Bridge Legal Technology is the legal software firm that built the client portal for Upright Law, their premier client. Their current long term goal is to create one-stop shop software for a payment processor, CRM, and client portal that will satiate the needs of both attorneys and clients.
I was on a team with two of my cohort mates, Rachael and Steve. None of us knew much about bankruptcy, so we were curious to find out about the bankruptcy filing process and what our users were candidly experiencing. |
The first question I had was, “How do I pay?” “Speed Up Your Payment” seemed to be the closest thing to making a payment, but it felt counterintuitive. Why would someone want to speed up their filing date every single time they are on the website, or even want to see the button when most clients can’t afford it? Another snafu we noticed was the listing of future payments under Payment History. The semantics of that feature failed to come under a consensus and lacked testing.
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After viewing Upright Law’s current portal screens, we wondered:
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At this point, we assumed:
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Joe, who has worn a lot of hats at Upright Law, told us that while the internal technology is advanced, the client facing technologies of Upright Law are lacking. He described the clients as not tech savvy and requiring everything to be self-explanatory with simple calls to action.
Clients lack substantial knowledge about the bankruptcy process and need transparency about hidden fees, payment processing errors, and dealing with creditors. Rather than fancy iconography, he believes that steadfast efficiency and simplicity would boost the product’s impact. According to Joe, “Anything we can put in where a client calls one less time is a win.” Ryan, an attorney at Upright Law, shared similar sentiments as Joe. The success of Upright Law comes from its attorneys and the virtual platform. According to him, clients feel safe from the stigma and reassured that their financial burdens will be alleviated. He also said that the client portal doesn’t give users enough of what they need, especially the details in the fabric like payment process dates, updates on attorney filing, and documents to upload. We discovered a huge disconnect in the product mindset: the assumption that users wouldn’t stay on the payment plan if they were given options to slow or change their payments. This seemed a little odd because even though it is a business and money making is rightfully a priority, I felt that they were based primarily off of client assumptions and lacked validity from users. Our team wanted to explore how user feedback lined up with what Jocelyn, Matt, and our subject matter experts told us. |
LawPay is the top legal payment processor that allows users to add a new charge, receive refunds, review transactions, set up recurring payments, and be able to report on payments made.
It is a responsive web platform, and the mobile layout includes an off canvas menu and scalability that makes it convenient to navigate. |
Cosmolex is a legal cloud management platform that provides attorneys with billing, management, and accounting services. It strives to be a one-stop-shop for practicing lawyers, and its payment service is powered by Lawpay.
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Practice Panther is law practice management software that allows attorneys to manage and organize logistics and communicate with their clients.
However the caveat is that anyone can apply for an account and there isn’t a high level of credibility affirmation, so there is a chance that clients can be conned or scammed through this platform. |
MyChart is a medical mobile app that provides users with medical records, scheduled appointments, results, and doctor-client messaging. According to Jocelyn, it’s really easy to use and what she would want the product to look and feel like.
The app features pre-determined topics and responses on a launchpad menu. Billing is included on the app, and you can also dial in with credit card info. Users can save credit card info and verify accounts with touch ID. Notifications pop up every time a bill comes up, which encourage users to stay on track with their medical dues. |
Domino’s Pizza has a tracker that shows users in real-time the status of their order. We felt that this tracker was an improved version of Upright Law’s current tracker, and it was more informative, with distinct colors to indicate status and details about what users should expect, including the local store address, what they ordered, and estimated delivery date.
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Mint is a personal finance program that allows users to keep track of their budgets and credit scores. The product features clear and simple calls to action with digestible language that makes finance management easy for users. We also liked how the information was sectioned into bite sized cards with organized clarity. We thought about adopting this design pattern for the Upright Law client portal to make payments hassle free and resources accessible.
