Making Taxes Less Taxing: Lessons Learned from IRS Direct File

When helping people navigate a complex process, key questions emerge: what’s the right amount of information needed to confidently complete a task? What terms, rules, or processes do users need to understand, and where can we lessen the cognitive load by thoughtfully curating information?

These questions were top-of-mind while designing the IRS’s new e-file tool, Direct File. Filing taxes in the US is hard. There’s a high burden on individuals to interpret complicated rules. Billions in tax benefits go unclaimed each year because people aren’t aware they qualify or find the process too daunting. To empower people to confidently and accurately file their taxes, Direct File needed to strike a balance between helping the user understand the process without being overwhelmed.

Join Theresa and Johanna as they break down how the team used research and design principles to hone in on “just the right amount of information” needed to guide people through this notoriously complicated process.