HM Revenue & Customs
HM Revenue & Customs' income tax submissions service, one of the UK's most complex and widely used government services, is undergoing a significant transformation with the implementation of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax Self Assessment (ITSA). This initiative aims to digitize the tax submission process, moving away from traditional paper forms to a streamlined digital system. By utilizing software to maintain digital records and make regular updates, MTD for ITSA seeks to reduce the tax gap, which currently stands at £5 billion for Self Assessment businesses. The digitalization of the service will bring substantial benefits to customers, including reducing the risk of unintentional errors, saving time on end-of-year tax returns, and enhancing productivity by minimizing the need for paperwork. Additionally, it will enable HMRC to provide more tailored services to customers, ensuring a more efficient and accurate tax submission process.
Please note, I cannot share detailed design files or research documents due to HMRC security and compliance policies. However the case study outlines my role, process, and contributions the project which I am working.
London, United Kingdom
Government Administration
66,000+
Figma, GOV.UK Design System, Mural, Jira, Confluence
Role
As a UX designer - Transform HMRC’s Income Tax Self Assessment service from paper-based forms to a fully digital experience, focusing on usability, accessibility, and compliance with GOV.UK standards.
Challenge
The main challenge of the project was designing HMRC's income tax submissions service, one of the UK's most complex and widely used government services. We had to ensure that the new design would simplify the process for millions of users while maintaining the accuracy and security required for handling sensitive financial information. Additionally, creating a seamless and accessible user experience across various devices and integrating advanced features into the existing system presented significant technical and design challenges.
As a UX designer, I took a user-centered approach to align design with project goals. I collaborated with stakeholders, analysts, policy teams, researchers, content designers, and developers to map complex user flows and create prototypes using the GOV.UK design system. These were tested with real users and refined based on feedback. After securing stakeholder sign-off, I handed the designs to developers with accessibility guidance for implementation.
Process
Discovery & Research:
Conducted workshops with stakeholders and policy teams to understand the requirements and technical constraints.
Collaborated with Business Analysts, Content Designers, and Researchers to define user needs.
Reviewed service data to identify pain points and mapped user journeys to discover high-friction areas.
User Needs & Personas:
We defined personas such as individual taxpayers, landlords for both UK and Foreign properties, and self-employed users.
Identified user goals and there pain points.
Mapped user needs through user research sessions.
User Flows & Ideation:
Created user journeys.
Designed flows to help users navigate complex income-related scenarios.
Prototyping:
Developed interactive prototypes using the GOV.UK Design System.
Followed accessibility and compliance from the beginning.
Usability Testing:
User research with real users to test journeys.
Identified pain points related to jargon, flow, and branching.
Iterated designs based on feedback and usability outcomes.
Secured final sign-off from stakeholders and policy team before development.
Handover to Developers:
Conducted prototype walkthroughs with the development team during sprint planning, stand-ups, and backlog refinement meetings.
Delivered annotated design specifications and detailed implementation guidance, documented in Confluence and summarised in Jira tickets.
Provided accessibility audits and ensured full compliance with WCAG 2.2 standards.
Supported QA testing and post-implementation User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
