Design Thinking for Legal

Unless something is grown or mined, it is designed. About 40 years ago, researchers at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, commonly known as the d.school, developed a process for designing things that met the unique needs of people. This process helps the designer develop an intimate understanding of what the “user” is experiencing and guides the designer through a process that often leads to a creative and bespoke solution. Lawyers and “legal designers” are now using the design thinking process to innovate in how we use to run our firms and deliver legal services.

Want the short version? Here’s a brief overview of Design Thinking for Legal:

What is Design Thinking for Legal? (Mark Beese, founder – Design Thinking for Legal)

Design Thinking Mindsets are Counter-Intuitive for Lawyers (Mark Beese – Design Thinking for Legal)

How Design Thinking Makes for Better Business Development and Client Service (Mark Beese – Design Thinking for Legal)

Design Thinking: User-Driven Legal Process Design Could Radically Change Delivery of Services
(Susan Kostal – Three Geeks and a law blog)

Why Design Thinking Works (Jeanne Liedtka – Harvard Business Review)

Deep Dive – Intrigued? Let’s kill an hour digging deeper, if you want. First, let’s start with where to start – identifying pain points that cry out for innovation. What’s a pain point and what does it have to do with design? Check out this VOX video:

Can you think of a “Norman Door” in your law firm? Something that really bugs you, or takes too much time or energy? What can you do to develop an innovative solution? The next video is 8 minutes long, but shows how the design thinking process goes from empathy to prototype. As you watch it, think about how you might go through the five steps of design thinking to re-design a process at your firm.