Presentation from a session at the 11th annual Law Firm CIO & CTO Forum at LegalTech NY examining the best ways to design an app's user interface (UI) for the ultimate user experience (UX) and productivity. The panel consisted of Peter Zver (Tikit North America’s President), Mark Garnish (Tikit’s Development Director), Justin Hectus (CIO at Keesal, Young & Logan) and Jeffrey Brandt (Editor, PinHawk Law Technology Daily Digest). This presentation was the accompaniment to the panel discussion.

1. The importance of UX/UI design in the software/app development framework
Engaging Human-Computer Interaction
& Ergonomics Experts to Boost
User Experience and Profitability

2. The Panel
• Mark Garnish – Development Director / Tikit (@MarkGarnish)
• Peter Zver – President / Tikit North America (@PeterZver)
• Justin Hectus – CIO / Keesal Young and Logan (@JustinHectus)
• Jeffrey Brandt – Owner, Brandt Professional Services / Editor,
PinHawk Law Technology Daily Digest (@Jeffrey_Brandt)

3. Why all the fuss – UX and UI
No need for UX consideration when :
The computer interaction was input/output
focused, executed by trained staff in a
predictable environment …. and delivered
as a service (using paper reports as the
medium of consumption).

4. Today, interaction introduces many variables and is in no way predictable either input
or output ….. hence a potential experience ranging from great to ugly… UX is key!!!
Why all the fuss – UX and UI

5. Accessibility today, but at a cost
There are many endpoints for
consumption and access.
However, most UI being
delivered is ‘legacy’ resulting
in negative UX.
Touch where????

6. UI is what an app looks like.
UX is what an app is like.
What's in a name?

7. This is a real homepage – no joke!
[Check it out at Lingscars.com]

8. Bad design

9. Icons – did we get it wrong?
Investment in time and cost to design icons that require “hovers” to
explain what they mean.
Why not skip the icon and explain the action in English?
Add time

10. Make it obvious
A good design should make it
obvious to the user what they
should have to do within
seconds of viewing!!!

11. Not only about clicks
It’s not only about the clicks. Just
because I can do something in 3
clicks doesn’t mean I should.
Sometimes a user will intuitively
do something better in 5 clicks.
The UX is just better that way. Go
with it.

12. Engaging the user – a balancing act

13. Focusing only on simplicity
is simplistic thinking
Simplicity is just one consideration among many
that contributes to the design of the UX
User personas Environment of engagement
Cognitive behavior Existing reflex
Opportunity cost Propensity to invest for high value

14. Effective interface with sub optimal
experience – but warranted
Sometime extra UI
overhead is warranted
to avoid a huge cost
or take advantage of a
huge opportunity

15. A UX journey – QWERTY
Qwerty keyboard is an example
of sub-optimal design (to
essentially slow down the user)
in order save on the cost of
repairs to the keys and ribbon .
However it’s evolution to a
“standard” now makes the UX
untouchable to optimization.

16. Don’t underestimate propensity
to invest for value
Who would have thought that high profile busy
attorneys (who are allergic to the full keyboard) would
become Blackberry power users often wearing out the
touch keys on the device? Why did they engage in this
negative UX? Because the value (extremely high) of
instant communication any time, any where
outweighed the effort.

17. Measure Analyze Present
Keesal, Young & Logan’s MAP’ing process

18. 1
The importance of “Metrics” to gauge personas

19. 1
The importance of “Velocity of Capture”

20. “Lack of rigor in time recording is contrary
to the principles of trust and integrity”
1 As lag to capture increases, quality erodes

21. 1 Timers
Mobile App
Express Time
Day List
Workspace
Dashboard
Passive
Multiple capture points are necessary to serve multiple user personas,
but they inherently lend themselves to variations in velocity of capture.

22. 1
But the data shows that capture points may have impact
beyond that one point (a “halo effect”):
• Timekeepers who regularly use timers also had greater
velocity of capture across the board
• Timekeepers who use mobile time entry at least once per
week achieved a velocity of capture 60% closer to 1.0 in
non-mobile and time entry areas vs. their peers
• Timekeepers who used timers or mobile entries on a
regular basis were subject to significantly less write offs on
a consistent basis

23. • Outstanding interface
• Perfect integration with device
• Installation handled by IT
• Training provided by IT
• Promo by firm champion
• “It’s in the app store”
• 44% increase in entries
• 40% smaller entries on average
2010 Mobile Time Entry 2014 Mobile Time Entry
Application reflex arrived with iOS

24. Takeaways
• The bar for the end user experience (UX) for business applications
is being reset.
• Making a consumer grade UX/UI available to busy professionals
ensures high adoption and ROI.
• Understanding user personas in UX/UI design is critical… Obtaining
objective metrics to support user persona definition key in that it
eliminates stereotyping.
• Understanding and leveraging existing human behavior/interaction
into the design delivers an easy win.
• Start with biggest challenge – delivering usability on the smallest
footprint (i.e. smartphone).

25. Interested in seeing modern UI/UX at work?
Check out Tikit’s next generation of
Carpe Diem timekeeping software.
For more information:
Peter Zver
President, Tikit North America
Peter.Zver@Tikit.com | www.Tikit.us
Follow @TikitNA and @PeterZver