Online, mobile, and software app
H&R BLOCK
THE CHALLENGE
Create a design organization to support H&R Block’s DIY tax-prep products. Raise the standards for the consumer experience, make it simple, accurate, and competitive.
MY ROLE:
Director, Design - H&R Block (2016-2019)
As the Director of UX, I owned the end-to-end design for all tax-prep products online, with the mobile app, and software. My challenge was to stand up a design organization, connect it to product, research, and technology, and get H&R Block design “running on all cylinders”.
THE SOLUTION
First, I created a design organization
It was a lot more than removing cubicles, but I did that too.
I grew the design team significantly and then we worked together to create collaborative processes with our partners in product, research, and technology. We looked hard at our audiences and the use-data we had, we created user journeys, a roadmap, we sized the work according to design and development, and then we prioritized everything.
We redesigned and rebuilt an in-house testing lab.
I connected different organizations across the company to build seamless, cross-channel experiences. We leaned heavily on research and best practices to guide decisions. Projects were prioritized, kicked-off, designed, and launched with new efficiency and effectiveness.
In addition to better design, we started to attack design debt to increase efficiency, we created a style guide, and began a design system.
We made projects simpler, more focused, and the effort more effective.
We simplified the tax prep interview…
in ways like breaking the collection of personal information into single questions — and then, based on testing and research, grouping similar questions together when we learned that a single page for every question was too much.
We also saw that there were a lot of questions with yes or no answers. We updated the controls design and added a “speed round” where users could quickly get through simple, repetitive yes or no questions.
We created a content strategy, which guided an easy-to-understand and conversational tone.
“Content is like packing for a trip — pack the least you need and then cut it in half.”
That was the advice I gave my content team. I also asked them to write things they were proud enough of to put in their portfolio.
While we made content on more than 3000 pages easy-to-understand and conversational, we also made it brief.
We adopted header, line, and body character limits, and after doing that, we could increase the font size to make it easier to read.
To make sure we were on track, we also adopted the practice of testing copy just like we did with the visual and experience design.
The end-to-end experience
“Write for your Mom.”
TO
FROM
“Let’s get acquainted — you know our name but we don’t know yours.”
“What’s your name?
The IRS needs this to complete your return”
We adopted common UI patterns, iconography, typography, link, and visual design strategies
We defined and documented a design system for all of the product elements — from type and font, to links, buttons, and iconography.
We used data to evaluate links customers used and then removed or relocated lesser used links — or hid them in closable panels to free up screen real estate for a completely redesigned way to get help.
We made help helpful
We improved the contextual help, we increased the visibility of search and chat. Then we moved help from an overlay to a side-tray that opened when users needed it and closed when they didn’t.
We also added a price preview feature that made fees more visible.
We created H&R Block’s first animated on-boarding feature.
In an animated, three-panel feature, we profiled
H&R Block’s expertise in tax reform, the price preview feature, and the ability to chat with a live tax pro.
We didn’t stop at just the online version
We also updated the mobile app with Facebook integration, Face ID and Touch ID authentication, new navigation, and a native home screen.
In addition to exponential growth in 2019,
the H&R Block tax-prep app outperformed TurboTax with a 4.8 star rating in the Apple Store.
“H&R Block Deluxe offers the most capable blend of tax topic coverage, usability, and taxpayer guidance, all of which earn it our Editors' Choice for online tax preparation services.”
– PC Mag
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