Youth Justice Portal
The Youth Justice Portal is a tool designed to assist young people in completing tasks at various important stages of the Children's Court process. The primary users are young people, while YJNSW, the police, and the courts serve as the providers of the system and equipment. Young people will be granted access to devices equipped with the system, such as iPads, during offline meetings with justice workers.
Through this system, young people can access information about their current stage, understand their next steps, complete tasks that can be done online, and seek assistance from professionals. We aim to help young people overcome confusion and fear in the legal process, build trust in justice workers and procedures, and successfully complete their cases.
Role
Research
Define Brief
Concept Design
Product Direction
Design System
UI/UX Design
Type
USYD Coursework
(groupwork)
Tools used
Figma
Miro
Canva
Adobe In Design
Discover
Conducted online ethnography and user interviews to gain insights into the challenges faced by young people, families and YJNSW staffs in the justice system.
Define
Main problem
Understanding the Youth Justice Process
The main issue in the Youth Justice System is understanding the legal process. Due to its complexity, young people and their families often feel confused and stressed, leading to poor communication and participation. Youth Justice NSW staff also struggle to explain these processes clearly, affecting case progression. Additionally, essential documents are difficult for young people to read and understand, causing them to be overlooked.
Key Findings
Problems arising from unclear processes
Problems associated withunclear processes includelow engagement, poorcommunication, and lackof trust with caseworkers.These issues can lead to aloss of confidence in thejustice system amongstyoung people and theirparents and impact on theoverall justice experience
Lack of personalised services
Rigid policies andprocesses can limit theability of YJNSW staff toprovide individualisedservices and youngpeople are unable toaccess their individualisedhelp, further increasingthe lack of clarity inprocesses.
Solutions and Improvements
Whilst ‘understanding theprocess’ was identified as acore design idea to addressthe main issues, other designsolutions are also essential.For example, ‘SimplifyingInformation’ and ‘Access toInformation’ can reduceprocess ambiguity; and ‘ChildFriendly Design’ is moreconducive to children'sreading and engagement.
Persona
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Develop
After determining that the digital system serves as the main medium for the concept, we design corresponding functions to address the main problems and user needs encountered by stakeholders in the justice process.
Main Functions
The functionality targeted at the entire process
Digital Library
Provides legal documents, justice resources, and contact information
Lack of understanding about the youth justice system
Process Bar
Guides users through the process, showing tasks to be completed at each stage
Unclear about the legal process
Save Copies
Important documents can be printed or sent via email or phone
Difficulty remembering useful information
Contact Information
Enables users to contact relevant organizations during the case processing
Poor communication channels
The functionality targeted at the granting of bail
Youth-Friendly Information
Uses simple language and images
Lack of understanding about the youth justice system
Quiz Mode
Adds optional quizzes based on judicial documents
Poster
Send Email
Unclear about the legal process
The functionality targeted at the Interview
The functionality targeted at the caseplan development
Professionals Invitation
Youth have choice to invite professionals to help prepare for the background report
Schedule
select community work periods，add them to a calendar, download it
Don't know how to ask for help
Confused about the order arrangement
Deliver
We designed a comprehensive and easy-to-use digital portal that effectively assists young users understanding the justice process. At the same time, effective communication between children and staff is fostered, and children's trust in them increases.
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Youth Justice
Portal
Reflection
During this project, I have learnt the importance of empathy and user-centred design. Through in-depth interactions with users, I learnt how to design solutions that truly meet their needs. This project has enhanced my skills in accessibility and user experience design and has opened my eyes to the huge potential of design to help and support vulnerable people. At the same time, the project made me realise the importance of designing for specific user needs, especially when dealing with complex systems such as the justice system. By providing users with clear and easy to follow instructions, I learnt how design can give users a greater sense of control and confidence. It is very satisfying and fulfilling to see how design can really help users to overcome difficulties. The study of speech-language pathology also gave me a better idea of how to produce output-friendly designs.