During my master’s thesis, I gained a long understanding of what legal design is. I mapped the field, identified existing projects and opportunities, and engaged with experts (legal designers) to refine insights. Through desk research, participating in workshops, prototyping, and cultural probes, I developed a personal project for navigating the Italian residence permit process.
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Overview
Context
As part of my master's thesis, I explored the field of Legal Design, mapping existing projects and identifying opportunities. Based on the insights, I developed a personal project to improve a bureaucratic problem I had multiple times: the Italian residence permit process.
Objective
Understand what Legal Design is and how Design can be applied in the Legal environment.
What did I do?
> Conducted research on Legal Design and provided visualizations to understand the scene.
> Interviewed with Legal Designers.
> Developed and tested a prototype for an improved residence permit process.
> Interviewed with Legal Designers.
> Developed and tested a prototype for an improved residence permit process.
Result
The book included easy to comprehensive research on Legal Design with examples and maps and a personal project about the Resident Permit
Client
Master Thesis Project
Master Thesis Project
Role
Design Research, Service Design, UX/UI, Visual Design
Design Research, Service Design, UX/UI, Visual Design
Duration
2017 (One year)
2017 (One year)
1. What is Legal Design?
I’ve started the project understanding what is Legal Design, from the academy point of view but also what was available in the market.
From the insights of the desk research, I made a mind map to explain the areas of interest sustained by several cases. To organize the different type of projects, I put design as the center of it and categorized it into Communication Design, UX, Service Design, Policy Design, and Education & Research.
2. Who is a Legal Designer?
From the opportunities I’ve found during the Discovery phase, I interview the “Legal Designers” to confront this ideas. As a result I create a mind map of what a “Legal Designer”. This lead me to the creation of several future scenarios.
3. Personal Project
From the scenarios, I decided to take it into a personal project.
I followed the Double Diamond methodology to understand the problems, find solutions, and test and implement a solution.
4. Deliver
I made a new interface for the residence permit following the Design Italy guidelines.
I conducted a usability test and iterated the prototype.
Result
As a result, I’ve got positive feedback: I graduated with the highest mark. As well, I have showed my results in the Law Via the Internet 2018 conference.
My thesis was cited and I was a reference about the topic after a few years (I was interviewed many times!)
