SmartReturn for ProConnect Tax

Three questions to the project team

What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
At Intuit Protax, we set an ambitious goal to reduce manual data entry, collection, and review by 50%. This is vital since tax professionals spend 66% of their day on these tasks. Initially, faster imports seemed like the perfect answer, but we hit a psychological barrier. When automation happens too quickly, users get skeptical and spend more time double-checking. The true UX challenge was balancing auto mode with intentional moments to slow down and review. We designed clear navigation from output back to input and used transparent microcopy to flag potential errors. We also adopted a platform mindset, building with Intuit AI and OCR so these features could scale across other company products.

What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
Our biggest highlight was proving that this traditional industry is ready for automation. After a 12-month research program with 300+ participants, a blind test showed 93% preferred our Smart Return concept, and 90% saw immediate time savings. Testing also revealed a 54% switching intent. Our lowest point was realizing how fragile user trust is due to the heavy legal and emotional stakes of tax errors. Even though our prototypes achieved 40% fewer clicks and 80% less data entry, speed meant nothing if users felt out of control. It was a grounding moment that forced us to pivot toward extreme transparency, using precise microcopy to explain calculations and system limitations.

Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
In five years, we want ProConnect to be the most efficient and accurate platform in the industry for tax professionals. We want to achieve a best-in-class net-promoter score by deeply solving core user problems. We envision ProConnect becoming more robust and powerful over the next five years, with plans to scale SmartReturn from individual returns to complex business returns to better support larger firms. By blending automated efficiency with transparency and clear communication, we will help tax professionals confidently transition from tax compliance into strategic tax advisors so they can focus on high-value services and stronger client relationships.