Brief

As a young person in Canada, I approach taxes with caution rather than confidence. Not because the system is broken, but because it’s easy to lose track of what you need to know, what you need to submit, when you need to do it,
and why.

Canadians lack a centralized way to track their tax status, deadlines, and required documentation over time. As a result, tax education is lost, important dates are missed, and individuals are left reacting to issues only after they arise.

Problem

This is not a feeling or sentiment exclusive to me either. Over the course of my life, I've heard countless Canadians of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances make their confusion or exhaustion with the Canadian tax system very clear. This goes deeper than the perception of "being taxed too much", it also pertains to being given tons of convoluted forms and websites, and being told to "figure it out". The unfortunate reality is that choosing not to, or failing to do so correctly, often results in a poorly timed, ominous email from the Canada Revenue Agency informing you of a “reassessment” of your return. This moment typically becomes one of anxiety, where you hope the outcome is positive, but more often than not, it leads to disappointment.

Research

User Interview

To understand the difference in lived experiences from different Canadians, I concluded that talking with them face-to-face in an interview format would make the most sense. Speaking to them in this way helped them naturally talk about their experiences with Canadian taxes, both positive and negative. Through these discussions, I was able to identify a few commonalities between each user's responses, ultimately allowing me to centralize the following pain points during this project:

User Personas

After reviewing and synthesizing my user interview notes, clear patterns began to emerge. These insights helped shape three personas, each representing different levels of experience with taxes and differing needs, goals, and priorities.

Once I had a clear picture of who I was designing for and the problems I wanted to address, I started putting together rough concept sketches to visualize layouts and think through how different elements would work.

Ideation Post Brainstorm

Design Reference

I referenced Scotiabank, Wealthsimple, and EQ Bank for their clean design, intuitive navigation, and simplicity, using them as inspiration to inform my design decisions as they are similar in nature/industry.

Wireframing The Solution

Wireframing gave me the space to think through how users would actually move through the experience. At this stage, I focused on layout, information prioritization, and how key features like progress tracking, documents, and learning resources could work together in a way that felt simple and reassuring rather than overwhelming.

Onboarding was intentionally designed to feel supportive rather than intimidating. Instead of asking users for everything at once, information is collected gradually and paired with clear explanations around why each step is needed. Giving users the option to upload documents early or link directly with the CRA helps reduce uncertainty and builds confidence right from the beginning.

Design:
Onboarding

Design:
Home Hub

The Home Hub acts as a central spot where users can get a quick at a glance understanding of their tax situation. Instead of digging through documents or trudging through calculations, users are shown progress, balances, and recent activity in a way that feels straightforward and approachable. The goal was to replace uncertainty with clarity the moment the app is opened.

• The progress wheel gives a clear view of contribution status, allowing users to toggle between percentage and dollar based progress, and helps users stay on track to avoid owing taxes at year end.

• Account breakdowns let users get a live look at their account balances/contribution amounts.

• Account details let users view their remaining contribution balance, make contributions, view activity, and more.

Design:
Document Manager

The Document Manager gives users a single space to store, view, and manage all tax-related documents in one place. Important forms such as T4s, Notices of Assessment, and contribution records are clearly labeled and organized, allowing users to quickly understand what documents they have on file and access them when needed.

Design:
Education Hub

The Education Hub gives users a simple place to learn about taxes without feeling overwhelmed. Lessons are grouped by topic and presented in an easy to browse format, making it simple to explore specific questions or follow along step by step. By breaking down complex concepts into clear, approachable content, the hub helps users build confidence over time and feel more prepared when managing their taxes.

What Comes Next?

Future Phase

• Taking things beyond mobile

  • I want to ultimately expand this project's scope and have it accessible across all types of devices. This includes desktops, tablets and more. Given the shorter duration of the project, it was important that I kept my focus on the mobile space, as this app would generate the most initial users on this platform.
    
    

• Bringing a brand to life

  • Because I was focused a little bit more on form and function, I'd like to expand the application's design language from a visual perspective. To do this, I'd have to curate a design system with colours, icons and components that all contribute to the design's overall visual fidelity.
    
    

• Connecting more than just your taxes

  • Ideally, direct banking integrations would allow the application to reflect users’ finances more accurately in real time, streamlining preparation and decision making throughout tax return season.