# Getting Started with Evident — Complete Onboarding Guide

**Version**: 1.0 | **Last Updated**: March 30, 2026 | **For**: All Users (Demo → Enterprise)

---

## 🎯 Your First 5 Minutes

### Step 1: Create Account (1 min)

1. Visit [evident.icu](https://evident.icu)
2. Click **[Get Started Free]**
3. Enter email + password
4. Click confirmation link (check email)
5. ✓ Account created (Demo tier by default)

### Step 2: Dashboard Tour (2 min)

You'll land here:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    DASHBOARD                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Welcome, User!                    [Settings] [Help]  │
│                                                       │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Your Workspace                                    │ │
│ │ 3 Demo Cases (read-only)                          │ │
│ │ [+ New Case]                                      │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                       │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Demo Case: Traffic Incident (2024)                │ │
│ │ 3 files | Pipeline ready                          │ │
│ │ [View] [Upload More]                              │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                       │
│ Need help? [Dashboard Guide] [Tier Plans]            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Step 3: View a Demo Case (2 min)

1. Click any **Demo Case** card
2. You'll see:
   - 📁 **Files**: Pre-loaded evidence files (video, PDF, audio)
   - 📊 **Pipeline**: Processing status (completed)
   - 🤖 **Lumen AI**: Analysis tools available
   - 📥 **Upload**: Add your own files

3. Click **[Evidence Summary]** under Lumen
   - See AI analysis of a sample file
   - This shows what Lumen can do

✓ **You now understand Evident's basic workflow!**

---

## 📋 5-Minute Feature Overview

| Feature | What It Does | Try It |
|---------|--------------|--------|
| **Cases** | Organize evidence by matter | Demo cases visible |
| **Upload** | Add files (video, PDF, audio, email) | [Upload] button |
| **Pipeline** | Auto-process (transcription, detection, OCR) | Runs automatically |
| **Lumen AI** | Analyze evidence with AI tools | Try [Evidence Summary] |
| **Export** | Download results in multiple formats | [Export] after pipeline |

---

## 🚀 Getting Started Properly

### For Demo Users (Free Trial)

**Goal**: Explore Evident and decide if you need it.

**Time**: 15–30 minutes

**Step-by-Step**:

1. **View a demo case** (2 min)
   - Dashboard → Click any Demo Case
   - Review sample evidence
   - See pipeline output

2. **Try Lumen AI** (3 min)
   - [Tools] → [Lumen] → [Evidence Summary]
   - See AI-generated file overview
   - That's what your AI assistant can do

3. **Upload your first file** (5 min)
   - [+ New Case] → Name it "My Test Case"
   - [Upload Files] → Select a document, video, or audio
   - Wait for pipeline (30 sec–5 min depending on file size)
   - See what Evident generates

4. **Export result** (2 min)
   - After pipeline completes
   - [Export] → Choose PDF format
   - Download and review
   - See what opposing counsel will receive

5. **Check your tier limits** (1 min)
   - Settings → Billing
   - [View Plans] to understand limits
   - (Demo: 1 GB, Summary only)

**Decision Point**: 

- **"This is useful!"** → Upgrade to **Starter** ($29/mo)
- **"Not ready yet"** → Come back later (Demo available anytime)

---

### For Starter/Professional Users (Paid)

**Goal**: Set up your workspace and get productive.

**Time**: 20–45 minutes

**Step-by-Step**:

1. **Set up workspace** (5 min)
   - Settings → Workspace
   - [Add Workspace Name] (e.g., "Smith v. Doe")
   - [Invite Team] (add paralegal, co-counsel emails)
   - Wait for them to accept invite

2. **Create your first case** (2 min)
   - Dashboard → [+ New Case]
   - Matter name: e.g., "Smith v. Doe"
   - Matter type: e.g., "Civil litigation"
   - Assigned to: Your name
   - [Create]

3. **Upload evidence** (5–10 min)
   - Case → [Upload Files]
   - Select multiple files at once (OK!)
   - Supports: PDF, Word, video, audio, email, images
   - Upload (system starts processing immediately)

4. **Explore pipeline** (while uploading) (5 min)
   - [Pipeline] tab
   - Shows 7 processing stages:
     1. Ingestion
     2. Extraction
     3. Transcription
     4. Detection
     5. Classification
     6. Linking
     7. Quality check
   - Watch progress (usually 1–5 min)
   - ✓ Green when done

