Signing using a Mouse? The worst of both worlds!

I've been building online contract execution services for a long time, and recently noticed a trend - for some strange reason, several companies have announced 'biometric mouse-signing' capabilities.  These companies are touting this new capability as if it were something special that has not been tried before. Before I tell you OUR story, let's look into what THEY are saying..

First, they are saying that 'now' you can use your PC mouse to make a 'legally binding' signature. A legally binding e-signature really doesn't have much to do with what the signature LOOKS like; it has to do with a process of showing intent, authenticating the signer, locking down the process, etc. Using your mouse to make a signature has very little to do with this, other than frustrating the signer.

You see, it is EXTREMELY HARD to use a mouse to actually 'sign' anything that remotely looks like your signature. It is hard enough on those damaged signature pads at the store! Why is using a mouse so challenging? When you sign your name with a pen, you engage MANY small muscles in your fingers designed for minute movements and pressures against a surface with the right friction[1]. This explains why you can manipulate such small curves. Signing your name with a pen is a delicate thing.

When you use a MOUSE however, you use large muscles - all the way up to your neck! These are NOT able to make minute movements, and most likely, you have not tried it more than a few times because it is just too hard to get your mouse-signature to look anything like your signature. Anyone who has tried knows this.

My mouse 'signature' & The second time[2]

When you learn to write your signature, over and over through the years, your small muscles get 'memory'. This important factor explains why some signature pads can actually collect the 'biometric' data about your signing - the pressure, speed, and stroke. Impressively, you will sign close to the same way every time. So 'signature pad' vendors actually do collect 'biometric' data. If they have a known good writing sample to begin with, this can have some value in case of a dispute.

What I REALLY don't get is the word 'biometric' being used with this 'new' mouse-signing process. Unless I am missing something, there is nothing 'biometric' about scribbling with your mouse. No data is being captured, and there is no known good writing sample for comparison purposes. Even if we COULD, we don't have the muscle memory because we don't sign with mice.

So, why do I say it is the worst of both worlds? Well, signing with a mouse is frustrating - you spend way too much time trying to get it right, when you will never really be satisfied - AND it has no biometric value. In short, you end up putting your poor signer through an exercise of futility with absolutely ZERO benefit...

Some may be asking, “How do you know this?” or “What makes you the expert?” In 2003 when we started DocuSign, this is EXACTLY what we tried, and EVERYONE hated it. Since it had no value AND everyone hated it, we decided to stop torturing our signers.

So, take some advice - if you are asked to sign with your mouse, you are just being tortured - cancel out and tell the person who sent it to you to use DocuSign.

[1] Signing just 'feels wrong' when you sign on a rough surface or something that is too smooth.
[2] I can tell you that there is NO WAY I'd let my signature out looking like either of these. Neither is remotely close, and they make me look like I am 7 years old.