Travis County Civil & Family Courts

Clients: Travis County, Hunt Development Group, Gensler

Having outgrown its previous space, Travis County, TX and partners embarked on a $300M new construction for the Civil and Family Courts system. After a global pandemic, they were 6 months away from letting people into the new building. Therefore, it was time to think of the digital ecosystem.

The Challenge: How might we create a frictionless digital experience for jurors and other visitors to the new courthouse on the ground and via the web? Also, I wasn’t in Texas.

What I Did

I was responsible for the following components:

Mapping out the jury flow and making recommendations for digital transformation—including SMS opt-in, onsite check-ins, and wayfinding.
Digitizing the print docket system for the web and syncing it dynamically across all digital displays
Creating and designing a new web portal on traviscountytx.gov for the new courthouse
Ensured kiosk interface designs by third-partner vendor fulfilled business and usability requirements
Explored other opportunities for digital innovation like payment via QR code

Success Stats

In 72 hours, I knew more about the jury process than even the Travis County stakeholders
I uncovered a blind spot—there was no location in the new building for jurors to congregate
I helped guide the Travis County IT team to a solution that would connect databases and sync docket data in the courthouse and across the web.
I ensured Gensler and Travis County could account for every change-management touchpoint for the digital dockets.
My stakeholder interviews with judges and other court staff uncovered new digital opportunities.
My web and digital work successfully created the new online hub, redesigned other Travis County pages, and set a standard for future redesigns of other municipal pages.
I worked on other kiosk interfaces with third-party vendors to ensure all customer journeys would be ready for the ribbon cutting that December.

Expertise

Experience Strategy & Design
Service Design
Content Strategy & UX Writing
Web & Digital Strategy
User Research & Stakeholder Interviews
Information Architecture

Concept → Launch

How did I become an SME on the full front- and backstage jury in 72 hours? I read all the public information across the wider Travis County municipal sites. From there I made a service blueprint, which I then used to identify use cases for SMS notifications, syncing dockets digitally, updating webpages, and using the QR codes on kiosks.

A service blueprint diagram mapping the jury process across Juror, District Clerk, Courtroom, Litigants, and Constable swim lanes, from summons through registration, assignment, pre-trial, voir dire, trial, and dismissal.

The original dockets were posted once a week on the government website. But no one could know about real-time changes unless they were standing in the courthouse and talking to the clerks! I diagrammed out databases for the IT team to help them connect all the data pieces together. I also designed the interfaces that would appear on each floor and online. You can see the real one here.

A digital docket display screen mounted in a courthouse hallway showing a real-time list of family law dockets.

Government sites are complex and disjointed; I learned that when I did my jury flow audit. But I knew my work would set a precedent for future web designs for the county team. My work wasn’t just about pages to insert, but included navigation, layout, and future design recommendations to keep scaling.

The Travis County website’s global navigation with the Civil Courts dropdown menu open, showing links to forms, court types, and juror resources.

The welcome video shows how digital systems serve the physical spaces and vice versa. Jump to 1:10 to see all the digital touchpoints in the new building.

Press

“Sarah is no-nonsense and quick with an answer.”
AJ Patterson · Director of Connected Experiences · GENSLER