The EULA Automated Analysis Tool is a web application that retrieves, parses, and analyzes EULA documents. These documents can either be uploaded or retrieved from a publicly accessible URL. The tool evaluates EULAs on a set of heuristics defined within the project.
Formal 1d - Standardize type conventions throughout document for clarity: The tool will check if the EULA has inconsistent bolded, italicized, or underlined text, which may cause confusion. The tool will assign a grade of F if there are over 50 instances, D if there are 49 - 35, C if there are 34 - 20, B if there are 19 - 5, and an A if there are less than 5.
Procedural 1b - Ensure accessibility of EULA on mobile devices: The tool check if the mobile layout has proper white space on mobile devices. The tool will assign a grade of C if there is no proper spacing and an A if there are no issues.
Substantive 3a - Gag wrap clauses: The tool will check if the EULA contains a gagwrap clause (e.g. “the user may not disclose or discuss the contents of a customer service interaction”). The tool will assign a grade of F if the clause exists, and an A if the clause does not.
Formal 4a - Ensure reasonable document length for target user: The tool will evaluate a EULA based on its length, measured in word count. The tool will assign a grade of F for EULAs exceeding 2,500 words, D for 2,000 to 2,499 words, C for 1,700 to 1,999 words, B for 1,200 to 1,699 words, and A for fewer than 1,200 words.
Formal 3a - Ensure ease of user navigation: The tool will check if there contains a table of contents consisting of hyperlinks for immediate access to certain sections. The tool will assign a grade of C if there is no table of contents and an A if there does contain one.
Procedural 1d - Ensure accessibility of EULA on mobile devices: The tool will check if the EULA does not have a clear text size and contrast. The tool will assign a grade F if the text size is less than 12 or if the text does not contrast with the background, and an A if font size is 12 or greater and the text contrasts with the background.
Substantive 1a - Incorporate plain language in EULA: The tool will check if the EULA has language above the 7th - 8th grade reading level, our tool will highlight sentences to the paragraph(s) that is above the expected reading level. The tool will assign a grade of F if over 70 percent of the content is above the expected reading level, D for 69 - 50%, C for 49 - 30%, B for 29 - 20%, and an A for less than 20%.
Formal 3b - Ensure ease of user navigation: The tool will check if a EULA’s table of contents contains a brief (1-2 sentences) summary about each section. The tool will assign a grade of C if there is no summaries and an A if there does contain summaries.
Procedural 3a - Present EULA directly to user: The tool will check if a EULA is only available when creating an account or logging into a website. The tool will assign a grade of C if the EULA is unavailable and A if it is available.
Formal 1b - Standardize type conventions throughout document for clarity: The tool will check if the EULA has consistent header level sizes. The tool will assign a grade of F for greater than 5 header sizes, C for 3-4 header sizes, and an A for 2 or fewer header sizes.
Formal 5a - Use visual aids to enhance user comprehension, where possible: The tool will check if there contains any visual aids such as diagrams, graphs or icons within the EULA. The tool will assign a grade of C if there are no visuals, B if there are 1- 5 visuals, and an A if there are greater than 5 visuals.
Procedural 1a - Ensure accessibility of EULA on mobile devices: The tool will check if the mobile design is responsive (able to scale on all screen sizes). The tool will assign a grade of F if there is no responsive design, C if there are errors in the design, and A if there are no errors.
Formal 1a - Standardize type conventions throughout document for clarity: The tool will check if the EULA is written in serif font for long bodies of text. The tool will assign a grade of F for EULAs that are not written in serif font and exceeding 2500 words, D for not being in serif font and fewer than 2500 words, and A for being in serif font regardless of document length.
Placeholder data should be replaced or the heuristic should be omitted from being displayed to the user. It looks sloppy and should not be part of the handoff.
Procedural 2a - Provide conspicuous and consistent EULA access points: The tool will check if there is a direct link to the EULA on the home page, about section, or settings page. The tool will assign a grade F if no link can be found and an A if it can be found.
Standardize type conventions throughout document for clarity: The tool will check if the EULA has a large number of all-capitalized words compared to regular words. The tool will assign a grade of F if there are over 100 all capitalized words, D for 99 - 75, C for 74 -50, B for 49 - 25, and an A for less than 25.