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Using the Signer Experience

Last modified: 2024-11-15

Using the Signer Experience

The ability to eSign documents using electronic signature platforms, like OneSpan Sign, is the fast and secure way to get your documents signed anytime, anywhere, and on any device. E-Signature software is a core component to creating a superior customer experience. Signers will receive an email inviting them to the Signer ExperienceClosed The experience of an end-user as they review, accept, sign, and potentially download documents. to sign documents in an electronic format. The signer can simply open the documents, read the agreement, and click-to-sign from their desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Once your signers complete their signatures, each party can access a copy of the documents as well as a detailed audit trail.

 

  • By default, all transactions include an Electronic Disclosures and Signatures Consent agreement that recipients must accept before they sign.
  • Clicking the link in an invitation email often directs recipients to the Signer Experience straightaway. However, if the Force Login feature is activated, clicking that link brings a sender in your account to a Login page. There, they must log in to the system using their email address and password. Only then will they be directed to the Signer Experience.
  • By default, the Signer Experience will remain valid unless the recipient is inactive for a period of 30 minutes. To change this setting, contact our Support Team.

This section discusses the following topics:

An Administrator can enable the redirection of signers to a customized external page when their session expires. To arrange this, please contact our Support Team.

Signing Documents as a Transaction Owner

The Transaction Owner is the first person prompted to sign the documents in a transaction, unless a Signer workflow has been created that specifies a different signing order.

To sign documents as a Transaction Owner:

  1. Where indicated, click SIGN or INITIAL.
  2. Click OK to confirm your signature.
  3. Repeat for each of the document's Signature Boxes that you must sign. A progress bar at the top of the document indicates the number of signatures you have completed, as well as the total number of your signatures required by this document.
  4. If additional documents in the transaction require your signature, continue to sign each document where indicated.

Video Tutorial: How to Sign Transactions from the Dashboard

Signing Documents as a Signer

You will be notified that you have documents to sign via an email message, which states that you have been added as a signer to a OneSpan Sign transaction. That message will include a link to the transaction. The Transaction Owner may have included additional text, which will appear below the link.

To sign documents as a signer:

  1. In the email message you receive, click Go to Documents.
  2. Depending on the settings chosen by the Transaction Owner, you will need to verify yourself as a signer for the transaction. One of the following Authentication Methods may be used:
    • Authentication by Email is the simplest form of authentication. It simply requires you to click the link in your invitation email.

    • Authentication by SSO requires you to enter an email address and password. Once successfully authenticated by an Identity Provider, you will be redirected to theSigner Experience.

    • Authentication by Q&A requires you to answer one or more questions. Correctly answer all questions, and then click Login.
    • Authentication by SMS requires you to enter a seven-digit SMS code that you received on your mobile phone. Enter the code, and click Login. This SMS code is sent when you click the link in your invitation email. If you have not received a code, use the Click here link.
  3. Read and Accept the Electronic Disclosure and Signatures Consent document.

    4. OneSpan Sign automatically includes the Electronic Disclosures and Signatures Consent agreement in all its transactions. All signers must accept the terms of this agreement before they can access transaction documents.

    Currently, OneSpan Sign provides Electronic Disclosures and Signatures Consent agreements in English and French. If you would like to provide an Electronic Disclosures and Signatures Consent agreement in different language, or if you do not want this agreement in your transactions, please contact our Support Team.

  4. Sign all your Signature BoxesClosed A rectangular space within an electronic document whose purpose is to receive and display an electronic signature. within the document. If any other signer has already signed the document, their signatures are visible in the document.

    • If any unsigned Signature Boxes lie outside your viewing area, a Signatures required notification appears at the top of the screen.
    • A progress bar at the top of the document indicates the number of signatures you have completed, as well as the total number of your signatures required by this document.
    • To undo a signature, click the undo signature icon.
  1. Once you have completed signing a document, a confirmation request will appear. Click Confirm to confirm your signatures on the current document. If there are more documents for you to sign, they will appear sequentially. If you need to upload any additional documents to complete the signing process, seeUploading Attachments.
  2. To verify your signed documents, click Review Documents.
  3. If you would like to keep copies of the signed documents (recommended), click Download Documents.

