Overview
Who are the users?
Tax payers and Accountants
Problem description
According to IRS 2020 Filing Season statistics 56,965,000 taxpayers filed their taxes with tax professionals. However, communication between taxpayers and accountants is often scattered across emails, calls, and messages, with disorganized documentation, making the process slower and less efficient.
Why is it important?
Improved tax preparation process makes it less stressful and more beneficial for both taxpayers and professionals.
Research
Research methods
In order to identify the main steps of tax preparation process and understand key challenges we interviewed 2 groups of users: taxpayers and tax preparers (CPAs, Enrolled Agents and Attorneys).
Synthesis of research
Research findings were grouped into 3 themes:
Choosing an accountant
Tax Preparation
Communication
Choose an accountant
Defined Problems
Professionalism & competence
Users prioritize accountants with proper certifications (e.g., CPA, EA) and several years of experience.
Delayed Responses
Many users expressed frustration with slow responses from accountants, especially during peak tax season.
Location and language
Users often preferred accountants who are nearby for in-person meetings. Non-native speakers often preferred accountants who speak their language.
Solutions
Detailed profile of accountants
Accountants profile should contain information about education and work experience.
Detailed Reviews
Accountant's profile should contain reviews from other clients, with specific points about responsiveness.
Additional Information
Accountant's profile should also contain information about where the expert is based and the languages she speaks.
Tax preparation
Defined problems
Difficulty Sharing Files
Emailing or physically delivering documents is seen as inconvenient and inefficient for both clients and accountants.
Tedious process
The questionnaires are lengthy and the users get bored answering all questions provided by accountant.
Unclarities with some questions
Users sometimes had questions related to some questions and interrupted the process to address them.
Solutions
Documents section
The app will have a dedicated section for all due documents to be uploaded in an easy way.
Progressive disclosure & Gamification
Additional questions appear only if relevant to the given user.
The app will show a surprise gift "Fun fact about taxes" after answering a portion of questions.
Additional information
The app will allow users ask questions related to specific question without leaving the questionnaire.
Communication
Defined Problems
Fragmented Communication
Users often struggle with communication scattered across emails, phone calls, and messages. Forgetting where they discussed particular topics.
Limited availability
Users often struggle to find appointment slots that fit their schedules, especially during peak tax season.
Solutions
Chat
The app will allow users to chat with accountants and search in the previous discussions.
Book an appointment
The app will allow users to book an appointment and choose among available professionals.
