TikTok Terms of Service
Analysis and Redesign
UX Research
UI Design
Speculative Design
Team members
Taylor Brooks
Client
TikTok
Role
Research, UX, and User Interface Design
Project Overview
In today’s digital landscape, users frequently accept terms of service without fully comprehending the implications, effectively signing away their rights with a mere click. Our project aimed to tackle this issue by redesigning TikTok's Terms of Service, making them more engaging and helping users better understand their rights and obligations.
Year
2023 (5 weeks)
Problem Statement
How does establishing a clear typographic hierarchy, minimizing the time cost of reading essential information, and streamlining internal navigation help enhance user engagement and understanding of TikTok's Terms of Service?
Evaluating The Precedent
I began by diving into TikTok's current ToS.
Layout Observations​
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Met with a continuous scrolling text page.
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Dropdown menu that links to each section but with no further hierarchal structure.
Navigation Challenges
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No search option or overview of content.
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Overwhelming to find information within the dense wall of text.
Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level: 13.3
Results
Flesh Reading Ease Score: 41.8
Reading Level: College (Difficult to Read)
Average Words per Sentence: 23.7
Average Syllables per Word: 1.6
Sentences: 297
Words: 5498
Flesh-Kincaid Scale
To assess how accessible the language of TikTok's Terms of Service is, we utilized the Flesch–Kincaid readability test.
​Flesch Reading Score: 41.8
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This suggests that college-level comprehension skills are needed.
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25% of TikTok users are aged 10-19, making the text less accessible.​​
Total sentences: 297
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The text is dense, taking about 20 minutes to complete.
Semantic Analysis
Next we completed a semantic analysis to understand the layout and contextual nuances. ​
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Analyzed typographic elements and memorialize supplemental terms.
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Viewed the hierarchical organization.
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Found insights into user comprehension.
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Informed our strategies for clearer, more engaging design interventions.​​​​
Research Findings
After spending time evaluating TikTok's ToS and reading through research papers on user engagement with privacy policies. There were three main points I noted.
Importance of time
Many users recognize that reading the terms of service is important for understanding their rights and responsibilities but often lack the motivation to read them thoroughly.
Need of Hierarchy
Users often find ToS documents lengthy and complex, expressing a desire for clear, concise summaries and highlights. Preferring interactive formats like videos or infographics.
Use of Incentives
Gentle nudges, such as reminders or prompts, along with incentives like unlocking rewards or features for engaging with the ToS, could make the task more appealing for users.
First Iterations
To better understand the layout, I created a hierarchy with important info in larger, colored text and less critical details bolded and underlined.
​Challenges Encountered
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Varied typography created visual confusion.
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Effective only on desktop which does not reflect most users' access habits.
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Did not address motivation, as there was still no incentive for users to invest their time.
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Assessing Interaction Strategies
Although emphasizing hierarchy can enhance readability and alleviate the overwhelming nature of dense text, it doesn't necessarily encourage users to engage with the Terms of Service.
Challenge: Identifying motivators for users who may feel reading is not worth their time. I began researching the TikTok experience post-acceptance of the ToS for potential engagement influences
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In-app currency: Users can purchase coins to buy virtual gifts for creators during live streams.
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Gamification elements: The live streaming tab promotes a rewarding social experience, but the lack of coins can make lives feel disconnected.
Currency Incentive
My solution was to integrate TikTok's in-app currency into the ToS, to incentivize reading while giving new users initial access to gifting that may lead to future coin purchases.
User Responsibility
For users who choose to skip reading the Terms of Service, I emphasize that they still bear full responsibility for their account, ensuring a clear understanding
regarding their responsibilities.
Gamified Engagement
Once inside the ToS, the layout features a gamified design that boosts user engagement. Each section awards coins based on the amount of important info, motivating users to explore.
Content Navigation
Each section includes content navigation and "Main Points" that provide a quick overview
of important info and prompt users to locate hidden coins.
Progress Tracking
As readers progress through each section, they identify main points to earn ten coins. Once located, each sentence turns yellow, and the corresponding point is marked at the top. Users can navigate between sections using a dropdown menu and track their progress with a bar at the bottom.
Usability Testing
After prototyping in Figma, I conducted usability testing with family members, simulating first-time TikTok users. I asked them to verbally express their thoughts and confusion while navigating through.
Key Takeaways:
Insufficient instructions: they were confused and needed direction to the "Main Points."
​Lack of motivation: they liked earning coins but were reluctant to collect all 300.
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Introductory Animation
Based on usability testing findings, I added an introductory animation to explain how to find coins. After completing a section, users can click the "Finished" button to mark it complete on the main menu and continue reading or using the app.
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Ongoing Engagement
Users can continue in the app and return later to keep discovering coins and encouraging ongoing engagement. However, they will be informed that by accepting, they are still responsible for all the sections, including the ones that are incomplete.
Final Thoughts
This project challenged me to rethink user engagement with the text-heavy Terms of Service. Research showed that while users understand the importance of ToS, they are often discouraged by its length and complexity. Many preferred interactive formats, and studying the app revealed that incentives, like earning in-app coins, could encourage engagement. Based on these insights, I pivoted our approach to focus on interaction strategies, integrating game-like elements that guide users through key points. Moving forward, I see potential to further refine hierarchy and interactivity, making the ToS experience both accessible and engaging.