Streamlining legal workflows
for attorneys
ROLE
Product Designer
CLIENT
Capitos
YEAR
2022–2023
Project Overview
CaseConnect is an eDiscovery and case management platform developed for legal professionals to simplify the complexities of handling case files, evidence, and timelines. Designed for the legal-tech firm Capitos, the platform enables attorneys to electronically ingest, organize, redact, and access legal documents and multimedia evidence — all within a secure, centralized system.
Attorneys and legal staff often face bottlenecks in managing high volumes of case material across multiple formats. CaseConnect was created to meet this challenge head-on by providing a seamless, all-in-one solution that improves collaboration, reduces errors, and increases accessibility — whether working from court, home, or office.
To solve these challenges, I led the design of CaseConnect's core workflows and interface architecture. Rather than creating another generic document management tool, we built a platform specifically tailored to legal professionals' unique needs, emphasizing security, precision, and ease of use for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Problem & Context
Despite growing investments in legal technology, law firms continue to struggle with slow, error-prone processes and fragmented systems. Through user research and interviews with attorneys, paralegals, and admin staff, we identified four core pain points:
Time-consuming document workflows
"I waste too much time just organizing evidence for court — it's all over the place."
Risk of human error
"When multiple people edit documents, things get lost or overwritten."
Limited remote access
"I need to review files while traveling or between hearings, but I can't get to them unless I'm in the office."
Unintuitive interfaces
"Most legal tools feel like they were designed by engineers, not for lawyers. It's too complicated."
These frustrations highlighted the need for a flexible, easy-to-use tool that aligns with the realities of modern legal practice — especially for users who aren't tech-savvy.
My Role & Team
As the Product Designer on the CaseConnect project (2022–2023), I worked directly with a cross-functional team of developers, legal SMEs, and the founding team at Capitos. My contributions included:
- • Leading user research and pain point synthesis
- • Designing the information architecture and navigation model
- • Creating interactive prototypes in Figma
- • Iterating on designs based on feedback from attorneys and paralegals
- • Supporting developer handoff with specs, redlines, and edge case flows
- • Facilitating working sessions with legal experts
We operated in a lean, fast-paced environment, often balancing legal compliance requirements with UX goals. I also facilitated working sessions with legal experts to ensure our terminology and flows aligned with real-world legal practices.
Design Goals & Feature Strategy
Based on user insights and legal workflow analysis, we established a clear set of design goals that directly addressed the pain points uncovered during research:
Core Workflow Goals
- • Reduce document handling friction → Seamless ingestion of multiple file types
- • Prevent accidental edits → Read-only viewing mode with visual cues
- • Enable efficient redaction workflows → Intuitive redaction tools with error prevention
- • Improve search and organization → Smart tagging and plain-language search
Access & Navigation Goals
- • Ensure secure and flexible access → Cloud syncing with mobile-optimized views
- • Simplify navigation across tasks → Modular system tailored to legal task types
- • Integrate scheduling and coordination → Calendar events linked to case files
These features were prioritized based on a balance of user urgency, legal workflow frequency, and development feasibility. Each feature was wireframed, tested in Figma, and iterated on in response to feedback from pilot users at partner law firms.
Design Solutions
With the goals established, we translated them into focused, user-centered design decisions:
Modular Navigation System
We created a sidebar navigation with clear grouping for Case Files, Evidence Review, Calendars, and Contacts. Tooltips and icons supported fast recognition, while keyboard navigation was enabled for power users.
"I can finally find what I need without clicking through six menus."
Document Ingestion & Read-Only Mode
We introduced a drag-and-drop uploader and file previewer with support for common legal file types. Files default to read-only mode, clearly labeled, with editing features available only to authorized users.
"The read-only view has saved us from so many accidental overwrites."
Redaction Tools
The redaction feature used a high-contrast overlay mask and confirmation prompts to prevent mistakes. Users could click to apply redaction to text or image areas, with a preview to verify changes.
"It's so easy to mask personal info now. Before, it took three steps just to black something out."
Smart Search & Tagging
We implemented a predictive search bar that accepts natural language queries (e.g., 'email from Smith last March') and added support for custom tags and labels, visible in the file list view.
"Search actually works like you'd expect — I don't need a manual."
Calendar Integration
A visual calendar component showed upcoming court dates and linked directly to relevant case files and contacts. We used color coding for case types and alert badges for time-sensitive events.
"Having case docs tied to the calendar saves so much back-and-forth."
These solutions were refined through multiple testing rounds, with legal practitioners interacting directly with clickable prototypes in Figma. Feedback loops allowed us to continuously improve usability while respecting legal accuracy and security protocols.
Outcomes & Reflection
While the CaseConnect design system and platform experience were well received during testing, the project was discontinued before full rollout due to Capitos shutting down operations. Despite this, the work delivered several key learning outcomes and long-term value to my growth as a designer:
Research Leadership
Strengthened my ability to lead user research in a highly regulated industry
Legal Tech Expertise
Gained experience designing for legal tech users with varied levels of tech proficiency
Stakeholder Balance
Improved my ability to balance stakeholder requirements with user needs in fast-paced sprints
Scalable Systems
Built a scalable file handling system that can serve as a reusable model in future document-heavy projects
Reflection & What's Next
This project deepened my understanding of designing for complex workflows and compliance-sensitive use cases. If given another opportunity, I would further refine our onboarding flow by embedding progressive guidance and contextual support to reduce ramp-up time.
The CaseConnect project, while short-lived, became a foundational case in how I design for scale, accuracy, and real-world user diversity — lessons I continue to apply in current and future work.
