HMRC App: leading research across payments, onboarding & AI

Overview

The HMRC app helps UK taxpayers manage their tax obligations independently. Tax processes are complex, particularly for Self Assessment users, so the goal was to improve usability, increase user confidence and reduce reliance on support channels. I lead mixed-methods research across onboarding, payments, security and AI-enabled experiences, owning projects from scoping through delivery, analysis and stakeholder presentation, while line managing and mentoring junior researchers.

Homepage redesign

User feedback and CSAT scores highlighted recurring issues with the homepage: users struggled to find key information such as their National Insurance number and had concerns around security. I led the discovery and analysis of user pain points, building a structured feedback pipeline with automated reporting to surface recurring themes, and ran in-person co-design workshops with users to balance their needs against HMRC's security requirements.

Self Assessment payment journey

Feedback, support-centre contacts and late-payment data showed users couldn't tell how much to pay, whether a payment had succeeded, or why they were redirected to a third-party provider, which drove support calls and duplicate payments. I led the end-to-end research: mapping the as-is journey from user feedback and service data, then driving a triangulated programme of moderated and unmoderated usability testing and A/B testing to validate solutions before implementation.

Results

• Increased Self Assessment payment task completion by 12%.
• Reduced onboarding friction by 25%.
• Influenced roadmap decisions across the payments, onboarding and security journeys.
• Cut avoidable support contacts by making the payment journey clearer.
• Led customer insight and workflow analysis for the app's AI digital assistant.