4 ms·

Ask HN: Please review my app: RightSignature.com - Easy Online Document Signing

37 points by dylanz 18y ago

deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
spydez 18y ago
You need a sample document, so people can test out the "using your mouse to sign" part without signing up. I don't want to bother with the whole sign up, check email, wait, check email again, click verify link, go back to site, find document to test with, upload, blah blah meh. I just want to see how the signy bit works first. If you give me a sample I can scrawl "John Hancock" on and download and check out, I'll be much more inclined to go through the registration rigmarole.
- andrewljohnson 18y ago
  You took the words out of my mouth.
- dylanz 18y ago
  Understandable. Thanks for the feedback spydez, much appreciated. If you do get the itch to try a trial document though... let me know ;)
  - paul7986 18y ago
    I agree and this is the most offered piece of advice for every, "Ask HN: What do you think of..." post. Overall I think it's a good, useful concept, especially when you allow for groups to sign the same document. Would be a great feature in Google Docs.
    - dylanz 18y ago
      A lot of the "Group"/"Public Document" features are complete, and we'll be deploying them shortly. On the Document creation page, we do allow you to choose from a list of your Google Docs. Thanks paul7986 !
usiegj00 18y ago
@spydez. Hey hey--I think you can. You get a sample contract right after the invite page.
- rksprst 18y ago
  FYI: instead of using @username, you can reply to each post by clicking the reply link below the post.
  - usiegj00 18y ago
    @rksprst--Lesson learned. Thanks. :-p
- spydez 18y ago
  Ah, I see. I lost interest after I saw "a verification link will be sent to your email", and didn't read the paragraph above the text boxes. I don't want to bother with emails unless I know there's something I want behind the registration wall. I do still stand by my comment though; if they made that sample contract available pre-signup, it would be a better experience for people who were unsure if they wanted RightSignature yet.
rksprst 18y ago
"For a better experience, please use a fully supported browser. For more information, click here." The "click here" link goes to localhost. Other than that, I'd like to have some security and assurance that these contracts are in fact legally binding. Maybe a quote from someone in the government... And instead of Plans, I'd replace it with Pricing. It seems more obvious.
- dylanz 18y ago
  Thanks for the input rksprst. Fixed the localhost reference BTW :)
dmix 18y ago
One detail I think is important: When I create an account I'd like to add my password at the beginning. I knew it would email me after requesting that I enter a password, but the mainstream user definitely won't. Security is a very important factor with your application and it helps to create that image even if it sacrifices some easy sign-ups. I often see many business applications that list "Secure Log In/Authentication" on the feature list as well because its not always assumed.
- dylanz 18y ago
  Gotcha. The current workflow is that we create a random hashed password for you after signup, then on your first login, we prompt you to change your password. Security is definitely high on our list of concerns. Thanks for the input dmix :)
  - apgwoz 18y ago
    I hate when I get a password emailed to me to begin with. That makes me wait for the email, and takes me out of the flow. I'd much rather see sites require you to create your secure password when signing up, and then sending an email to confirm your email address. You can even make things limited until it's confirmed. But, don't make me wait any longer to sign up. It's already bad enough I have to do that!
dablya 18y ago
I've integrated with a similar service at work. Do you provide an API for uploading documents?
- usiegj00 18y ago
  We have an API, but it is not ready for public release. Would you be interested in trying an early release? If so shoot an email to support@rightsignature.com.
- dylanz 18y ago
  Not at the moment, but that's on our plate. During your integration, was there anything that you really liked, or didn't like about that products API? Anything that was missing that you think would be useful?
cool-RR 18y ago
I didn't understand how to sign. It said hold mouse button, try again, and nothing I did worked.
mwerty 18y ago
A typed out signature is legally valid. Why use the mouse?
- nickb 18y ago
  That's absolutely correct. There's no need to fiddle around with a mouse to write something for it to be valid. Here's what the US law on electronic signatures has to say on this topic: In the United States, the definition of what qualifies as an electronic signature is wide and is set out in the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act ("UETA") released by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) in 1999.[8]. It was influenced by ABA committee white papers and the uniform law promulgated by NCCUSL. Under UETA, the term means "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures You can type a single letter on your keyboard or just simply click a button for a contract to be signed if there was an intent to do so.
