I just finished up my taxes this year and as usual I opted to finish it through a digital solution which meant deciding which software to use. I have often written about the tax software that are available to you as an alternative to paying money for it. This year I decided to use Studio Tax as I was interested in trying out the country’s new “Auto fill” tax option and this software was one of the first that appeared on my list that would be compatible with it.
For the most part it seemed pretty straight forward in a no frills kind of way. The auto fill did make things a lot faster just to note. What it did get me to think about while using this software is how unappealing the design probably is to most people. Since it doesn’t exactly “look” like as sophisticated piece of software I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns people away from using it. This is actually one of the tax software solutions that are free too.
But in general, would you be inclined to “trust” this product based solely on the visual design? I could easily see people passing on it solely based on that factor. In the end, it got the job done for me. For me I think the key is understanding from a business perspective on why something may not be as glamorous as something else. For example, I know there isn’t like a multi-million dollar corporation behind this product. Therefore, it make sense to me that having an expensive design and marketing budget isn’t exactly a priority.
Just like learning from someone I don’t think a person who dresses in like a fancy suit necessarily means they know more than that guy who is in everyday clothing. It’s kind of hard of course as we are all kind of taught to judge and associate certain things with a specific look or finesse to it. But for the sake of your wallet try and see a product or solution from a business perspective to see if it makes sense to you where the company is say cutting reasonable costs in an effort to pass those savings onto you.
You may be surprised at just how many products and solutions are in a sense the same thing except way more kind to your wallet.