An Audit of Assumptions

Transforming digital tax filing experiences by aligning design with real user roles and workflows

Overview

When Research Rewrites the Roadmap

The organization was undertaking a large-scale digital transformation to migrate a high-volume, paper-based tax filing process online. Initial product strategy and delivery plans prioritized features for corporate accountants based on internal assumptions about primary users.


Despite previous investments, the system continued to generate high error rates, support calls, and operational backlog—signaling that the problem was not purely technical or UI-driven.

Role

Lead Service & Interaction Designer, Lead Researcher

Delivery Team

39 cross-functional partners across Product, Engineering, Design, Ops

Timeline

12 months

Impact

Research-Driven Results

The redesigned service demonstrated how aligning user roles, system logic, and operational workflows can unlock measurable gains across adoption and efficiency.

Increased Submissions

+61%

Generated Revenue

+$3M

Cases Processed

+10M

Reduced Phone Inquiries

-31%

Problem

A System Built on Assumptions

The core risk was misaligned problem definition.

  • Product roadmaps assumed corporate accountants were the primary filers

  • Research on CPAs—the professionals responsible for accuracy and submission—was limited

  • Translating paper processes directly into digital forms obscured role boundaries, handoffs, and validation needs

  • Building for the wrong user first risked scaling inefficiency and rework


The challenge was to validate user assumptions without significantly disrupting delivery timelines.

My Role

Bridging Research, Delivery, and Policy

As Lead Service & Interaction Designer and Lead Researcher, I was responsible for clarifying the real problem, aligning stakeholders around evidence, and translating insights into scalable system design.

  • Led qualitative research across CPAs, associates, and corporate accountants

  • Synthesized findings into journeys and service-level insights

  • Used research to influence product strategy and sequencing decisions

  • Partnered closely with product, engineering, operations, and legal

Product

Translating requirements and insights into prioritized, shippable work

Engineering

Estimating effort and designing within system and delivery constraints

Operations

Validating designs against real processing workflows and call drivers

Legal

Ensuring compliant experiences without introducing user friction

Research Insights

Letting Evidence Lead

Each round of research surfaced new actors, dependencies, and handoffs, progressively reframing the problem from a single-user flow to a coordinated service.

  • Research Round 1

    Corporate Accountants
    Large Organizations

    Assumption

    Corporate accountants file independently and collaborate only internally

    Key Insight

    Corporate accountants typically file with CPAs, not on their own

    System Shift →

    Reframed primary user from Corporate Accountant to CPA

  • Research Round 2

    CPAs
    (Certified Public Accountants)

    Assumption

    CPAs are heavily involved in form completion

    Key Insight

    CPAs primarily review, validate, and sign off—they do not perform most data entry

    System Shift →

    Filing is review-led, not form-led

  • Research Round 3

    CPA Assistants
    (Certified Public Accountants)

    Assumption

    Preparation work is evenly distributed

    Key Insight

    Assistants handle most data entry and manage filings for multiple corporate clients

    System Shift →

    Introduced execution-layer roles with task-based needs

  • Research Round 4

    Accountants

    Small / Midsize Organizations

    Assumption

    Filing without CPAs is structurally different

    Key Insight

    Accountants mirror CPA assistant workflows; review authority remains centralized

    System Shift →

    Same role pattern applies across org sizes

  • Research Round 5

    Accounting Clerk
    Small / Midsize Organizations

    Assumption

    Clerks have limited complexity

    Key Insight

    Clerks manage multiple filings and depend on clear validation and handoffs

    System Shift →

    Confirmed consistent “prepare, review, submit” model

Design Strategy

Designing the Filing Service, Not the Form

I approached this work as a service redesign, using a discovery-to-delivery framework to align user needs, system constraints, and compliance requirements across roles.

Discover

Mapped end-to-end journeys to uncover role ownership, handoffs, and risk concentration

Define

Reframed the problem from supporting corporate filers to enabling CPA-led service delivery

Design

Created distinct yet connected workflows for CPAs, associates, and corporate accountants

Deliver

Realigned the development roadmap through cross-functional and legal collaboration

Result

Research That Paid Off

By designing the filing experience as a multi-actor, coordinated service, the system enabled more accurate submissions, reduced support burden, and scaled across individual practitioners and enterprise teams.


The work also contributed to the client receiving a Service to the Citizen Award for Delivering Excellence in Digital Services, recognizing the impact of the digital transformation.

