Checking

People have to manually check multiple reports to see if they have for their transaction data right before running a tax return. Customers call this an “eye check”, scrolling sometimes 1000s of lines of data. What if we could simplify this for them using software?

Product Xero Role Senior Product Designer Year 2020

PROJECT GOAL

How might we help people get more accurate data in the transactional tax return?

ABOUT

Checking

The process of finding errors in transactions in transactional tax returns and then making changes to them so they are included or exclude from the return. We can help streamline this accounting process and reduce errors. Here's an example of how this process could work:

• Automated recommendation: The accounting software could be programmed to automatically identify potential problems or anomalies in the data, such as transactions that don't match expected patterns or tax status that doesn't match a default or normal behaviour. The software could then generate a list of recommended actions to address these potential problems.
• Review of recommended actions: The user would review the recommended actions generated by the software, evaluate their accuracy, and determine whether to approve them or not.
• Approval of recommended actions: Once the review process is complete, the user would approve the recommended actions that they deem necessary to address any identified issues or anomalies in the transaction data.

Customer reality

Performing an 'eye check' by looking at data and finding anomalies. This is dependent on user knowledge of what to look for and common patterns of mistakes people make.

Checking is a two sided problem

Find the problem

Customers need to know what to look for and spot anomalies within sometimes 1000s of rows of data. This is heavily dependent on user knowledge and education.

Fix the problem

Depending on the size and the risk of the problem identified the reviewer will make a decision on what happens next. Simply change the transaction, get more information from the client, or ignore if its a small immaterial amount.

What they currently need to check

Mistakes also happen across a 3 month timeline in these places. They get picked up or missed at the end of the QTR in the checking process.

Concept

So, what if there was a better way?

You currently need to scroll a column of data to find a problem.

What if we highlighted in context and told you what looks weird and what it should be?

What if we went a step further and gave you all of the problems in one place and a suggestion?

We tested and got some really nice feedback

It would be their new BAS first step

They want to do it before they run BAS/VAT, seeing it as an action list of things to do first

Identified as great for people who are less experienced

This can help in removing the need to rely on the specialised ABK knowledge

A fast way to surface problems

Save time without having to manually search and review - they can then do more returns 

This helps remove fear of missing things

It removed the risk associated to both human error and client knowledge

Give a quick way to see payroll numbers (AU)

We haven’t previously given a fast way to see the underlying figures for payroll numbers

How did we get there?

Put it in front of customers and got insight

I tested this with users in the UK and in Australia. Iterating after each test on findability and what things the look at in order to interrogate further.

Micro studies

What is the most important information for decision making?

I wanted to interrogate insights I got and I did a series of micro studies.

We used these concepts to mockup what a future Xero UI could look like.

Reviewing what got entered into Xero and the original invoice.

Outcome

We haven’t built the smart checking or the new UI, yet.

But, we built a cool feature that really helps our customers.

An insight we got from the research was that the original paperwork that’s attached to a transaction is what an accountant and bookkeeper uses to check that the transaction data has been entered correctly, this is more important as the dollar amount rises. If there is no attachment, then the transaction gets excluded as they don't want to carry the risk to the government if it’s incorrect. So it’s important to see, and then review an attachment.

Users can see the transaction in context and preview.
Sometimes it’s the little things that bring joy for customers.