The Center for Media Design at Ball State University published a short paper on iTunes Terms of Service Redesign.

They used a Savannah design student’s proposed modifications to Apple’s TOS design as a jumping off point to do research as to what design would be successful.

Their Research Questions:

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of, and consumer satisfaction with, two redesigns of the iTunes Terms of Service Agreement – the Bernstein redesign and a modification of that redesign created by the CMD to serve as a study control.

 

RQ1: To learn if either of the two TOS redesigns improve reading, understanding and retention of key elements of the TOS relative to the original document.

 

RQ2: To learn which of the two redesigns performs better, and which is preferred by consumers.

Their findings:

After participants answered recall and comprehension questions, they were shown all three versions and asked to rank order them in order of preference. Figure 5 shows that over half (55%) of the participants preferred the Redesign, followed by the Revised Redesign (28%) and the Original (17%). Following the ranking exercise, participants were asked to describe why they gave top ranking to their preferred design.

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The results from this study show that consumers prefer shortened TOS agreements with simplified language and visually appealing, user-friendly design features. However, more research is needed to understand how these abridged, more palatable CTAs can improve comprehension of the content of TOS agreements, thereby ensuring that consumers are fully aware of their rights and responsibilities under these legally binding agreements.

 

Participants who preferred the Redesign appreciated its architecture and layout, visual appeal, and clarity. The Revised Redesign was favored for its brevity and conciseness, while those that preferred the Original valued the detail it afforded.