Research: Visual contracts understod 29% more accurate, 35% faster
In a world where complexity and legal jargon often dominate contracts, Stefania Passera is one of the most influential researchers in making contracts more comprehensible and user-friendly. Her research into the visualization of legal agreements offers a fresh perspective on viewing and understanding contracts.
Background and Motivation
Passera's primary interest lies in inter-organizational commercial contracts. She aimed to conduct an experimental evaluation with a broader audience to understand how visualization can assist in various contexts.
So, how can we visualize complex legal agreements? Passera identifies several key visualization methods that can be applied to contracts:
Timelines: Representing time or duration, or a sequence of events within a specific timeframe.
Flowcharts: Step-by-step representation of a workflow or process.
Tables: Systematic arrangement of data in rows and columns.
Swimlanes: Displaying parties' areas of responsibility as columns, where roles, tasks, etc., are assigned.
Companion Icons: Graphic symbols accompanying texts to represent their meaning or theme.
Delivery Diagrams: Showing the place, time, and modality of a delivery.
Application in Practice
Passera had the opportunity to observe visualization in practice with a global paper company. A team of six individuals, tasked with the sales of operation and maintenance services, expressed interest in being the pilot case. The research provided insights into how visualization can be implemented in real contracts and its benefits.
Visualization of contracts can have several advantages
What can we take from Passera's research?
Stefania Passera's research underscores the importance of making contracts more comprehensible and user-friendly. By integrating visual elements, legal documents can become more accessible and facilitate understanding for all parties involved. Her research showed that visual contracts are actually understood 29% more accurately and 35% faster than textual contracts.
VIXCO's approach is informed by research
At VIXCO, we consistently seek to align our methodologies with industry-leading research to ensure the delivery of high-quality services. Stefania Passera's research on visual contracts has provided valuable insights that have informed our approach to legal documentation. Understanding the inherent complexities of legal agreements, we recognize the potential benefits of integrating visual elements into contracts. Passera's emphasis on enhancing comprehensibility and user-friendliness aligns with our objective to produce clear and concise documents for our clients.
By referencing established research, such as Passera's, we aim to ensure that our methodologies are both current and effective. Our commitment is to provide solutions that are grounded in evidence-based practices, offering tangible benefits to our clients.