Introduction to i4J’s Ethical Tech Design Framework
The i4J’s Ethical Tech Design Framework prioritizes ease, understanding, and well-being to drive responsible technology innovation that improves access to justice.
The goal of i4J’s Responsible Tech Design Framework is to guide the creation of technology that is usable, accessible, and safe, especially for people navigating high-stress or high-stakes situations such as when self-represented litigants engage with the legal system. The framework is a combination of usability heuristics, content design best practices, and trauma-informed tech design principles.
Framework Overview
A responsible tech product sits at the intersection of three core principles:
Principle 1: Design for Ease
Foundation: Usability Heuristics
Goal: Make the technology easy to use
Principle 2: Design for Understanding
Foundation: Content Design Best Practices
Goal: Make the material clear and inclusive
Principle 3: Design for Wellbeing
Foundation: Trauma-Informed Design Principles
Goal: Make the experience safe and empowering
How to Use This Framework
This framework can be used at every stage of design and development:
Discovery Phase: Use the trauma-informed principles to guide research methods and ensure participant safety.
Design and Prototyping: Apply the framework’s three layers—usability, trauma-informed design, and content design—when building layouts, flows, and text.
Testing and Iteration: Evaluate designs against the framework’s three layers—usability, trauma-informed design, and content design—to address usability issues, clarity problems, and potential harm.
Implementation and Improvement: Track usability metrics, implement and use feedback loops to update designs and refine design practices, document data-driven design decisions.
Principle 1: Design for Ease
Based on Nielsen’s 10 heuristics, adapted for justice and public interest contexts, Designing for Ease prioritizes usability best practices to guide design decisions toward ease of use so digital technologies feel intuitive for any person to access and use on any device.
Best Practice: Visibility of System Status
Design Focus: Ensure users always know what’s happening.
Examples: Use progress indicators, status messages, and confirmation screens.
Best Practice: Match Between the System and the Real World
Design Focus: Use familiar language and logical order.
Examples: Plain language labels, recognizable icons, and context-driven flow.
Best Practice: User Control and Freedom
Design Focus: Allow users to correct errors or undo actions.
Examples: “Back,” “Edit,” and “Undo” options, confirmation before submission.
Best Practice: Consistency and Standards
Design Focus: Ensure design patterns are predictable.
Examples: Apply consistent UI components and terminology across the product.
Best Practice: Error Prevention
Design Focus: Prevent mistakes by protecting users from errors or confusion.
Examples: Real-time field validation, previews, review and edit options before submission.
Best Practice: Recognition Rather than Recall
Design Focus: Minimize user memory load.
Examples: Display options and visible help
Best Practice: Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
Design Focus: Support both novice and advanced users.
Examples: Offer shortcuts, personalization, and step-by-step assistance.
Best Practice: Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Design Focus: Keep content focused and uncluttered.
Examples: Prioritize essential information, eliminate visual noise.
Best Practice: Help Users Recognize and Recover from Errors
Design Focus: Help users understand and fix issues.
Examples: Plain-language error messages with specific next steps.
Best Practice: Help and Documentation
Design Focus: Provide accessible, clear assistance.
Examples: Inline help, contextual support.
Principle 2: Design for Understanding
Based on Content Design best practices, Designing for Understanding prioritizes methods to create digital tools that enable people of all backgrounds, abilities, and contexts to easily understand the legal content, make informed decisions, and take necessary actions.
Best Practice: Plain Language
Design Focus: Ensure text is clear and readable on first glance.
Examples: Use short sentences, active voice
Best Practice: Tone and Voice
Design Focus: Write for your reader with respect, empathy, and neutrality. Lead with what matters most and focus on tasks.
Examples: Does the design avoid legal jargon, speak directly to the user, and use strong active verbs for clarity?
Best Practice: Information Hierarchy
Design Focus: Help users scan and prioritize information.
Examples: Use headings, bullet lists, summaries, and visual cues.
Best Practice: Language Access
Design Focus: Provide meaningful access for users with limited English proficiency.
Examples: Translate content, offer multilingual navigation, include and translation and interpretation services.
Best Practice: Mobile-First Design
Design Focus: Optimize usability and readability for small screens.
Examples: Prioritize large touch targets, short forms, and fast load times.
Best Practice: Accessibility Compliance
Design Focus: Meet or exceed WCAG 2.2 AA standards.
Examples: Ensure keyboard navigation, VoiceOver, TalkBack, alt text, captions, contrast, appropriate text sizes. Test with assistive tech users.
Principle 3: Design for Wellbeing
Grounded in SAMHSA’s six principles and adapted for a legal technology context, Design for Wellbeing prioritizes technology design that intentionally reduces harm and promotes healing to make it easier for people to engage with processes.
Best Practice: Safety
Design Focus: Create emotional and physical safety for users.
Examples: Use calm visuals, avoid triggering language, delay sensitive questions, provide safety information, safe exit, and warnings.
Best Practice: Trustworthiness and Transparency
Design Focus: Be open about processes, data, and outcomes.
Examples: Explain why information is collected, maintain predictable patterns.
Best Practice: Support
Design Focus: Normalize user experiences and reduce isolation.
Examples: Display community and peer support resources, share testimonials.
Best Practice: Collaboration
Design Focus: Foster shared decision-making and feedback.
Examples: Co-design sessions, feedback loops, and participatory testing.
Best Practice: Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
Design Focus: Give users control and agency.
Examples: Offer opt-in options, save-and-return functionality, and control over sharing data.
Best Practice: Cultural, Historical, and Gender/Sexuality Sensitivity
Design Focus: Reflect diverse experiences respectfully.
Examples: Inclusive imagery, language, and identity fields, accessible language translation.
The justice tech landscape is rapidly changing. The challenge—and opportunity—now is to commit to an ethical tech design framework for justice system digital expansion so the technologies launched serve the needs of all people who engage with the courts. The Ethical Tech Design Framework can be used to guide justice tech design efforts toward the creation of technologies that are usable, understandable, and advance well-being, and thus improve access to justice for all.
For more information about UX4Justice and past technology innovation projects, please visit the System Impact Area.