Locked down with abusers: Designing for the dignity and autonomy of domestic violence survivors during the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and national quarantine requirements exacerbated domestic violence, as survivors had to stay at home with their abusers with limited access to communication channels or resources for help. In this project, a team of lawyers, designers, and technologists collaborated to assist a domestic violence clinic at a law school to design services to help student attorneys and advocates to better connect with domestic violence survivors who sought legal help during the pandemic. The aim of this service was to support the domestic violence survivors with remote assistance, such as remote intake, a safe means of collecting information, and access to court forms to file abuse-prevention orders. This COVID-19 rapid response case study contributes to the emerging field of legal design by showcasing how the interdisciplinary collaboration of law, design, and technology can help enhance stakeholders' dignity and autonomy in the design of services.