User experience critical to IRS digital transformation
Gettyimages.com/Jacob Wackerhausen
By
Nick Wakeman
With guidance and resources on hand, the IRS is emphasizing the user experience as a way to improve how it does business.
The Internal Revenue Service is emphasizing improvements to the user experience as a vital component of its digital transformation efforts, according to the official in charge of that push at the IRS' Office of Online Services.
At our July 12 Washington Technology Power Breakfast on Doing Business with the Treasury Department, Brandon Szabo said the agency is focused on making taxpayer interactions better across all digital channels.
"Our portfolio encompasses the entirety of the taxpayer-facing digital experience," said Szabo, the office's chief of user experience and design. This includes everything from the IRS.gov website to more complex transactional services.
Several factors are driving the push for enhanced UX: President Biden’s executive order signed in 2021, Office of Management and Budget directives, and the Inflation Reduction Act. These initiatives provide both guidance and resources for the IRS to prioritize customer experience in its service delivery functions.
The push to improve the user experience isn’t just about technology.
"We're dealing with situations where there's going to be a cognitive and emotional burden on our users that we need to recognize in order to serve them effectively," Szabo said.
Key focus areas for the IRS' digital initiatives include:
- Expanding self-service options for taxpayers, tax professionals, and businesses
- Achieving parity across service channels
- Implementing a holistic service design approach that considers both taxpayer and employee experiences
To meet these goals, the IRS is building cross-functional teams that combine technical expertise with UX design and research capabilities. Szabo said as the IRS is expanding its internal UX team, the agency is also relying on partnerships with contractors to meet the increased demand for digital services.
The IRS is also working to improve its feedback collection and analysis processes. Currently, the agency uses feedback primarily as an "early warning system" to detect potential issues.
Szabo said that future plans include developing more predictive analytics and implementing a more cohesive, omnichannel approach to understanding the entire taxpayer journey.
"We need to ensure more effective service delivery to the public that we support," he said, underlining the agency's commitment to building trust and improving satisfaction in taxpayer interactions with the IRS.