Contract Clarity through Visualization -- Preliminary Observations and Experiments

In the crafting of commercial contracts, many participants are involved, often professionals from different countries and backgrounds. The challenge, then, is to achieve a balance between the business and legal requirements and to facilitate communication and coordination. While some contracts may need to work as evidence in court, most contracts do not. Instead, they need to work as business tools for the parties so they get the results they want to accomplish. This paper presents preliminary observations of research work in progress, aimed at developing new methods to improve the clarity and usability of commercial contracts. It proposes a new field of research and practice, contract visualization, and invites cross-professional dialogue to explore the opportunities that exist for industry-changing innovations in this area.