Let’s work together

An Audit of Assumptions

Transforming digital tax filing experiences by aligning design with real user roles and workflows

Overview

When Research Rewrites the Roadmap

The organization was undertaking a large-scale digital transformation to migrate a high-volume, paper-based tax filing process online. Initial product strategy and delivery plans prioritized features for corporate accountants based on internal assumptions about primary users.


Despite previous investments, the system continued to generate high error rates, support calls, and operational backlog—signaling that the problem was not purely technical or UI-driven.

Role

Lead Service & Interaction Designer, Lead Researcher

Delivery Team

39 cross-functional partners across Product, Engineering, Design, Ops

Timeline

12 months

Impact

Research-Driven Results

The redesigned service demonstrated how aligning user roles, system logic, and operational workflows can unlock measurable gains across adoption and efficiency.

Increased Submissions

+61%

Generated Revenue

+$3M

Cases Processed

+10M

Reduced Phone Inquiries

-31%

Problem

A System Built on Assumptions

The core risk was misaligned problem definition.

  • Product roadmaps assumed corporate accountants were the primary filers

  • Research on CPAs—the professionals responsible for accuracy and submission—was limited

  • Translating paper processes directly into digital forms obscured role boundaries, handoffs, and validation needs

  • Building for the wrong user first risked scaling inefficiency and rework


The challenge was to validate user assumptions without significantly disrupting delivery timelines.

My Role

Bridging Research, Delivery, and Policy

As Lead Service & Interaction Designer and Lead Researcher, I was responsible for clarifying the real problem, aligning stakeholders around evidence, and translating insights into scalable system design.

  • Led qualitative research across CPAs, associates, and corporate accountants

  • Synthesized findings into journeys and service-level insights

  • Used research to influence product strategy and sequencing decisions

  • Partnered closely with product, engineering, operations, and legal

Product

Translating requirements and insights into prioritized, shippable work

Engineering

Estimating effort and designing within system and delivery constraints

Operations

Validating designs against real processing workflows and call drivers

Legal

Ensuring compliant experiences without introducing user friction

  • Research Round 1

    Corporate Accountants
    Large Organizations

    Assumption

    Corporate accountants file independently and collaborate only internally

    Key Insight

    Corporate accountants typically file with CPAs, not on their own

    System Shift →

    Reframed primary user from corporate accountant to CPA

  • Research Round 2

    CPAs
    (Certified Public Accountants)

    Assumption

    CPAs are heavily involved in form completion

    Key Insight

    CPAs primarily review, validate, and sign off—they do not perform most data entry

    System Shift →

    Filing is review-led, not form-led

  • Research Round 3

    CPA Assistants
    (Certified Public Accountants)

    Assumption

    Preparation work is evenly distributed

    Key Insight

    Assistants handle most data entry and manage filings for multiple corporate clients

    System Shift →

    Introduced execution-layer roles with task-based needs

  • Research Round 4

    Accountants

    Small / Midsize Organizations

    Assumption

    Filing without CPAs is structurally different

    Key Insight

    Accountants mirror CPA assistant workflows; review authority remains centralized

    System Shift →

    Same role pattern applies across org sizes

  • Research Round 5

    Accounting Clerk
    Small / Midsize Organizations

    Assumption

    Clerks have limited complexity

    Key Insight

    Clerks manage multiple filings and depend on clear validation and handoffs

    System Shift →

    Confirmed consistent “prepare, review, submit” model

Research Insights

Letting Evidence Lead

Each round of research surfaced new actors, dependencies, and handoffs, progressively reframing the problem from a single-user flow to a coordinated service.

Design Strategy

Designing the Filing Service, Not the Form

I approached this work as a service redesign, using a discovery-to-delivery framework to align user needs, system constraints, and compliance requirements across roles.

Discover

Mapped end-to-end journeys to uncover role ownership, handoffs, and risk concentration

Define

Reframed the problem from supporting corporate filers to enabling CPA-led service delivery

Design

Created distinct yet connected workflows for CPAs, associates, and corporate accountants

Deliver

Realigned the development roadmap through cross-functional and legal collaboration

Result

Research That Paid Off

By designing the filing experience as a multi-actor, coordinated service, the system enabled more accurate submissions, reduced support burden, and scaled across individual practitioners and enterprise teams.


The work also contributed to the client receiving a Service to the Citizen Award for Delivering Excellence in Digital Services, recognizing the impact of the digital transformation.

Let’s work together