  - thepanister 18y ago
    But a question has to appear. How can a court decides if there was an intent for electronically signing the document, in case the signer denies his/her intention? When it comes to intentions, it is NOT easy to prove it!
    - pelle 18y ago
      I had worked with electronic signatures for years, but lawyers have generally chuckled over lay folks focus on signatures. As you rightly say intent is the only thing important. However your argument about how a court decides if there was intent is also true for traditional hand written signatures. In http://agree2.com http://agree2.com we offer signatures, but only as part of a whole package from drafting, invitation, negotiation, signing and then management. The whole process is recorded, providing a clear audit trail should something ever reach courts. More important as well than signatures are the contents of what you are signing. Most lawyers I know have never heard of a case where someone questioned a signature.
kbrower 18y ago
Why $11/month? Is there a reason behind the number or is it just random?
thepanister 18y ago
This looks like a real business... not just an app!
callmeed 18y ago
Nice work–the app works as advertised and the site looks professional. As some others mentioned, an option to type the signature would be nice. Also, I'd love to see an API and here's why: as is, this is a very horizontal app ... by having an API, you could let developers of vertical apps integrate and instantly start reaching industries and niche markets you may never have thought of. Example: our company serves several thousand professional photographers, many of whom shoot weddings for couples from out of town. For them, mailing contracts back and forth is a total pain. They would eat this product up ... even more so if it was combined with some sort of CRM tool for the industry. Anyway, that's just my $0.02 based on my domain expertise. Feel free to email me ... I'd love to feature this in one of our upcoming newsletters.
- laut 18y ago
  We have an API at Agree2: http://agree2.com/ http://agree2.com/
dchest 18y ago
Gives "For a better experience, please use a fully supported browser. For more information, click here." Safari 4 beta.
- funky 18y ago
  this will be fixed with the next update.
sam_in_nyc 18y ago
Very nice looking pages, and I like the concept. Very well done so far, I think you're in the right direction. That being said, I'm better at finding things wrong with stuff than right, so here's my feedback. I thought the "Try it Now" meant I get to sign some sample document... or preview an account where I could upload a sample document and make-believe send it out to people. Just something where I get some instant gratification. Making me create an account just to try your product is a killer, for me, at least. I have no real need for this service so I don't feel inclined to sign up. That might not be the case for somebody who actually has an interest in paying for this service. You definitely need a sample account, or some more pages showing what I get when I pay you. I want to see this before I even sign up for a free account. What's the interface look like to send it out to people? What do they see once the document is sent to them? How do they actually sign? Just show me the process and pics of your interface and I'll be more confident in creating an account. Best of luck. Edit: I actually scrolled down to see the nice 1. 2. 3. 4. process. Move this up! It's far more meaningful than a big document with a rather ugly "John Bellingham" signature that, by the way, instantly made me think "signing with a mouse must look hideous!"
keltecp11 18y ago
I know signature link has the patent for this technology, make sure your product differentiates itself or you might see some issues in the future: http://signaturelink.com/ http://signaturelink.com/ It looks great though!
seshagiric 18y ago
for all sample signatures on the page, use famous ones like Abraham Lincoln, Templeton etc. :)
snitko 18y ago
If even typed signature is legally valid, then what's the point in using the service?
thorax 18y ago
Front page looks nice-- if I was looking for such a service, your front page would have pulled me in to find out more. Nice job on the first step.
ggruschow 18y ago
You may want to target law and gov't offices. Fewer people will bitch at them about what's legal, and they have boatloads of signatures to collect. For me, fax-to-email and printer driver-to-internet fax are cheaper and more convenient.
NoBSWebDesign 18y ago
This looks very useful. We actually need something like this for our startup. Any plans for an API (or would you be interested in working to develop one)? Email me please if you could.
snowstorm 18y ago
how do you compare yourself against echosign.com?

