Creating a tax prep app from scratch

With nearly 9,000 brick-and-mortar locations, H&R Block has long been the go-to for in-person tax help. Then they came to my team to bring that same personalized approach to life in an app… minus the waiting room. Over the next year, we built a brand-new experience designed to help people with trickier tax situations. Think freelance gigs, side hustles, or a kid (or three). The result was an H&R Block app that helps everyone feel confident filing on their own.

Building a smarter content strategy

I got to help rethink the content from the ground up. That meant months of digging into the tax code and stepping into the shoes of the average American come tax time. We had to figure out how to meet people where they are, show them what they need to know, and how to make it all feel doable. The result is a content system that’s clear, supportive, and ready to grow.

Establishing a new voice

We worked with tax pros and legal experts to make sure we got all the details right, but also to understand how they explain things. In our tone of voice in the app, we aimed to capture their calm, reassuring, and easy-to-follow way of explaining things. Every line was rewritten to sound more human, more helpful, and a little less like tax code.

Simplifying complex information

We broke everything down into smaller, clearer steps. We used plain language, added helpful context (i.e. tooltips), and made sure no one felt like they had to Google their way through the app.

Taking the guesswork out of filing

Built-in checks and recaps guide users along and help them file with confidence.

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