Welcome to our Spotlight Series. We’re excited to introduce you to Carly Simmons, our UX/UI Manager — the guru of all things user experience here at Measures for Justice.

What exactly is UX, you ask? We’ll leave that up to Carly to explain… Enjoy our Q&A!

What is UX, really? What does good UX mean to you beyond it just being easy? What is your top priority?

First off, thank you for the compliment! Second, UX stands for “user experience”, which at the very least, is making sure a product or service does what the user wants it to do – without running into any obstacles. Building good UX can be difficult when we don’t know enough about the people using the things we make. When we test our ideas in the wild, and ask folks about their motivations, fears, and hopes, we have a much better chance of making meaningful experiences.

Where do you draw inspiration when thinking through how to design things?

When Googling fails me (and it often does) – talking to people really helps. As part of a small team, I make a conscious effort to break down signs of siloes. The next time you’re stuck on an idea, get up and talk to someone – anyone. Asking someone how their day is going can open doors to serendipitous problem solving. Genuine and curious questions go a long way. Before you know it, you are suddenly collaborating with someone, and if you get really lucky, they might solve a problem for you (never forget to give credit!)

What is a consideration in good design that a lot of people might not think about?

This may not be what designers want to hear: the answer is probably simpler AND uglier than you like. Who am I kidding, that even hurt me to write! But, it’s totally true, and that’s okay. In the field of UX, our priority is always getting people where they want to be. It’s easy for designers to get hung up on color, shadows, animations, and all the delightful interactions development affords today. Sometimes simple just works. Styling trends come and go, but function is king.

We always say the criminal justice system needs to be transparent, accessible, and accountable to the people it serves. Where does UX come in?

UX is just one piece of the pie when it comes to transparency, accessibility, and accountability. Transparency and accessibility is not possible without our engineering brains hooking up the data and building the interface we design. We continuously explore ways to display different kinds of data, and learn where folks struggle to comprehend complexities around our measure calculations from testing ideas. We have experts on our development who communicate when our designs won’t be accessible for people who are blind and/or deaf, for example. Accountability is probably the toughest, but most opportune aspect for our products. Building mechanisms for the community to hold their public servants accountable is what I’m most excited about as Commonscontinues to grow.

What’s a unique challenge you’ve faced when designing in the criminal justice space?

Hands down, the toughest part of designing in the criminal justice space is understanding how the criminal justice system works, and how it differs in nearly every county. I don’t have a background or any degrees in criminology, statistics, or law, but I am fortunate enough to work with some of the smartest people in this space, who understand the complexity and messiness that is criminal justice. County-wide, there is a deficit of knowledge in this area – I’m part of it – but I also want to be part of making it easier for anyone to spark change in their communities.

What’s your favorite MFJ product to work on?

I’ve been fortunate for the opportunity to work on a number of products built by MFJ. When I first started working at MFJ, we redesigned our Portal, the product that got us on the map. Whichever product I’m working on, the most invigorating part is seeing how it pushes our mission forward. Every article announcing policy change, every single person sharing how a new policy changed their life – that is the stuff that keeps me motivated when I’m feeling stuck or defeated. I’m most excited for the possibilities Commons lends to touching more lives than our data products have before. Its approach toward community engagement is one I haven’t seen before, and I feel our MFJ team is more equipped than ever to acknowledge and work with communities with mutual respect (shoutout to our Engagement team!)

What’s different (or the same) about designing in the criminal justice space compared to any other industry?

Fundamentally, when we compare dashboard products, much of the interface is familiar – there are charts, tables, download buttons, etc. However, presenting criminal justice data is a much newer frontier than industries like healthcare and education. So, in many ways, we have a lot to look at for inspiration. On the other hand, CJ dashboards are still getting the hang of displaying data and statistical concepts in ways folks can understand in an instant. At times, it can be both empowering and frustrating to be part of a movement that is less mature, but the potential is so worth it.

Thanks for joining us and stay tuned for another Spotlight Series in the future! If you’re interested in joining the Measures for Justice team, check out our job postings.