A user-centred analysis of decision support requirements in legal informatics

Abstract

Accurate, target-oriented, and timely information is a strategic input in effective decision-making for a plethora of actors within society. The exponential growth in the amount of legal data generated, collected, stored and processed in today's digitalised world, and its emergence as an essential input in everyday interactions, compels us to take a fresh look at how information is not only accessed, but also used to take important decisions that affect the governance of society, and calls for an examination of the development of those sophisticated computer systems that facilitate the process. This research article aims to critically explore the ways in which the legal information needs of different groups of actors within society translate into enhanced interactions with a sophisticated legal information retrieval system, and result in effective data-driven decision making for better governance. To do so, five user stories outlining the various ways in which five archetypal users of an advanced legal information system may interact with a document-driven platform, and use its functionalities to take key decisions pertaining to their everyday personal and professional lives, are presented and critically examined. The article offers the reader a comprehensive way of identifying and analysing legal data stakeholder groups and their requirements, as well as the importance of these requirements per target group. It also seeks to further the identification of advanced services connected to these stakeholder groups covering the demand-side of decision support.