Analyzing the Various Approaches of Plain Language Laws

Abstract

Plain language laws, designed to ensure that consumers can understand and use the personal business contracts they sign, have recently become an important new kind of regulatory legislation. Seven states have passed laws to control the comprehensibility of consumer contracts; fifteen states have similar legislation pending. These plain language laws range from a simple statement of a general principle to extensive and explicit requirements. Although plain language laws have been in effect for over seven years, no comprehensive evaluation of their effectiveness has yet been done. We propose an evaluation of the plain language laws to determine the characteristics of language and design associated with greatest ease of use, and the design strategies of companies and designers which produce the most usable and comprehensible contracts. This analysis would enable us to identify the best model for plain language legislation. Such an evaluation of plain language laws would require two phases: an analysis of contracts and consumers’ ability to use them, and an analysis of the design process which led to the contracts that are easiest to use.