So, every morning, I surf on over to the IRS website because:
(a) I’m a geek like that; and
(b) I want to keep on top of the latest tax news.
This morning, I got quite the shock. The website is completely re-vamped. Since I hadn’t yet gotten through my first sip of coffee, I clicked on my bookmark again – just to make sure it was really the IRS. And then I wondered if the site had been hacked.
But with a second (or third) sip, and a few blinks, I realized that it was actually the IRS web site. And it’s sporting a completely different look.
The whole interface is much more user friendly than before. I know, I know. The bar wasn’t terribly high in that department to start with. But the new layout is much more intuitive and the headers hint at the most important stuff (as opposed to esoteric categories). I’m gonna go so far as to say that I like it, you know, in comparison to before.
There is even a whole Social Media section where you can with a simple click click over to another screen to sign up to follow the IRS on Twitter or watch their YouTube channel. You can also – brace yourself – “like” the IRS on Facebook even though their Facebook Page is still quite bare; I can report, however, that to date, IRS is not, thankfully, playing Farmville or Mafia Wars and has not yet asked me to repost a paragraph in its entirety if I support a national holiday honoring the color puce.
It’s not all rainbows and unicorns. I have some gripes. Just some.
Apparently, hi-res photos aren’t in the budget this go round. I felt like the web site looked a bit blurry. Or maybe I just need more coffee.
And I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of the blue and orange color scheme. It’s a bit harsh and makes me feel like I have to root for Syracuse. And I can’t do that. Seriously.
Finally, if you click through, you’ll note that the underlying site hasn’t changed all that much. I’m wondering if maybe that’s in the works? I hope so. Navigating the site once you’re a few layers in can be tricky.
But gosh, a revamp. Welcome, IRS, to the interwebs.
