Youth Justice
Journey
Role:
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Poster Graphic Design
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Interface UX/UI Design
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Interior Design
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Concept Design
Tool:
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Figma
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Sketchup
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Enscape
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Adobe Photoshop
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Adobe Indesign
Date
2024
Project
Brief
The project aims to help young people, particularly those stressed by legal proceedings, understand and engage with legal information from New South Wales Youth Justice (YJNSW), such as Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO). Understanding this information is essential for procedural justice and equitable treatment. However, current communication tools fall short in addressing the needs of children, especially those from Indigenous backgrounds or with communication difficulties. Traditional legal methods often neglect the cognitive and emotional capacities of youth, leading to misunderstandings and feelings of alienation from the judicial process.
Our
Goal
Our goal is to create two specialized learning environments within the court system to alleviate pre-court psychological stress and to aid post-court understanding of legal documents like AVOs. These environments will feature comfortable settings, tactile digital learning tools, interactive screen models, and other child-centered design elements that highlight ergonomics and engagement.
Through these innovative spaces and tools, we aim to transform the experience of children in the court system, ensuring they are not only heard but also fully understand the proceedings they are involved in. This approach will contribute to a more inclusive and understanding atmosphere in children's courts, enhancing the procedural justice experience for all young defendants and witnesses.
Key Problem Analysis
In past research and discussions, we've identified several issues in youth courts that may cause young people to be unwilling to cooperate or feel nervous. The formal atmosphere of the court can make young people uncomfortable; legal jargon is often complex and difficult for young people to understand; and they may feel a lack of necessary support, such as help from family, case workers, or others:
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Most young people can be supported at a universal level by simplify the language used in documents.
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Young people who may need special measures, such as visualization.
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Small number of young people require one-to-one professional support from independent professionals with specialist skills in supporting young people with communication.
Research
1
Environment
The use of color, lighting, layout, and texture in interior design for NSW youth court creates a professional and formal spatial environment to support conversations that promote efficiency, well-being, and trust so that different visitors feel treated fairly and with respect. The space will feel welcoming, open, non-intimidating and approachable, a place where people can share their stories, be heard and find a way forward to complete productive conversations. The different room types also support the different backgrounds and social needs of young people. In addition, we have considered sustainability in our materials.
2
Receptive Language
In order to communicate successfully, receptive language is important. Young people with language impairments may find it challenging to understand instructions and may not be able to respond appropriately to questions and requests. Receptive language is a method of understanding information and meaning provided in a variety of ways. For examples, visual information in the environment, actions and gestures, sounds and words, signs or somethings. According to the Christou (2018), Receptive language skills are important for children with language impairments.
3
AI Avatar
During our interview with a stakeholder, she mentioned that young people are very fond of a caseworker named Mike and enjoy talking and sharing with him. Inspired by this, one of our design solutions is to create a cartoon AI avatar. By incorporating characteristics that made Mike popular, the avatar will encourage young people to share their thoughts and concerns more freely. Additionally, the AI avatar will be designed to address the unique needs and preferences of young people, fostering an interactive and supportive environment that enhances their understanding and involvement in the judicial process.
Child-Centricity
The environment features age-appropriate décor and furniture, interactive digital tools like touchscreens and an interactive wall that are easy to use, and content that is presented in simple language with supportive visuals. Educational materials, including the AVO form, are available in multiple formats, such as original text, easy-English, and interactive versions with annotations.
Accessibility
The design includes features like voice-over explanations for the hearing impaired, texts font in different sizes and content in multiple languages. Accessibility will be evaluated by assessing the diversity of children able to engage with the system without barriers, through feedback from children themselves and from caseworkers or educators.
Educational Effectiveness
Legal concepts are broken down into manageable parts using interactions and gamification. AI Q&A with AI Avatar answering the frequently asked questions in easy-english and audio play. Real-case scenarios of the interactive wall are used to illustrate legal processes, and children can interact with these scenarios through physical touching.
Design
Principals
Our proposal is a child-friendly learning space centered around an interactive digital platform. This space integrates various digital tools and educational environment to help children understand legal processes, particularly the Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) and other legal matters relevant to the Youth Justice New South Wales (YJNSW).
