Human Factors Applications to the Design of Legal Offices

Abstract

A programming study was undertaken to examine diverse human factors considerations associated with a renovation design appraisal for a small public defender clinic. The study used a multimethod approach involving interviews, a questionnaire, and a participatory design session. Subsequently, the programming team was able to describe a variety of design implications arising from human functional concerns within the firm. These ranged from appropriate workplace arrangement of the legal secretary to the social/professional image of client accessed interview spaces.