Design and law together form a formidable duo.
Much like the King and Queen in a French deck—strategy and creativity ruling side by side.
Design & Law
Catch a thief to set a thief
To outsmart deception, you must first understand it. In the digital world, misleading tactics—known as deceptive design or dark patterns—manipulate users and face legal scrutiny.
As a legal professional in a national authority tackling unethical design, I gained deep expertise in these tactics and their consequences. This unique knowledge sets me apart in design, where my legal experience translates seamlessly into process and method.
Design
During the years in classic design roles, I took on various positions across different projects.
I not only designed interfaces but also dealt with user experience research and service design as well.
Law
Before transitioning to design, I was a legal professional at the national authority investigating unethical design.
I gained extensive knowledge of the legal consequences of design decisions, such as the application of dark patterns and other misleading techniques.
Transferable methods
The methods used to uncover deceptive techniques in the digital world closely mirror the design process. Both involve research, analysis, and iterative problem-solving to understand user behavior and refine outcomes. This parallel makes legal expertise highly adaptable to ethical design practices.
Transferable knowledge
The most tangible outcome of the intersection between design and my legal background was developing a legal tech concept for the Global Legal Hackathon to simplify food advertisements.
The Global Legal Hackathon
Each year, the Global Legal Hackathon is organized with the sponsorship of Wolters Kluwer global information services company. The goal of the event is to identify innovative, future-proof product concepts that have the potential to revolutionize the traditional legal practice.
The concepts need to be developed by diverse teams of professionals, including designers, developers, lawyers, and others.
My goal was to develop a product that effectively guides people in food advertising, enabling them to create fair and compliant advertisements easily, thereby avoiding legal penalties.
With my concept and leadership, we won the national round of the 2020 hackathon, which advanced us to the global round. In the global round, we were selected as one of the top 6 ideas worldwide.
Transferable
assets
Legal skills like analytical thinking, problem-solving, and attention to detail translate seamlessly into UX design. The ability to navigate complex systems, assess risk, and advocate for fairness allows me to design experiences that are ethical and well-structured.
Leadership & responsibility
Designers need skills like decision-making, strategy, leadership, and project management.
My legal experience gave me a concentrated, high-stakes training in these areas, providing a strong foundation for design too.
Art of questioning
Success in product design starts with asking the right questions. In legal investigations, precise questioning is crucial—leading questions, for example, are serious errors.
Working in such a regulated environment sharpened my skills to ask thoughtful, responsible questions.
Shared care
Legal investigations taught me to balance different interests—protecting people from manipulation while considering the company’s perspective too.
This mindset helps me design with both user needs and business goals in mind.
Speaking the language
Like a medical specialization, law builds on general knowledge with deep expertise in a specific area. Despite this focus, legal professionals understand the broader field, speaking its legal "language."
As digital interfaces face increasing regulation, my ability to understand the regulations of digital interfaces gives me confidence—such as anticipating changes in accessibility laws for 2025.