37 points by dylanz 18y ago

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

You need a sample document, so people can test out the "using your mouse to sign" part without signing up. I don't want to bother with the whole sign up, check email, wait, check email again, click verify link, go back to site, find document to test with, upload, blah blah meh. I just want to see how the signy bit works first. If you give me a sample I can scrawl "John Hancock" on and download and check out, I'll be much more inclined to go through the registration rigmarole.

andrewljohnson 18y ago
You took the words out of my mouth.
dylanz 18y ago
Understandable. Thanks for the feedback spydez, much appreciated. If you do get the itch to try a trial document though... let me know ;)
- paul7986 18y ago
  I agree and this is the most offered piece of advice for every, "Ask HN: What do you think of..." post. Overall I think it's a good, useful concept, especially when you allow for groups to sign the same document. Would be a great feature in Google Docs.
  - dylanz 18y ago
    A lot of the "Group"/"Public Document" features are complete, and we'll be deploying them shortly. On the Document creation page, we do allow you to choose from a list of your Google Docs. Thanks paul7986 !

usiegj00 18y ago

@spydez. Hey hey--I think you can. You get a sample contract right after the invite page.

rksprst 18y ago
FYI: instead of using @username, you can reply to each post by clicking the reply link below the post.
- usiegj00 18y ago
  @rksprst--Lesson learned. Thanks. :-p
spydez 18y ago
Ah, I see. I lost interest after I saw "a verification link will be sent to your email", and didn't read the paragraph above the text boxes. I don't want to bother with emails unless I know there's something I want behind the registration wall. I do still stand by my comment though; if they made that sample contract available pre-signup, it would be a better experience for people who were unsure if they wanted RightSignature yet.

rksprst 18y ago

"For a better experience, please use a fully supported browser. For more information, click here." The "click here" link goes to localhost. Other than that, I'd like to have some security and assurance that these contracts are in fact legally binding. Maybe a quote from someone in the government... And instead of Plans, I'd replace it with Pricing. It seems more obvious.

dylanz 18y ago
Thanks for the input rksprst. Fixed the localhost reference BTW :)

dmix 18y ago

One detail I think is important: When I create an account I'd like to add my password at the beginning. I knew it would email me after requesting that I enter a password, but the mainstream user definitely won't. Security is a very important factor with your application and it helps to create that image even if it sacrifices some easy sign-ups. I often see many business applications that list "Secure Log In/Authentication" on the feature list as well because its not always assumed.

dylanz 18y ago
Gotcha. The current workflow is that we create a random hashed password for you after signup, then on your first login, we prompt you to change your password. Security is definitely high on our list of concerns. Thanks for the input dmix :)
- apgwoz 18y ago
  I hate when I get a password emailed to me to begin with. That makes me wait for the email, and takes me out of the flow. I'd much rather see sites require you to create your secure password when signing up, and then sending an email to confirm your email address. You can even make things limited until it's confirmed. But, don't make me wait any longer to sign up. It's already bad enough I have to do that!

dablya 18y ago

I've integrated with a similar service at work. Do you provide an API for uploading documents?

usiegj00 18y ago
We have an API, but it is not ready for public release. Would you be interested in trying an early release? If so shoot an email to support@rightsignature.com.
dylanz 18y ago
Not at the moment, but that's on our plate. During your integration, was there anything that you really liked, or didn't like about that products API? Anything that was missing that you think would be useful?

cool-RR 18y ago

I didn't understand how to sign. It said hold mouse button, try again, and nothing I did worked.

mwerty 18y ago

A typed out signature is legally valid. Why use the mouse?

