Tax Form Redesign

For this project I redesigned the 1040ez tax form. As somebody fascinated with human interaction and interface design, this project presented a unique opportunity to dive into a broken system and try and change it while keeping the output the same.

To begin, I did a content audit to understand of the interface I would be working with. I then established a hierarchy for the content and began to build an information architecture. No information or form fields were removed in the creation of the new form.

After a prototype was created, I performed a series of user testing sessions to optimize the color and typeface for both readability and positive emotive responses. Throughout this process, the page layout changed multiple times, always tracking toward the form's top priorities and a seamless user flow. Many of my initial assumptions were challenged and universal truths about how users interact with forms were revealed.

By the end of the process, the form I created was far easier for users to understand and complete. The visual changes made the redesigned form less monotonous and overwhelming.