Interactivity and Engagement
The design incorporates interactive touchpoints at every step, including an interactive wall that shows court processes, and an AI virtual guide named Lexi the Legal Eagle who interacts with children throughout the AI Q&A chatbox. Engagement levels will be tracked through analytics on the digital platforms, including time spent on each activity, frequency of visits, and qualitative feedback from user experience surveys.
Privacy and Safety
All digital interactions require secure logins or refresh functions to protect identities. The system is designed with data encryption and adheres to strict privacy laws, ensuring that all information shared by the children is confidential. Compliance with privacy and safety standards will be regularly audited by external bodies, and feedback on privacy concerns will be collected from users to ensure continuous improvement.
By adhering to these principles, the hybrid learning environment is poised to provide a comprehensive, supportive, and effective learning experience for children dealing with legal proceedings, thus meeting the goals of increasing their legal literacy, reducing their anxiety, and enhancing their overall engagement with the legal system.
Emotional Supportiveness
The public environment is designed to be warm and welcoming with comfortable seating, soothing colors, mini-games are also provided and private areas where children can discuss sensitive topics. Support staff and counselors are available to provide additional emotional support.
Reframing
Brief
Process of Reframing
Our team conducted a series of consultations and workshops with key stakeholders, and we incorporated insights from educational psychologists and child behavior experts. After reviewing relevant documents and conducting background research, we gained an understanding of the obstacles faced by young people in the stressful legal environment.
Process of Reframing
The restructured summary suggests creating two specialized environments within the court system, aimed at alleviating pre-trial psychological stress and enhancing children's understanding of legal documents such as Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO) after court. These environments will feature comfortable settings, tactile digital learning tools, engaging interactive screen models, and other prominent features that adhere to ergonomic principles and are centered around child-friendly design.
Target
User
The primary users are children who are parties to or witnesses in legal cases. This includes children needing to understand complex legal concepts and processes, particularly those related to Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs).
User
Needs
Adaptive and Inclusive
Learning Modules
Flexible and Simple
Content Delivery
Instant and Effective
Support Feature
Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
Ergonomic
Furniture Design
Interactive
Digital Signage
Design Approach
First Prototyping
We initially proposed an application that allows young people to check their forms, such as AVO form, at any time to better adhere to regulations. However, we overlooked the privacy issues of young people and how those without access to smartphones or computers could use this service.
Application
We also design a relaxing puzzel game session to deepen the memory of teenagers. This can be in the form of a physical card or a digital website, depending on which method of interaction the teen prefers.
Interactive Game
Second Prototyping
We decided to start by helping young people relieve stress and relax, so we planned to use a multifunctional space, reorganized and enhanced with innovative features, to help young people better understand legal regulations and the entire court process.
Multifunctional Room
Initially, we designed a room with a multifunctional whiteboard where young people could write and draw, participate in AI-assisted Q&A about the AVO form, and play games to deepen their understanding of the form after court. However, we still overlooked privacy issues, such as the potential for inappropriate language on the whiteboard and the need to refresh the Q&A content. Additionally, the inclusion of too many entertainment elements detracted from the seriousness appropriate for a court setting.
Multifunctional Digital Screen
Final Prototyping
The main challenge addressed by this solution is the intimidation and confusion children often face in legal settings. By providing a preparatory learning environment and a reflective communication space, our design helps demystify the legal process. This tailored educational experience reduces stress and increases comprehension, empowering children to handle their legal experiences more effectively.
Addressing the Main Challenge
The final solution combines interaction design with strategic intervention, focusing on creating specific spaces and a digital platform tailored for young users. It enhances the typical court preparation process by making it more supportive and educational, thereby not only preparing children for their immediate court experiences but also building their legal literacy and confidence. This comprehensive approach ensures that children involved in legal proceedings receive the necessary support and education to handle these situations with increased ease and understanding.
Solution type
Final Design
Our design concept is a hybrid learning environment tailored for children involved in legal proceedings, integrating a public "Before Court" learning space with a private "After Court" communication room. Both spaces are supported by a child-centered digital platform, designed to reduce pre-court anxiety and enhance understanding of legal processes. This environment provides a comfortable yet formal setting, specifically catering to the needs of young participants in the legal system, ensuring they receive comprehensive support and education.