5. **Run Lumen analyses** (Starter: 1; Professional+: all 6) (5 min)
   - [Tools] → [Lumen]
   - **Starter users**: Try [Evidence Summary] (only tool unlocked)
   - **Professional+ users**: Try all 6:
     - Evidence Summary
     - Contradiction Analysis
     - Timeline Reconstruction
     - Legal Tagging
     - Full Analysis Report
     - Burden of Proof Assessment

6. **Export results** (2 min)
   - [Export] tab
   - Format: PDF, OPT, or DAT
   - Click [Download]
   - Files ready for opposing counsel/court

✓ **You're now productive with Evident!**

---

### For Premium/Enterprise Users (High-Volume)

**Goal**: Automate workflows and integrate with external systems.

**Time**: 1–2 hours

**Step-by-Step**:

1. **Set up team** (10 min)
   - Settings → Workspace → [Invite Team]
   - Add roles: 
     - Lead Attorney (full access)
     - Associate Attorney (read cases, edit notes)
     - Paralegal (upload, run pipeline, export)
     - Viewer (read-only, no upload)
   - Best practice: 1 lead + 2–3 paralegals per matter

2. **Create case template** (5 min)
   - [+ New Case]
   - Set defaults:
     - Matter type
     - Team lead
     - Assigned paralegals
   - [Save as template]
   - Future cases use template (faster)

3. **Configure API** (15 min) [Premium+ only]
   - Settings → Integrations → [API Keys]
   - [Generate New Key]
   - Copy to your application (e.g., Clio integration script)
   - Test connection:
     - Settings → [Test API]

4. **Set up Clio integration** (20 min) [Premium+ optional]
   - Settings → Integrations → [Clio]
   - Log in with Clio credentials
   - Authorize Evident to read/write cases
   - Select sync options:
     - ✓ Pull cases from Clio
     - ✓ Push analysis results back to Clio
     - ✓ Sync team members
   - Test: Create case in Clio → Appears in Evident

5. **Run batch Lumen analyses** (10 min) [Premium+ only]
   - Select 50+ files
   - [Lumen] → [Batch Analysis]
   - Choose tool: e.g., "Legal Tagging"
   - [Run on selected files]
   - Results auto-combine into comparison report
   - Export as CSV (for partner review)

6. **Set up webhooks** (10 min) [Premium+ only]
   - Settings → Webhooks → [Add Webhook]
   - Trigger: "Case completed" / "Pipeline done" / "Lumen result ready"
   - Endpoint: Your application URL
   - Evident will POST results when events occur
   - Example: 
     ```
     POST /api/evident-webhook
     Body: { case_id, status, results }
     ```

✓ **You're now enterprise-ready with automation!**

---

## 💡 Understanding Your Tier

### What's Included in Each Tier?

**🆓 DEMO** (Free, no credit card)
- 1 GB storage
- Lumen AI: Summary only
- PDF export
- Email support (5 business days)
- Forever free trial

→ **Upgrade when**: You need team members or more storage

**💰 STARTER** ($29/month)
- 25 GB storage
- Lumen AI: Summary only (same as Demo)
- 1–3 team members (add paralegal/co-counsel)
- OPT + DAT + PDF export
- Email support

→ **Upgrade when**: You need all 6 Lumen tools

**📊 PROFESSIONAL** ($79/month)
- 100 GB storage
- ✨ **Lumen AI: ALL 6 TOOLS** (Timeline, Legal Tagging, etc.)
- 5–10 team members
- Timeline builder
- API: Webhooks
- Clio integration (read-only)
- Email + chat support (24h)

→ **Upgrade when**: You need Clio automation or 15+ team members

**🎯 PREMIUM** ($199/month)
- 500 GB storage
- Lumen AI: All 6 tools + batch mode
- 15–25 team members
- Full REST API (custom integrations)
- Bidirectional Clio sync (two-way)
- Priority support (4 hours)

→ **Upgrade when**: You need private AI model or air-gapped deployment

**🏢 ENTERPRISE** ($599+/month, custom)
- Unlimited storage
- Lumen AI: Private model (trained on your cases)
- Unlimited team members
- Full API + custom endpoints
- White-label option
- SOC 2 Type II + HIPAA
- Air-gapped deployment (private servers)
- Dedicated support (1-hour SLA)

---

## ❓ Common Questions

### Q: How do I add a team member?

**A**:
1. Settings → Workspace
2. [Invite Team Member]
3. Enter their email
4. Choose role: Lead / Attorney / Paralegal / Viewer
5. They get email invite
6. Once accepted, they can access cases

