Tax Tab
Tax tab was part of the LAFA-LAMP Tax Department Request Automation project for Pennymac. LAFA and LAMP are two different applications used in Pennymac. The idea is to have customer service agents to stay in LAMP when submitting a tax request, where they primarily work in, than having to go through LAFA. This process would be faster than their prior process.
I was in charge of different components for this project: Tax Research modal, Tax Research menu, LAFA Tax RIDs panel and pop-up messages/hot spots.
Client
Pennymac - Workplace
Role
Business Analyst II
Date Released
November 7, 2023
Tax Research Modal
Components
These are the different components I took care of in this project.
LAFA Tax RIDs Panel & Modal
Hot Spots / Pop-up Messages
Tax Research Menu
Hot Spots / Pop-up Messages
User Case
These are the different user case scenarios and the functionality it goes with in a matrix for the Tax Research modal. This modal is packed with so much detail and information that I am glad this matrix was created to keep it organized. It also helps when working with tech developers - it gives them a good, clear direction to how we want this modal to work.
Wireframes
Challenge
The Tax Tab challenge I faced with this project is knowing an idea that I have could be the best solution for this project while trying to be considerate of others in my team. The original idea was to have the Tax Research modal be launched by a blue button, as shown in the below picture on the left side. From my prior project, I had learned to step back and look at the overall flow of the functionality to see if it will work for the best for the users. I applied that principle to this project and I eventually discovered my idea, as shown in the below picture on the right, with a menu to launch the Tax Research modal, it would be quicker and efficient for the users.
It was scary for me to not want to step any of my teammates’ toes that have lot of experience than me and think I am trying to take over the project when I am looking out for the best for this project and users. Another teammate had designed the main look of the Tax tab.
I walked through the process with my boss, and he agreed my idea was the right solution for this process.
Result
After months of the customer agents using this new Tax tab, the results have been positive. The agents haven’t had any complains about the design of this tab nor faced any problems. It has been saving money to my company’s savings initiative.
Growth
This project grew me in different ways. I discovered about myself that I can push my creativity to come up with the best solutions to the overall design. I also was able to learn when to speak up when it came to working with a team. At the end, it’s about how the users are going to use the product, not keep it easy for the design look.
I gained so much confidence in myself that I can come up with good solutions for the users while creating a nice design and voicing in when it matters the most.