nickb 18y ago
That's absolutely correct. There's no need to fiddle around with a mouse to write something for it to be valid. Here's what the US law on electronic signatures has to say on this topic: In the United States, the definition of what qualifies as an electronic signature is wide and is set out in the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act ("UETA") released by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) in 1999.[8]. It was influenced by ABA committee white papers and the uniform law promulgated by NCCUSL. Under UETA, the term means "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signatures You can type a single letter on your keyboard or just simply click a button for a contract to be signed if there was an intent to do so.
- thepanister 18y ago
  But a question has to appear. How can a court decides if there was an intent for electronically signing the document, in case the signer denies his/her intention? When it comes to intentions, it is NOT easy to prove it!
  - pelle 18y ago
    I had worked with electronic signatures for years, but lawyers have generally chuckled over lay folks focus on signatures. As you rightly say intent is the only thing important. However your argument about how a court decides if there was intent is also true for traditional hand written signatures. In http://agree2.com http://agree2.com we offer signatures, but only as part of a whole package from drafting, invitation, negotiation, signing and then management. The whole process is recorded, providing a clear audit trail should something ever reach courts. More important as well than signatures are the contents of what you are signing. Most lawyers I know have never heard of a case where someone questioned a signature.

kbrower 18y ago

Why $11/month? Is there a reason behind the number or is it just random?

thepanister 18y ago

This looks like a real business... not just an app!

callmeed 18y ago

Nice work–the app works as advertised and the site looks professional. As some others mentioned, an option to type the signature would be nice. Also, I'd love to see an API and here's why: as is, this is a very horizontal app ... by having an API, you could let developers of vertical apps integrate and instantly start reaching industries and niche markets you may never have thought of. Example: our company serves several thousand professional photographers, many of whom shoot weddings for couples from out of town. For them, mailing contracts back and forth is a total pain. They would eat this product up ... even more so if it was combined with some sort of CRM tool for the industry. Anyway, that's just my $0.02 based on my domain expertise. Feel free to email me ... I'd love to feature this in one of our upcoming newsletters.

laut 18y ago
We have an API at Agree2: http://agree2.com/ http://agree2.com/

dchest 18y ago

Gives "For a better experience, please use a fully supported browser. For more information, click here." Safari 4 beta.

funky 18y ago
this will be fixed with the next update.

sam_in_nyc 18y ago

Very nice looking pages, and I like the concept. Very well done so far, I think you're in the right direction. That being said, I'm better at finding things wrong with stuff than right, so here's my feedback. I thought the "Try it Now" meant I get to sign some sample document... or preview an account where I could upload a sample document and make-believe send it out to people. Just something where I get some instant gratification. Making me create an account just to try your product is a killer, for me, at least. I have no real need for this service so I don't feel inclined to sign up. That might not be the case for somebody who actually has an interest in paying for this service. You definitely need a sample account, or some more pages showing what I get when I pay you. I want to see this before I even sign up for a free account. What's the interface look like to send it out to people? What do they see once the document is sent to them? How do they actually sign? Just show me the process and pics of your interface and I'll be more confident in creating an account. Best of luck. Edit: I actually scrolled down to see the nice 1. 2. 3. 4. process. Move this up! It's far more meaningful than a big document with a rather ugly "John Bellingham" signature that, by the way, instantly made me think "signing with a mouse must look hideous!"

keltecp11 18y ago

I know signature link has the patent for this technology, make sure your product differentiates itself or you might see some issues in the future: http://signaturelink.com/ http://signaturelink.com/ It looks great though!

seshagiric 18y ago

for all sample signatures on the page, use famous ones like Abraham Lincoln, Templeton etc. :)

snitko 18y ago

If even typed signature is legally valid, then what's the point in using the service?

thorax 18y ago

Front page looks nice-- if I was looking for such a service, your front page would have pulled me in to find out more. Nice job on the first step.

ggruschow 18y ago

You may want to target law and gov't offices. Fewer people will bitch at them about what's legal, and they have boatloads of signatures to collect. For me, fax-to-email and printer driver-to-internet fax are cheaper and more convenient.

NoBSWebDesign 18y ago

This looks very useful. We actually need something like this for our startup. Any plans for an API (or would you be interested in working to develop one)? Email me please if you could.

snowstorm 18y ago

how do you compare yourself against echosign.com?