, facilitating efficient navigation within the application.

Help Pages

The system also had a simple help page. This dedicated page served as an invaluable resource, elucidating the purpose of the system and providing users with essential information to navigate and utilize its features effectively.

Administrators held the responsibility of inputting information into the calendar. They were provided with a tailored version of the calendar design, complemented by supplementary features specifically catered to their unique role and requirements.

Closing Thoughts

Ultimately, the project aimed to achieve a focused objective—developing a simple, visually appealing, and easily comprehensible calendar exclusively designed for magistrates. Through meticulous efforts, we successfully created a clean and intuitive UI system that seamlessly adapted to various devices, empowering magistrates to access and retrieve information swiftly.

Upon its launch, the system garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback, solidifying its position as an indispensable tool that would be utilized for years to come. This resounding success affirmed the efficacy of our approach and underscored the system's enduring value in serving the needs of magistrates.

By prioritizing simplicity, readability, and user-centric design principles, we crafted a solution that not only fulfilled its intended purpose but also resonated with the end users. The widespread adoption and continued utilization of the system attested to its enduring impact and its vital role in facilitating efficient information retrieval for magistrates.

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