**Note**: Tier limits apply (Starter: 1–3; Professional: 5–10; etc.)

---

### Q: What file types are supported?

**A**:
- ✓ Documents: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Text
- ✓ Video: MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM (1080p recommended)
- ✓ Audio: MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG
- ✓ Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF
- ✓ Email: MSG, EML (with full headers)
- ✓ Structured: CSV, JSON
- ✓ Archive: ZIP, 7Z (flattened on upload)

**Not supported**: EXE, script files, encrypted files (unlock first)

---

### Q: How long does pipeline processing take?

**A**:
- Small files (<100 MB): 30 seconds
- Large files (100 MB – 1 GB): 2–5 minutes
- Very large (1–5 GB): 5–20 minutes
- Batch upload (50+ files): 1–2 hours (parallel processing)

**Tip**: Upload large files after hours (system processes continuously)

---

### Q: Can I use Evident on my phone?

**A**:
- ✓ Mobile web: Yes (responsive design)
- ✓ Upload files: Yes (via mobile browser)
- ✓ View results: Yes
- ✗ Native app: Not yet (roadmap)

**Recommendation**: Desktop for complex analysis; mobile for checking status

---

### Q: What if I have sensitive case data?

**A**:

**Security**:
- ✓ All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
- ✓ All data encrypted at rest (PostgreSQL)
- ✓ Access logs available
- ✓ 2-step verification available

**Privacy**:
- ✓ Enterprise users: Air-gapped deployment (private servers)
- ✓ All tiers: Can request data deletion

**Compliance**:
- ✓ SOC 2 Type II (Premium+)
- ✓ HIPAA-ready (Enterprise)

**Recommendation**: Use Premium or Enterprise for highly sensitive cases

---

### Q: Can I download all my data?

**A**:
- ✓ Export to PDF/OPT/DAT (all tiers)
- ✓ API access (Premium+)
- ✓ Full data export on request (Enterprise)

**Process**: Settings → Data → [Export All] → Takes 24h

---

### Q: How do I upgrade my tier?

**A**:
1. Settings → Billing
2. [View Plans]
3. Click tier you want
4. Enter payment method (Stripe)
5. ✓ Upgraded immediately

**No lock-in**: Cancel anytime, refund prorated

---

## 🆘 Getting Help

### Documentation
- 📖 [User Handbook](../USER_HANDBOOK.md) — Comprehensive guide
- 🎯 [Tier Feature Guide](../TIER_USER_GUIDE.md) — What each tier can do
- 🤖 [Lumen AI Guide](../LUMEN_AI_QUICK_START.md) — How to use AI tools
- 📹 [Video Tutorials](https://evident.icu/learn) — Step-by-step walkthroughs

### Support
- 💬 **Chat**: In-dashboard [?] icon (hours depend on tier)
- 📧 **Email**: [support@evident.icu](mailto:support@evident.icu)
- 🐛 **Report bug**: Settings → Report Issue

### Support SLA by Tier

| Tier | Email Response | Chat |
|------|-----------------|------|
| Demo/Starter | 5 business days | N/A |
| Professional | 24 hours | Email only |
| Premium | 4 hours | Live chat |
| Enterprise | **1 hour** | **Dedicated** |

---

## ✅ Setup Checklist

### Before Your First Case

- [ ] Account created
- [ ] Workspace named
- [ ] Team members invited
- [ ] Payment method on file (if paid tier)
- [ ] Demo case reviewed

### After First Upload

- [ ] Pipeline completed successfully
- [ ] Lumen AI tool tested (Evidence Summary)
- [ ] Result exported
- [ ] Team member can access

### Regular Usage

- [ ] Check Settings → Billing (monitor usage)
- [ ] Review Lumen AI results for accuracy
- [ ] Share findings with team
- [ ] Provide feedback (Settings → Feedback)

---

## 🎓 Next Steps

**Ready to dive deeper?**

1. **Learn Lumen AI**: [Lumen AI Quick-Start Guide](../LUMEN_AI_QUICK_START.md)
2. **Understand your tier**: [Tier Feature Guide](../TIER_USER_GUIDE.md)
3. **Explore advanced features**: [User Handbook](../USER_HANDBOOK.md)
4. **Watch videos**: [evident.icu/learn](https://evident.icu/learn)
5. **Join community**: [forum.evident.icu](https://forum.evident.icu)

---

**Questions?** Email [support@evident.icu](mailto:support@evident.icu) or use the in-dashboard chat.

**Version 1.0 | March 30, 2026**