Improve Limit Document Visibility (LDV) Defaults and Grid for Safer and More Flexible Document Sharing

Idea Summary:

As a law firm regularly sending highly confidential documents, we rely heavily on DocuSign’s Limited Document Visibility (LDV) feature. However, the current configuration presents a risk of unintended document exposure due to default settings and limited sender control. I propose a change to how LDV behaves to improve user experience, reduce risk, and enhance platform flexibility.

Background & Context:

We use DocuSign eSignature and have explored LDV settings extensively with support (Case #15948495). Francis from support has been excellent in explaining the nuances, but the current behavior still poses challenges.

There are two key LDV-related settings:

• Drop-down: Document Visibility
  • Off
  • Must Sign to View, Unless Sender
  • Must Sign to View, Unless Member of Sender’s Account
  • Sender can set either of the above
• Checkbox: Allow Sender to Specify Document Visibility

These settings influence the Document Visibility Grid (Matrix) during envelope setup.

Problem:

There are two risky scenarios based on sender assumptions:

1. LDV is OFF but assumed ON → Recipients may see documents they shouldn’t.
   Potentially serious consequences, especially in legal contexts.

2. LDV is ON but assumed OFF → Recipients may not see documents they should.
   Less severe, but still problematic.

Currently:

• If LDV is OFF, the grid is editable, but the sender must take action to restrict visibility.
• If LDV is ON, the grid becomes read-only, and there is no way for the sender to override visibility and enable LDV —even if needed—without adding fields to every document for every signer (which is impractical for large envelopes).

Proposed Enhancements:

1. Make LDV Default Configurable but Always Editable:

   • Allow LDV to default to ON or OFF based on admin preference.
   • Always allow the sender to override visibility during envelope setup (unless explicitly restricted by admin).

2. Improve Grid Behavior:

   • Keep the “Allow sender to specify document visibility” checkbox functional regardless of LDV default.
   • Make the Document Visibility Grid read-write in all configurations where sender control is permitted.
   • Clarify that the checkbox relates to the Grid functionality.

Benefits:

• Reduces risk of unintended document exposure by allowing LDV to be enabled by default, but disabled by the sender where required.  
• Improves sender control and flexibility.
• Enhances user experience by avoiding unnecessary workarounds.
• Aligns with best practices for secure document handling.

Discussion Invitation:

Would love to hear from others—especially those in legal, healthcare, or finance—who rely on LDV. Have you faced similar challenges? How are you currently working around this? Would these changes help your workflows?