H&R Block

2023

Growth design

Product Strategy

UX/UI

Streamlined Onboarding for 375K+ Virtual Customers

Streamlined Onboarding for 375K+ Virtual Customers

Streamlined Onboarding for 375K+ Virtual Customers

A very brief overview of how H&R Block created a 3-year road map to fix their virtual tax prep system.

Note: This was a very complicated, dense, and long project focused on growth and service design. I've condensed it for the sake of brevity. If you'd like to see more detailed screens, please view my other snapshots on my home page, or email me for a chat 🙂

Project goals

Help virtual users get their taxes done more quickly, with more confidence, and feel valued

Help virtual users get their taxes done more quickly, with more confidence, and feel valued

Encourage tax pros to serve more virtual clients than they did in 2023

Encourage tax pros to serve more virtual clients than they did in 2023

Help H&R Block retain more virtual filers by making the experience efficient, engaging, and personalized

Help H&R Block retain more virtual filers by making the experience efficient, engaging, and personalized

Impact

Total remote returns in 2024

298,445 (2023) ➡️ 375,562 (2024)


Overall user satisfaction

87.3/100 ➡️ 87.9/100


🏅 Rolling out to the rest of the biz in 2026

Total remote returns in 2024

298,445 (2023) ➡️ 375,562 (2024)


Overall user satisfaction

87.3/100 ➡️ 87.9/100


🏅 Rolling out to the rest of the biz in 2026

Quick context

Quick context

Quick context

How virtual tax prep works

How virtual tax prep works

Taxes done professionally - without going into an office - from anywhere with a wifi connection.

Taxes done professionally - without going into an office - from anywhere with a wifi connection.

Why virtual tax prep matters

Why virtual tax prep matters

A 2023 survey of assisted tax filers found that 56% of filers deemed remote access to a tax specialist was essential. Simply put, there exists an enormous demand for this specific service.

A 2023 survey of assisted tax filers found that 56% of filers deemed remote access to a tax specialist was essential. Simply put, there exists an enormous demand for this specific service.

The problem

Tax pros and customers weren't on the same page, leading to frustration on both sides that affected our satisfaction ratings and customer retention rates.

Tax pros and customers weren't on the same page, leading to frustration on both sides that affected our satisfaction ratings and customer retention rates.

User insights

Customers wanted hand-holding, personalization, and open communication from their pros.

Customers wanted hand-holding, personalization, and open communication from their pros.

The user journey showed multiple opportunity areas, but the most common theme was lack of process transparency.

The user journey showed multiple opportunity areas, but the most common theme was lack of process transparency.

Tax pro insights

Tax pros were frustrated by being booked over capacity, customers' lack of follow-through, and juggling too many tasks.

Tax pros were frustrated by being booked over capacity, customers' lack of follow-through, and juggling too many tasks.

The most frequent complaint was lack of high quality submissions, which resulted in tax pros taking 6x as long to service their virtual clients than to service in-office clients.

The most frequent complaint was lack of high quality submissions, which resulted in tax pros taking 6x as long to service their virtual clients than to service in-office clients.

The question

How do we provide transparency to users while giving tax pros as much client info as possible?

The solution

Talking long-term vision vs. short-term fixes

With 6 months until the tax season started, our initial approach was to get some quick wins under our belt by focusing on small upgrades.

With 6 months until the tax season started, our initial approach was to get some quick wins under our belt by focusing on small upgrades.

Our second iteration centered around out-delivering our competitor, but fell short of what leadership envisioned as industry-changing.

Our second iteration centered around out-delivering our competitor, but fell short of what leadership envisioned as industry-changing.

Our final solution: a mix of our best features, the competition's, and brand new ideas we hadn't seen anywhere else in the tax prep industry—we couldn't settle for anything less than the best.

Our final solution: a mix of our best features, the competition's, and brand new ideas we hadn't seen anywhere else in the tax prep industry—we couldn't settle for anything less than the best.

