By Siddharth de Souza, Payal Chandra, Rachit Sharma and Varsha Aithala
At Justice Adda, we are preoccupied with how the law should be written, and communicated. We are interested in understanding the purpose of legal language, the technical nature of its construction, and the broader implications of its use and subsequent practice.
Link to our terms and conditions
As an organisation committed to enhancing legal literacy, we have sought to explore different mediums through which the law can be communicated. These could be through infographics, games and animations. In our projects, we emphasised retaining the substance of the law while ensuring that it is engaging, accessible, and relatable to different people.
We were presented with an opportunity to think through how we could practise our mission of demystifying the law while developing the terms and conditions for our website.
As we redeveloped our website, we wanted to develop a policy which could be read fully by users, informing them of the nature of the information we collect, the manner in which we can use their information and what users can do to protect their personal information.
We looked at privacy policies, terms and conditions, disclaimers, and other important documents published on several websites. In reviewing these, it became clear that unsurprisingly, and more often than not, these documents are laden with legal jargon. As a result, these documents are not only confusing but also difficult to navigate and understand. People expect these documents to be in a standard form, and not worth their time and effort, and so, end up scrolling to the end, just to click on “Accept”.
Unfortunately, this means that most website users (including lawyers) typically do not read these terms and the fine print is often overlooked – a mistake that could potentially have serious unanticipated ramifications as this becomes a binding agreement between the user and the entity.
It was therefore necessary that Justice Adda’s documents are user-friendly, and presented in such a manner that a user would (hopefully) be encouraged to read them without finding the exercise a “task”. This is precisely what we hope to achieve by presenting our privacy policy and terms and conditions in the illustrated form that you will find on our website.
We recognise that the document we share uses legal language, and at times is not without its technicalities. However, we have made efforts at the time of drafting, review and testing to ensure that we guide our users through it in a manner that is coherent, simple and practical.
We wish to make users aware of their rights and obligations without them being daunted or having to expend considerable time and energy in navigating complicated text. We hope that in our efforts, this makes the document relatable and less intimidating.
In designing our terms and conditions, our main consideration was the wide range of users who would engage with its contents. Keeping in mind that some readers may opt for a more cursory approach and look to extract the essence of a clause or specific terms, we have developed a design that supports and facilitates this style of interaction. The initial text, which aimed to clarify complex legal jargon, formed the basis for subsequent design decisions, pushing for a shift towards a visual representation that guides the reader through the different aspects of the document.
Approaching the task from a design standpoint involved going into a comprehensive study of the clauses, aiming to discern their nuanced meanings which would in turn allow effective visualisation through illustration.
Image 1
Image 2
Image of the original Terms & Condition Documents (Image 1) & redesigned version of the same clauses (Image 2)
We have referred to various examples of clause summaries from the Contract Design Pattern Library to gain insights into presentation techniques that would be effective. Infusing the document with the characters that symbolise our work became another pivotal step, which was achieved through a chosen combination of colours and custom illustrations.
Image 3. Examples of clause summaries referred
Source: ‘Clause summaries’ (ContractCC) <https://contract-design.worldcc.com/>
Through a collaborative and iterative design process, the visual elements aim to strike a harmonious balance ensuring that users, irrespective of their legal knowledge, can understand the content and connect with it. This document distils the essence of each clause, simplifying intricate legal language into concise and straightforward visual presentations. This facilitates a quicker and more accessible understanding of complex legal content for users who may not be inclined to navigate through dense legal jargon.
Presented alongside the legal version of the phrase, summaries cater to diverse information needs. This is appropriate for readers who prefer different methods – from those who ignore summaries to those who entirely rely on them. Importantly, for individuals looking to understand their rights and responsibilities outlined in terms and conditions without delving into the legal intricacies, these summaries offer a user-friendly option for getting crucial information.
To ensure that the document places prominence on readability and usability in the initial drafts, our process involved gathering feedback to ensure we captured the right tone and style for the intended audience.
Through these terms and conditions, we hope we have achieved all that you, as a user, look out for. Please read through them and let us know what you think and feel!
We look forward to your feedback, and happy to discuss if you would like to brainstorm on an illustrated contract for your work.
Here's a link to our terms and conditions
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