    4. At any time, you can download an unsigned, unverifiable version of a transaction's documents. To do so, click the download link on the side of the page. Click Download All to download all documents in the transaction.

  4. Once you have finished, simply close your browser to end the Signer Experience.

Video Tutorial: E-Signing a Document (from email)

Uploading Attachments

During the Signer Experience you may be asked to upload additional, supporting documents.

To upload an attachment:

  1. When prompted, click Go To Uploads.
  2. In the Uploads tab, select the document that you are being asked to include with your signatures.
  3. Drag and drop the required documents to the Signer Experience. You can also click Browse to search for the documents.
  4. Repeat for each document you are required to attach.
  5. Click Finish.

Note that:

  • By default, the following file types are supported: PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT, JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TXT, TIFF, TIF, GIF, XLS, XLSX
  • Account owners can define a whitelist of file types that may be uploaded as transaction attachments by signers on the account. This list cannot include file types on the global blacklist (see the next bullet).
  • To prevent signers from uploading malicious code, the following file types cannot be uploaded as attachments to a transaction: EXE, DLL, MSI, DMG, SO. This blacklist supersedes all account-level whitelists.
  • Attachments added by signers are immediately scanned for malware. If malware is detected, the system will not upload the infected document or attachment.

Video Tutorial: Uploading an Attachment to a Transaction

Accessible Signing

To sign accessible PDFs within an accessible transaction, signers must first click the Enable accessibility mode button within the Signer Experience.

This button is available only if the transaction is accessible.

Accessibility can be enabled in the Signer Experience in one of the following ways:

  • By using the More Actions menu
  • By pressing the TAB key. Once pressed, an additional menu will appear which will allow you to tab through the following options:
    • Enable/Disable Accessibility: Enables or disables accessibility.
    • Skip to document: Brings up the document to be signed.

Once accessibility mode is enabled, the page will refresh and present the transaction's documents in a format that is consumable by screen-reader technology — including navigating all documents and completing the entire signing process.

  • The Signer Experience of an accessible transaction supports content magnification via the web browser (up to 200% zoom).
  • The Signer Experience of an accessible transaction supports the navigation of fields via the keyboard's TAB key.
  • Signers of an accessible HTML document use both the keyboard and mouse. Accessible HTML provides them with audio notifications via a screen reader.
  • Some known limitations for signers are described here.

Signing with a Certificate

OneSpan Sign supports several signing methods, including one which enables users to sign with a digital certificate that resides on a Smart Card or hardware token.

If you are using a hardware token, enabling the token to be read usually requires the installation of a driver on your computer. That driver may be automatically installed with the token. If not, instructions that accompany the token will likely describe how to install the driver.

Certificate Signing is subject to the following restrictions:

  • Signing with a certificate is available only for Microsoft Windows, but it works with all supported browsers (Internet Explorer 11, Edge, Firefox, Chrome).
  • It does not work from a tablet or mobile device.
  • It supports only Click-to-Sign signing (see this procedure's first step).

Prerequisites

  • A valid third‐party digital certificate exists and can be used on your system.
  • The Personal Certificate Client has been installed (installation instructions can be found here).

    • When you try to sign with a certificate, you may be prompted to install the latest version of the Personal Certificate Client.

  • If you are using a Smart Card (e.g., CAC, PIV, or eID):
    • A card reader is connected to your system, and is correctly installed and configured.
    • An appropriate Smart Card is being read by that device.
  • You have started an online session with OneSpan Sign.
  • Prerequisites for Administrators:
    • The relevant certificate must be a document-signing certificate.
    • The account of the transaction's creator must have been enabled for Certificate Signing.
    • The certificate’s Certificate Chain must exist on the signer's system.

To sign a document using a certificate:

  1. When the document is displayed for signing, click the Signature Box.
  2. Click Confirm. The Certificate Selection dialog box appears.

    When you try to sign with a certificate, you may be prompted to install the latest version of the Personal Certificate Client.

