Littler SmartSearch Case Study

Transitioning a Law Firm Search Engine from RealPractice to Recommind

Project Introduction

Law firms rely heavily on efficient search engines to retrieve critical information, including work products, attorney details, and case matters. The existing solution, RealPractice, was costly and lacked integration flexibility. The firm decided to transition to Recommind, a more efficient and cost-effective search solution.

Objective

The primary goal was to design an intuitive search experience that mirrored the functionality of RealPractice while leveraging Recommind’s advanced capabilities. The redesign aimed to enhance search efficiency, improve accessibility, and optimize navigation.

My Contributions

As a UX/UI designer, I led the user experience and interface design efforts, ensuring a seamless transition that improved usability and search efficiency. My responsibilities included UX research, wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and usability testing.

The pilot launch 🚀

Littler stakeholders requested search page UI designs for the Recommind branded pilot launch. They needed a name, so the research was done and the following name suggestions came up: SmartSearch, SearchLittler, and getLitt. I was tasked with designing the mockups for the search interface and unique branding to differentiate the new product. Below are my design concepts:

SmartSearch

A Google-like search interface design for a conservative look, with a magnifying glass.

SearchLittler

A bold and high contrast design option to appeal to the task oriented nature of searching for legal docs.

getLitt

The lighter option... Get Litt! Littler stakeholders became quite attached to this concept and I built the initial prototypes using getLitt designs.

Recommind pilot mockups

Search Results Screens—The out of the box Recommind product provides the basic functionality for the search results screen. These screens have three tabs: Work Product, Attorneys and Matters. Detail pages are displayed below.

People Search Results
Relevant Experience Summary
Document Search Results, with “Preview content” enabled
Document Display Details
Matters Search Results
Matter Display Details

The Product Launch

Littler's intranet homepage—LittlerNet—promoted the product release to the firm. I designed this high fidelity mockup for stakeholders to visualize the experience.

Replacement Product Page

RealPractice had an expiration date and the product was beginning retirement. I designed the discontinued product landing page with a call-to-action to encourage users to make the switch to SmartSearch!

"Navdeep is highly detail oriented. He is rapid to prototype and iterate UI designs. In one of several projects we collaborated on, he brought his skills to bear on a new Recommind-powered corporate search application our team developed. Navdeep was instrumental in building the UI designs and mockups that enabled us to deliver this very successful product to the firm – to great acclaim... I am pleased to recommend him and his formidable design skills."

Chris Nappo

Application Systems Analyst

Littler Mendelson (Nov 2008 — Oct 2011)