Episode 1: Tim Scott on The Human Aspects of UX Design for Lawyers
“If it requires training, then it’s dead on arrival”
Episode Notes
I’m proud to say that this is the first (of many) episode of The Thinking Legal podcast - a deep dive into the human and psychological aspects of the legal sector.
I spoke to Tim Scott, Head of Product Strategy and Design at software development custom company Frogslayer. Tim has conducted thousands of interviews with end users, including many lawyer, to find out what makes good user experience (UX) for them.
To explore the topic, we went back to first principles. Tim cited the concept Stephen Anderson developed in his 2011 book, Seductive Interaction Design, User Experience Hierarchy of Needs model, itself based on Abraham Maslow’s seminal pyramid-shaped model of human needs.
At the base of the UX pyramid is whether an app is functional - it has to work! Then we have reliability, then usability, then convenience. At the top is whether the app is pleasurable and meaningful. The last two might stretch the limits of a document review app software developer’s talents, but the others are the key building blocks of designing software - including for lawyers.
So what’s important to lawyers? According to Tim, one particular attorney summed it up. “If it requires training,” she said, “it’s dead on arrival.” To lawyers, billable and productive hours are extremely important. They don’t have time to spend hours in training. The software they use needs to be usable straight away.
Listen to the podcast for more gems from Tim Scott