  3. Select a certificate from the list of certificates.
  4. Optional: If you want to view details about the selected certificate:
    1. Click See Details. The Certificate Details window appears.
    2. Click Back to Selection. The Certificate Details window closes, and the Certificate Selection dialog box reappears.
  5. Click Sign.
  6. If you are using a Smart Card:
    1. The Approval Information dialog box appears.
    2. Click Sign.

Video Tutorial: E-Signing with Digital Certificates

Changing Signers

The Transaction Owner may permit a signer to delegate their signing responsibilities to another person. If an original signer does this, their delegate can sign on their behalf.

The rest of this section describes:

Delegating a New Signer

An original signer can sign any Signature Boxes they want before they delegate their remaining Signature Boxes to a new signer.

To delegate your signing responsibilities to a new signer:

  1. In the page's top-right corner, click More Actions.
  2. Click Reassign Recipient.
  3. In the dialog box that appears, enter your delegate's Email, First Name, Last Name, Title and Company.
  4. Optional: Type a Message for your delegate. Though not required, a message can be useful to tell your delegate what you would like them to do.
  5. Click Next and select an Authentication Method for the new signer.
  6. Click Reassign.
  7. Click OK.

Video Tutorial: Changing Signers

Signing Documents as a New Signer

OneSpan Sign sends a new signer an email that: (1) identifies the person who has delegated their signing responsibilities to them; (2) states that documents are available for signing. The email also includes a link to those documents.

To sign documents as a new signer:

  • Perform the procedure Signing Documents as a Signer.

    • After a new signer has signed, their signature will appear in all the Signature Boxes they signed.

Declining to Sign

After a signer has been authenticated, they can decline to sign a transaction.

To decline to sign a transaction:

  1. From the More Actions drop-down list, click Decline To Sign.
  2. Specify your reason for declining.

    3. By contacting our Support Team, account owners can: (1) customize the list of reasons that appear in the Decline dialog box; (2) disable that box's Other button.

  3. Click Decline. The transaction sender will be notified of your action, and you will no longer be able to view any document in the transaction.

Completing Signing

When you have signed all your Signature Boxes in a transaction's document, a Confirm button appears. Click this button to continue.

Downloading Signed Documents

After all signers have signed a transaction's documents, OneSpan Sign flags the transaction as Complete. A completed transaction is one that has been securely signed, and digitally sealed with a tamper-evident seal. Any attempt to tamper with the documents in the transaction or their signatures will break the seal. If that happens, the signatures will stop being legally binding.

OneSpan Sign sends an email to all signers to notify them that signing is complete. That email includes a link that signers can click to download the transaction with its securely signed documents. The email may also include the documents as attachments, depending on the options selected by the Transaction Owner when they created the transaction.

If Document Visibility was configured for the transaction, each person can download only those documents that the configuration permits them to view. You may also be able to download the Evidence Summary, if this feature has been made available to you.

Signers are not required to download documents. They remain available for download until the Transaction Owner archives or deletes the transaction. It's nonetheless a good idea to download, so signers will have a copy of the documents for their records.

Signed documents are provided as PDFs. Each PDF includes visual indicators and messages that signers can use when they are Reviewing Signed Documents.

To download signed documents:

  1. In the email message you receive, click Download Completed Documents.
  2. In the page that appears click Download Documents.

Reviewing Signed Documents

After you download a transaction, you can review its documents. Each document is a PDF that contains your signatures and the signatures of all other signers. If you view a downloaded PDF using Adobe Reader, you can verify if its signatures are valid. One way of doing so is to click each signature — a popup states if the signature is valid, and provides further details about the signature's status.

You can also review signed documents by clicking the Download Completed Documents link in the email message that you received, and then clicking Review Documents.

When you review a signed document, you may see messages stating that OneSpan Sign signatures “Cannot be validated” or are “invalid”. Such messages merely mean that the certificate used to sign the document is not yet trusted by the PDF software you’re using to perform the validation. To resolve this issue, follow the instructions in this article.

Signature validation is largely a standard process across PDF viewers. However, occasionally a PDF viewer may give results that differ from those of Adobe Reader. When that occurs, OneSpan considers the Adobe Reader results to be more definitive.

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