Natasha Kurus
About Me
Profile Image

👋 About Me

Hi, I’m Natasha—nice to meet you!

I’m a self-motivated, reliable, and curious UX designer with a strong sense of ownership and a passion for solving complex problems. Whether I’m collaborating in a team or working independently, I bring energy, creativity, and a positive mindset to everything I do.

With a blend of creative vision, analytical thinking, technical knowledge, and empathy for users, I design experiences that are not only intuitive and inclusive but also aligned with business strategy. I thrive on new challenges and take pride in delivering thoughtful, accessible, and consistent design solutions that make a meaningful impact.

📩 Feel free to reach out natakurus@gmail.com





IRS Tax Pro Account

Leading UX/UI Design for IRS Digital Transformation (2022-Present)

Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this federal government project, detailed prototypes, research findings, and internal documentation cannot be shared publicly.

Overview

Since June 2022, I’ve served as UX/UI Lead Designer for the IRS Tax Pro Account, a digital platform designed to streamline workflows for tax professionals managing client information and authorizations. Tasked with guiding the application’s UX/UI strategy, I ensured intuitive user experiences aligned with federal standards. Collaborating closely with scrum masters, product owners, developers, researchers, and stakeholders, I consistently advocated for user-centered design principles while delivering designs aligned with Agile development processes.

Role & Key Responsibilities

  • Led UX/UI design across the Tax Pro Account, successfully delivering over 50 feature releases within an Agile environment.
  • Established unified design patterns and consistency across IRS digital services, including Business Taxpayer Account (BTA) and Individual Online Account (IOLA).
  • Introduced Lean UX methodologies for rapid prototyping, user testing, and iterative feedback loops.
  • Created comprehensive master file and managed the seamless transition from Sketch to Figma, enhancing team collaboration and efficiency.
  • Conducted extensive user research and usability testing to ensure designs met real-world needs and Agile sprint objectives.


Featured Case:
Digitizing IRS CAF Requests

The Problem

Business tax professionals faced significant delays and confusion due to the IRS’s outdated, paper-based Centralized Authorization File (CAF) request process. Key user needs included:

  • Fully digital, integrated submission workflows
  • Transparent validation feedback and clear eligibility guidance
  • Unified design consistency across IRS platforms

Design Process & Solutions

Research & Discovery:

Collaborating closely with stakeholders, we identified critical user pain points:

  • Users needed multiple CAFs tied to various locations
  • Complex IRS validation rules created significant user confusion
  • Clear prerequisites and eligibility guidance were lacking

Smart and Scalable Form Design
Designed a dynamic form that supported both individual and business tax professionals from a unified entry point:

  • Auto-filled data like EINs and business names for authenticated users
  • Address selection logic allowed flexibility across office locations
  • Contextual tooltips, status indicators, and clear error validation improved usability and accuracy

Cross-Platform UX Consistency
Leveraged the ODG component library to maintain consistency across the Tax Pro Account, BTA, and IOLA. Introduced a shared style and interaction model to reduce cognitive load and improve onboarding for repeat users.

Accessibility Compliance
Implemented screen reader-friendly markup, color contrast checks, and keyboard navigation. Conducted iterative accessibility testing in collaboration with compliance experts.

Guided User Experience
Designed a detailed guidance section on BTA setup, AP eligibility, and authorization logic to reduce user errors and confusion.

Key Challenges Solved

  • Complex Backend Validation: Created real-time feedback for backend checks (EIN matching, CAF limit errors, role mismatches) while preserving smooth task flow
  • Prepopulation vs. Flexibility: Balanced smart autofill features with manual override options for edge cases
  • Design Cohesion Across Systems: Delivered a consistent and familiar user experience across multiple IRS platforms

Outcomes & Impact

  • Replaced a manual paper process with a fully digital solution—saving weeks of processing time
  • Reduced user confusion and submission errors through clearer guidance and real-time validation
  • Introduced scalable patterns for future IRS service digitization

Reflections

This project reinforced the value of designing with both policy and people in mind. By turning dense IRS business rules into intuitive UI and feedback patterns, we built trust and ease into a historically frustrating process.

In future iterations, incorporating early usability testing with external tax professionals and exploring AI-driven guidance or smart FAQs could further enhance the onboarding experience.

Conclusion

Leading UX/UI design for the IRS Tax Pro Account demonstrated the transformative power of user-centered design, even within complex federal environments. By integrating robust user research, agile methodologies, and collaborative processes, I successfully converted challenging policy constraints into intuitive, scalable digital experiences, significantly enhancing usability and supporting continuous, agile product development.