Story Board
Before Court - Public Learning Space
YP get into the public room to prepare for the court.
Question answered by AI chat box and YP can play games to relax.
YP know about court process through interaction wall.
After Court - Private Communication Room
YB can better understand the AVO form in private room after court.
YP can check different versions of AVO form and make notes to better understand.
YP will see the AVO form on the wall through digital display screen.
Public 'Before Court' Learning Space
Furniture
Design
Utilize modular furniture design, allowing for rapid reconfiguration of the space according to different activities and the number of children. Using timber as the main material to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
This area is designed as an open and inviting space where children can engage with legal concepts before attending court. It features digital displays, mini-games and an interactive wall that entertain and educate, reducing anxiety and preparing children for their court experience. The design is simple and practical, with easy-to-navigate digital platforms that are child-centered, ensuring the content is accessible and engaging.
Interactive
Display Eboard
A central feature in physical spaces like courtrooms or dedicated learning centers, which provides AI-driven Q&A chat boxes based on real legal knowledge and relaxing mini games to ease before the court.
Home Page
Introduction
Introducing the public learning space and functionality of the digital design for the young people.
Game Page
Mini-Games
Designed to entertain children and alleviate anxiety and tension before appearing in court.
Interface
Design
AI Chat Box
Setting
AI Virtual Guide (Lexi the Legal Eagle)
An engaging AI character that answers legal questions and provides explanations in a friendly, understandable manner.
Setting
Multiple settings for adapting different needs of diverse backgrounds of users.
Private 'After Court' AVO Communication Room
Furniture
Design
The design of the room focuses on privacy and comfort, featuring green plants, soundproof wall, soft sofas, timber table, carpet floor, and frosted glass elements to create a relaxed and secure atmosphere conducive to sensitive discussions.
Following court appearances, this secluded space allows for confidential discussions about the AVO form and other legal experiences. It provides digital tools for personal interaction with legal advisors or educators through digital platforms that support one-on-one communication, ensuring privacy and focused attention.
Embedded iPad
To improve AVO form assistance, each table has an embedded iPad that allows children to interact with the form. To ensure room-wide visibility. The room includes a large digital display screen that can synchronize with the iPad interface.
Form Page
Version Selections
The interface offers three formats for review: the original digital AVO form, an easy-English version of the form, and a note-taking version.
Interface
Design
Login Page
Protecting Privacy
Access to the iPad requires a unique username and password for each child, ensuring that their privacy is protected during use.
Select Your AVO Form
AVO Forms File
In some particular cases, young people might have multiple AVO forms. Therefore, the first step is to select the corresponding AVO form.
Easy-English
Easy Version
Easy-English version of form w/ visuals.
Original
Original Version
The original document in digital format.
Note-Taking
Note-taking Version
Available for taking note on AVO form and save for further use.
Print or Send
Your AVO Form
Send
If needed, children can also have a PDF version sent to their phones for easy review later.
If needed, children can also print out the easy-English and annotated versions of the AVO form to take home.
Reflection
Working on the project to assist young people, particularly those stressed by legal proceedings, in understanding and engaging with legal information from New South Wales Youth Justice (YJNSW) has been a profound and impactful experience. The goal was to address the shortcomings of traditional communication tools that often fail to meet the needs of children, especially those from Indigenous backgrounds or with communication difficulties. By developing innovative spaces and tools, we aimed to transform the legal experience for these young individuals, ensuring they are not only heard but also fully understand the proceedings they are involved in.
This project presented several challenges, including ensuring privacy, addressing communication disabilities, and designing a simple yet effective user interface (UI). Balancing these elements was crucial to creating an inclusive and supportive environment. Traditional methods often lead to misunderstandings and feelings of alienation, undermining procedural justice and equitable treatment. Our approach focused on creating a more inclusive and understanding atmosphere in children's courts, enhancing the procedural justice experience for all young defendants and witnesses. This initiative has significantly deepened my understanding of the critical role design can play in improving communication and inclusivity in legal settings.