payUSAtax.com

Project Overview

payUSAtax product shown on three different screen sizes

THE TASK

Value Payment Systems, a government-focused online payment processor, needed a complete redesign of its flagship product: payUSAtax.com. This IRS-authorized federal tax payment platform was operating on separate desktop and mobile versions and lacked accessibility compliance. The task: unify the experience into a clean, mobile-first responsive HTML5 site that met rigorous ADA 508 and WCAG accessibility standards—all while preserving the trust and functionality required by federal regulations.

MY RESPONSIBILITIES

Led the end-to-end UI design and front-end rebuild of the site.
Conducted UX audits to identify and eliminate friction points causing high bounce rates.
Implemented mobile-first responsive design using Bootstrap (customized for a modern, branded look).
Replaced outdated image assets with clean, scalable SVGs.
Ensured the web app passed a full third-party ADA 508 audit and earned accessibility certification from a third-party auditor.

TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES

UI Design & Wireframing: Adobe Illustrator CC
Prototyping: InVision
Development: HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap (VS Code)

KEY CHALLENGES

Navigating IRS-mandated restrictions on copy and interface behavior.
Balancing input from multiple internal stakeholders with differing views on the user experience.
Overseeing a detailed third-party accessibility audit, which involved identifying and resolving all issues to achieve certification.

payUSAtax.com product shown on desktop and phone sizes.

SOLUTION

One of the most significant usability issues was the complex tax type selection process, which deterred many users early on. I redesigned this flow by breaking it into a more intuitive, two-step selection using simplified dropdowns. This improved clarity and dramatically reduced complexity.

While the site was built on the Bootstrap framework for efficiency and responsiveness, I customized the UI extensively to ensure a modern, government-trusted visual identity that didn’t look “off-the-shelf.”

RESULTS

10,000+ more users completed payments in the first year post-launch—the highest annual volume in five years.
The simplified flow and mobile-first layout significantly reduced bounce rates in the first step of the payment process.
The site earned full ADA 508/WCAG certification following a rigorous external audit.
Stakeholders praised the design for both its modern aesthetics and measurable performance improvements.

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