Presentation by- Camille Cameron, Idaho Legal Aid Services Evaluation for Non-Website Projects Case Study from the field

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 2 Idaho Interactive Court Forms Project A collaborative pioneer project between the Idaho Supreme Court and Idaho Legal Aid Services to develop interactive court forms for self-represented litigants using HotDocs, A2J Author, and the NPADO project.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 3 What we initially set out to accomplish… Complete automation of 300 court forms within two years. Develop Spanish interviews linking to 25 of the HotDocs court forms, including Spanish print instructions. Conduct a statewide promotion of the project, giving presentations to at least 100 community organizations & advocacy groups. Create an effective system of evaluation. Create effective evaluation tools to gather feedback from users and advocates.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 4 Factors Affecting Project Accomplishments… Too ambitious. Working with a committee and forms that continually changed. Adequate planning for revisions and review. Learning curve for HotDocs. Adopting A2J late in the game.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 5 …Continued Factors Marketing the project. Gathering statistics. Adequate research and planning to create the initial evaluation plan. Adequate research and planning to collect effective evaluations/feedback from users and advocates.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 6 Project Accomplishments… Completed 144 HotDocs templates, authored 21 A2J guided interviews, plus 3 Spanish A2J guided interviews linked to 17 court forms with Spanish instructions. Received over 23,000 hits on our website related to the interactive court forms (May – Dec 06). Partnered and built relationships with all 44 county Court Assistance Offices. Gave presentations across the state to 126 community organizations and advocacy groups.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 7 …Continued Accomplishments Developed and printed- 50,000 brochures, 500 posters and 50,000 bookmarks. Developed a survey for clients, which is included as part of the printed form packets.  We’ve received about 250 completed surveys thus far. Received approximately 60 comments from users via “send feedback” feature on NPADO.  We’ve received 25 positive remarks or thank yous; 25 questions or requests for other help; and 10 frustrated or negative comments.

TIG Evaluation for Non-Website Projects - ILAS 8 What we’ve learned… Don’t get too ambitious!  Be realistic and reasonable in your assessment of what can be done with the resources you have (or re-evaluate your priorities) and allocate time for learning. Do your homework.  Learn from what others have done. Plan effectively, and set evaluation goals in phases, rather than putting all the focus on the end result. You can’t make everyone happy.  When working in a partnership, compromise and effective time management are key. Prioritize everything, from what you want to accomplish in a day or meeting to what you feel are the most important aspects of your project at hand. And, always have a back-up plan, especially for your time.