Open Tax Solver

Challenge

Constraint

The user interface was outdated and lacks usability. Users had to select forms and fill the form line by line. Moreover, users were unable to file electronically via OTS.

• Limited capability to maintain the program: The team had limited data and manpower. I needed to identify what features would be the most important to our users.


• Users can’t e-file with OTS: the user would have to physically print out the tax forms and mail them to IRS with OTS since OTS cannot e-file.


• How to establish trust: The tax form was full of sensitive personal information; how could we convince users to trust OTS with their data.

Research

Competitive Analysis and Interview

I interviewed folks who use tax preparation tools like TurboTax or HR Block. I asked them about their understanding of the tax filing process, their experience with tax preparation tools, and their favorite features of the tools.

It seemed like most had a poor understanding of tax codes and jargon. As a result, most folks relied on the tax preparation tools to assist them.

I had no idea what forms I need, I just input numbers into TurboTax, and it tells me what to do.

I didn’t know the difference between resident aliens and nonresident aliens. They have tools to help me determine my status.

Usability Research

To establish the baseline usability of Open Tax Solver, I asked the users to pretend to file a tax return to try to identify the pain points and observe their usage of the software.

• Users were surprised that they can’t e-file at the very end of the process
• Not sure if it was safe because it looked outdated
• had no idea what the jargon means

It looks so old; I am not sure if I can trust it with my personal information

I don’t know what [form schedule] to pick? What’s the schedule A, C, and D?

So I had to print out the forms and mail them in? How would I know if the IRS gets them?

Solution

Main Objective

Based on the research, I identified multiple pain points throughout their experience and made design suggestions for improving the experience.

• Tools to help users understand the jargon.
• Tools to help users select the forms they need.
• Explicit mailing instructions and tracking information.

Sketch

I experimented with different ways to show progress and encourage users to finish their filings. I also experimented with assisting users with selecting the correct tax forms and understanding the jargon.

Wireframe

Experience Flow

Feedback

I presented the design to the main stakeholder, pointing out some areas that could be improved. However, some issues arose during our discussion. The questionnaire for form selection would need to be updated every time the tax codes change, and Open Tax Solver does not have the expertise or manpower to do so right now.

• No questionnaire
• Maybe two modes for power and casual users
• Perhaps link to buy postage

Changes

• 3rd party site to see what forms to file link
• Direct link to purchase postage on the final page
• Link to postage

Final

Main Page

The main page showcases the three main steps of filing taxes with Open Tax Solver to set expectations. In addition, users can start a new filing or load the previous filing on this page.

Tax Form Guide

A link to the tax form guide can help users determine the required tax forms for them. Then they can select the forms that they need.

Jargon Helper

An interactive dialogue could help users with the more complex parts of the forms. In this example, users can find out their dependent qualifications by answering the questions in the dialogue.

Report Page

Since Open Tax Solver does not currently support e-filing, it displays tax agencies’ addresses and tracking information. Users can save or print the finished tax forms.

Retrospective

What Now?

The project is still ongoing.

Plan Going Forward

Frequent communication with the team:
If I understood the complexity of tax filing and the limitation of the team earlier, I could save a lot of time mapping out the questionnaire.

Maybe users don’t need to understand the jargon:
Instead of explaining the jargon to the user, maybe users don’t need to understand it. I can perhaps break the jargon down into several questions.

Narrower target user group:
The user group identified might be too broad. I would reconsider the target users and if it can be more aligned to the constraint of the platform.