In class this week we spoke about the IDEO Little Book of Design Research Ethics as we also compared and contrasted the ethical duties of an architect and lawyer. These responsibilities range from their relationship to their client, their relationship to the outside world, and dealing with situations individually. The book focuses a lot on respect as a responsibility and what that means for empathy.
Dealing with the courthouse as a site comes with a very specific set of rules and things to think about. People are in a very specific state of mind while they are in there; they are on edge, they are vulnerable, and they are definitely not having fun. This is important to remember from both a design and a legal perspective. When we first went to the courthouse the judge had explained to us that he tries to speak and allow people to speak in a more informal way than expected in a courtroom. He does this because he understands that people are not having a great day and they don't need extra unnecessary stress on top of it.
The same thing goes for performing design research. In class we had discussed how the structure of our interventions is more important than other times because if someone can accidentally break it, they will most likely react in a much less casual way than if they broke something somewhere else. Also we don't want people to feel like they are part of a test that they didn't sign up for. Although we are designing in order to make the process better, we need to make sure not to make some peoples day's worse in the process.
I think this mentality can and should be enforced on all levels of the legal system as well. One group is working on a re-formatting of the official Notice to Quit document. This document is written in a seemingly foreign language, absolutely not considering the people receiving them. These people are upset, they are immediately stressed upon receiving it, then they have to try and translate legal jargon and hopefully make the correct next move. It is not crazy to think that a simpler version of this document is possible and it would definitely help a lot of people. The IDEO book may sound rather specific, but it applies to a multi-disciplinary audience.