Tools and Calculators

Maximize tax savings with easy-to-use tools and calculators

Overview

Quicko's tax tools and calculators empower users to take control of their finances. By providing clear visualizations and calculations, these maximize tax savings by understanding their tax liabilities, deductions, and filing requirements.

I was responsible for redesign and feature additions for tools, including expanding the design pattern for consistency. I had the opportunity to revamp popular calculators like the HRA and TDS calculators. I also extended the design pattern to the GST domain by tool that allows users to search for their GSTIN using their PAN.

My role

Product Designer

Ideation, Competitor Analysis, User flow, Wireframing, Prototyping, Design System

Team

1 Project Manager, 1 Engineer, 1 Functional Analyst

Timeline

2023, 2 weeks

The Problem

Tools are sub domain of the main Income Tax product of Quicko. These free resources attract new users who might be unaware of Quicko's Tax filing platform. By engaging with the tools and experiencing their value, users are more likely to consider Quicko's services for filing their returns.

The macro goal for Quicko's tax tools is to boost brand discoverability by attracting new users, and subtly nudge them towards the core income tax product through seamless user experience.

HRA Calculator

What is HRA?

House Rent Allowance (HRA) is a portion of your salary provided by an employer to help cover the cost of renting a house. However under certain conditions, you can claim an exemption on a portion of it. This exemption reduces your taxable income, which ultimately means you pay less tax or get a higher tax refund. Thus HRA calculator helps users know their exempt HRA amount based on their income situation.

Previous design

Competitor analysis

Seeking inspiration, we analyzed our competitors' calculators. A key feature we noticed was the widespread use of dynamic calculators. This approach streamlines the user experience by making calculations faster and more efficient. Users can experiment with different variables and see the results instantly, eliminating the need for repetitive calculations.

Design Decisions

After looking at some calculators, we kept these considerations in mind

Dynamic calculator

Dynamic behavior of calculator can help users check various tax situations quickly with ease

Breakdown of HRA

Clear visual breakdown of exempt and taxable HRA simplifies understanding for users

Information of conditions

Clear visual breakdown of exempt and taxable HRA simplifies understanding for users

Iterations

We explored a few variants where we prioritized layout with inputs on the left and results on the right. This placement allows users to see all the information side-by-side, enabling fostering a clear understanding of the calculation process.

Solution

After discussing few variants with the team we prioritized a clear and informative design language for our calculators. We used a clear columnar layout for both input fields and results, allowing users to easily visualize all components on a single screen.

To inform users for rule of calculation of exempt HRA, we presented all possible calculation outcomes, along with a visual breakdown of the total HRA amount. As an additional layer of guidance, we've also introduced the "Ideal rent" feature, which suggests the optimal rent users should pay to maximize their HRA exemption, helping them optimize their tax savings.

Live HRA Calculator

Impact

Quicko's HRA calculator is making a significant impact, currently ranking at a strong 6th position among all HRA calculators. This impressive position reflects the growing user base, resulting in 2x increase in website traffic in 3 months. This surge indicates both user retention and successful discovery of the tool by new users, solidifying its position as a valuable resource for tax planning.

TDS Calculator

Extending the design language of HRA calculator, we defined the principle that we will use similar columnar layout for all our calculators. This ensures a consistent user experience across our suite of tools, allowing users to navigate and understand each calculator with ease.

Live TDS Calculator

Search GSTIN Tool

In addition to designing calculators, I also had the chance to create a GSTIN search tool. This tool allows users to search for a GSTIN using a PAN number and verify its active status. This tool allowed me to establish a design language that could be applied consistently across all future search-based tools.

Search Screen

Results with single GSTIN

Results with multiple GSTIN

Conclusion

Learnings

Design System: I learnt building a flexible and scalable design foundation that can accommodate future iterations and expansions of the product.
Collaborative Approach: Through regular standups and discussions with functional analysts and developers, I gained valuable insights that led to more refined design iterations.
Feedbacks: Getting continuous feedbacks at various stages of design and acting on them led to improvement in the overall design quality.
Organization: Apart from improving problem-solving, I learnt the benefits of having an organized workspace.

Next steps

The next step is to integrate all these tools within Quicko's income tax products. This will make them more accessible to users when filing their tax returns.

Since some of these tools are built using Quicko's Sandbox API platform, Sandbox branding can directly be included within those tools instead of solely in the footer. Also, pitch to Quicko Income tax product can be made more stronger as one of the goal of tools is to increase discoverability.

My journey at Quicko began with a valuable boot camp – designing and launching these tools. Working on these tools, provided me with invaluable first-hand experience. As sub-components of the main income tax product, these tools were created whenever we identified an opportunity to leverage existing resources. Thus, I learned how to find new opportunities. Being part of the foundational design systems for tools and taking the ownership of tools was a great experience.

Thanks for reading!

More Projects

Income Tax Mobile App

Tiny Treasures

Tools Landing Page

Good Foods

Aalay