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Through affinity mapping, we were able to better visualize the patterns
and insights from our research. |
Our clients, however, were fervently focused on improving their key performance indicators, increase in accelerated
payments being top priority. There seemed to be a lack of deeper understanding for their users, and while they pride themselves in top notch customer service and being flexible with the service support, that level of service seemed to be missing in the payment portal. Matt, the VP of product, suggested a payment timer that would notify users the time they have left to pay before their case closes in order to motivate them to pay. However, our team thought differently. From what we heard from our clients, we felt that they would be discouraged and overwhelmed by the notification. We identified the opportunity to increase the flexibility for payment changes and access resources. Our team felt that the users were not being taken into consideration with the key performance indicators. The top key performance indicators were reducing cancellations rates, increase collection of funds, and reduce labor costs. From our research, we were able to narrow down the scope of where the users were experiencing the greatest pain points. |
Ideation Insight #1:
When asked what they would add to the current client portal, most users wanted to know where they are in the bankruptcy process and what documents they would need by when. Journey Tracker
Step by step bankruptcy guidance Key Features
User Dashboard Payment Calendar Payment Change Confirmation
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Ideation Insight #2:
Clients have a lot of legal questions and experience a lot of anxiety over it. Our research revealed that clients search these questions on Google first before contacting UpRight Law. FAQ + Contact Hybrid
Quick access to authentic resources Key Features
Resources by Trusted Sources Integrated Contact Us Real-life Outcomes of Bankruptcy Client/Attorney Messaging |
Ideation Insight #3:
Users pay close attention to their finances and want to stay on top of where they are in the payment process. Payment Change Request + Status
Track and change payments flexibly Key Features
Request changes/postpone payments Indication of Payment Status Effects of Changing Payments |
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I also included a calendar that would show them all of their payment information in month and year formats.
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This form allows users to
change their payment and immediately see the change in their estimated filing date. |
We interviewed 5 existing clients and 1 external bankruptcy filer to receive feedback on our designs.
We wanted to make sure that our testing was accurate and detailed as possible, so we made sure that each of our interviewees was able to share their screen and access a computer. For each testing session, we asked clients questions based on the four key problem solving points that we brainstormed when we first started tackling the problem. |
What helps the client to feel in control?
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What helps the client to feel informed?
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All of our users found the payment change request
and integrated contact us to be very easy to use. |
The payment tracker and resources page made it convenient
for users to access help and important information. |
"Sometimes I can’t sleep and questions will pop in my head...These are questions you don’t think to ask when you are talking to the attorney and having that within the portal is a huge help.” -M
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“If I can make an adjustment
to my payment it makes me feel like I have the power to do something." -M |
“I want to know where I stand with my payments at all times.” -K
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“I always go to the website, I won’t call if I can avoid it. I don’t want to be transferred 3 times and put on hold.”-W
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What helps the client feel hopeful towards the future?
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What motivates clients to complete the filing process?
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Users thought that the payment status was reassuring and motivating.
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Users felt motivated to complete the payment process from the payment status and positive, encouraging language.
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“It motivates me to stay on track and is a nice reassurance
when you see it in writing like that. It’s another line to inform the user that their petition date will be pushed back if you’re not following your original plan date.” -M |
“I appreciate that the language feels realistic. Struggling to make a payment is how it feels. It makes me feel understood and tells me the benefits of staying on the plan to move with a fresh start.” -C
“Being able to make changes and knowing how it affects the case gives me a clear understanding of the consequences.” -K
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A couple of UpRight Law clients remarked that the testimonials felt too gimmicky or promotional. None of the users we tested noticed them without guidance.
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Most UpRight Law clients reported that they preferred to use their own calendar from Google instead of a calendar within the portal.
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We created a simple portal login page with the logo and text field for the client ID.
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The dashboard gives a clear snapshot of the user's payment status and information in one stationary place.
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The resources section allows users to easily ask questions and view answers to frequented issues and topics.
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The payments page empowers users to see their payment status and history, and make payment change requests.
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Who We Tested
4 Upright Law Clients We didn’t test clients who were unable to access a computer or screen share. Some also cancelled. |
We used the following questions to guide our testing.
How easy was the task? What could make it easier? How valuable was the functionality of the prototype? How was the product interpreted? Were all intended purposes made clear for the client? What were the best parts of the product, and what was less useful? |
Did the client feel in more control?
Clients did feel more in control because they were able to see their payments and take action right away with changes and updates on their progress. “It helps me manage payments easily. Being able to make a payment change request is huge and I really like that.” Did the client to feel hopeful towards the future?
Clients did not feel more hopeful towards the future because they see hope as a self-generated incentive and don’t find it from the payment process. They don’t think that utilizing the website to pay their retainer fee makes them feel more hopeful, but it’s a necessary step towards financial freedom. “In terms of the portal, I don’t feel more or less hopeful. It is just a tool.” |
What helps the client to feel informed?
Clients did feel more informed when they are able to see information about their bankruptcy filing according to what they search in the resource section, contact us, and payment options. “This portal is meant to empower, give comfort, and show information. The more information we can be given, the better.” Did the client feel more motivated to complete the payment process? Clients did feel more motivated to complete the payment process because it made them feel respected through the new options that are available to them regarding payment changes and resource accessibility. “Normally when I’m paying bills I don’t get to visually see my payment making a difference, the portal allows me to see I’m making progress.” |