Solution 1

Solution 1

Solution 1

Price previews to encourage quicker commitment & build user trust

Price previews to encourage quicker commitment & build user trust

Price previews to encourage quicker commitment & build user trust

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Solution 2

Solution 2

Solution 2

Require an account to centralize communication, doc management, and appointment management

Require an account to centralize communication, doc management, and appointment management

Require an account to centralize communication, doc management, and appointment management

Solution 3

Solution 3

Solution 3

Capture customer communication preference to encourage quicker correspondence

Capture customer communication preference to encourage quicker correspondence

Capture customer communication preference to encourage quicker correspondence

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Solution 4

Solution 4

Solution 4

Offer a fast track via uploading a Form 1040 or a W-2, which can provide up to 80% of required info to start a return

Offer a fast track via uploading a Form 1040 or a W-2, which can provide up to 80% of required info to start a return

Offer a fast track via uploading a Form 1040 or a W-2, which can provide up to 80% of required info to start a return

Solution 5

Solution 5

Solution 5

Create a document checklist based on personal and financial information from a customer's intake session

Create a document checklist based on personal and financial information from a customer's intake session

Create a document checklist based on personal and financial information from a customer's intake session

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Solution 6

Solution 6

Solution 6

Match customers to properly qualified and available tax pros based on their tax situation

Match customers to properly qualified and available tax pros based on their tax situation

Match customers to properly qualified and available tax pros based on their tax situation

Solution 7

Solution 7

Solution 7

Make appointments optional so users can decide their level of interaction

Make appointments optional so users can decide their level of interaction

Make appointments optional so users can decide their level of interaction

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Initial wireframe

Solution 8

Solution 8

Solution 8

A global progress tracker to keep tabs on the overall tax journey, and in-app progress trackers to deliver more specific transparency into tax prep.

A global progress tracker to keep tabs on the overall tax journey, and in-app progress trackers to deliver more specific transparency into tax prep.

A global progress tracker to keep tabs on the overall tax journey, and in-app progress trackers to deliver more specific transparency into tax prep.

Testing stimuli / Prototype

Testing stimuli / Prototype

Testing stimuli / Prototype

Feedback from users

Upfront & transparent pricing is always a plus

Set expectations and then remind them of those expectations

Progress tracking demystified the process and gave users an easy-to-follow roadmap

Uploading income docs first was cool if it gets their taxes done quicker

Users confirmed out that while taxes are a unpleasant task no matter what, higher levels of effort up front are worth it if they get equal treatment compared to in-office clients.

Users confirmed out that while taxes are a unpleasant task no matter what, higher levels of effort up front are worth it if they get equal treatment compared to in-office clients.

Feedback from tax pros

Many pros will cater to their clients' preference but prefer phone calls

A document checklist would solve lack of docs, and too many docs

If the app can set expectations with users, that's one less thing for them to do

Pros want relationships with their clients, so appointments are a major priority

At H&R Block, our tax pros are our secret sauce.

They're the heart of customer experience, but also our most unpredictable asset. Our solution keeps their workflow in mind, ensuring we support rather than complicate their crucial work of serving clients.

At H&R Block, our tax pros are our secret sauce.

They're the heart of customer experience, but also our most unpredictable asset. Our solution keeps their workflow in mind, ensuring we support rather than complicate their crucial work of serving clients.

The speed bump during scoping and roadmapping

Leading any kind of workshop with 20+ stakeholders is a lot like herding cats: unpredictable & a power struggle

What started as quick t-shirt sizing morphed into arguments between developers and back-end architects

Do we modernize our architecture's foundation and chip away at our ever-growing technical debt?


Or do we just kind shrug and say it is what it is?

Do we modernize our architecture's foundation and chip away at our ever-growing technical debt?


Or do we just kind shrug and say it is what it is?

The compromise: Easy execution, medium impact takes priority for January and the 2024 tax season

A win is a win! We kicked off delegating work to the relevant product squads, finalized our roadmap through 2026, and celebrated our progress.

A win is a win! We kicked off delegating work to the relevant product squads, finalized our roadmap through 2026, and celebrated our progress.

Wrap up & thoughts

Here's what I'd do differently next time:

Here's what I'd do differently next time:

  • Bring in the architecture team much earlier in the process

  • Generative research during discovery phase to plan for the future

  • Bring in the architecture team much earlier in the process

  • Generative research during discovery phase to plan for the future

Here's where this project netted out:

  • Improved a few stats once we launched the first phase of features

  • My squads and I have a reputation for being the best at shipping end-to-end 💪🏻

  • Improved a few stats once we launched the first phase of features

  • My squads and I have a reputation for being the best at shipping end-to-end 💪🏻

Copyright © 2025 Ali K Fishman