VERO is...
An AI-guided form filling tool for students, parents, small-business owners public-service users, any and all whom struggle with paperwork.
The Paperwork Problem
Preliminary research shows that complex forms cost people time, money and opportunity.
- 25 million+ Americans face language barriers on official documents
- 1 in 3 FAFSA forms are filed with critical errors
- About 18% of the U.S. adult population is considered functionally illiterate, meaning they cannot manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level
Main research conducted:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Observations
- Open-card sorting
- Impromptu conversations
Survey respondents were split into 3 categories:
Our interviews and diary studies make one thing clear:
Everyone is stuck...
Students feel anxious and lost the moment a form asks for information they don’t understand.
Parents, especially first‑gen and multilingual families feel intimidated by jargon, tech hurdles, and fear of costly mistakes.
Counselors feel over‑extended, juggling dozens of confused families with no unified tool to guide them.
Across the board, users described the paperwork process as time‑draining, error‑prone, and needlessly complex.
How VERO Can Help
VERO is a desktop assistant that helps understand, and complete paperwork. Built using US Web Design System standards for public sector adoption into institutions and offices where people need it the most.
It can:
- Translate instructions at the dialect level so families aren’t left guessing
- Explain every question in plain language with real‑time tips
- Pull in provided data (tax returns, IDs) to auto‑fill basics
- Locate the right form if you're unsure what you need (*if the form is available)
- Catch errors & missing info before you submit
It does this via:
- Privacy‑first AI. The form assistant lives on your computer, keeping personal data off limits unless you choose otherwise
- One‑click autofill from trusted sources. With your permission, VERO pulls verified info to save retyping and reduce typos
- Reading any form you throw at it. Snap a photo or upload a PDF and VERO recognizes the fields, translates tricky language, and turns it into plain‑English (or Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, etc.) prompts
- Working even when the internet doesn’t. While searching the internet may not be available, VERO is installed with a vast library of important forms (US), running offline so rural users and library patrons aren’t stranded
- Built for government plug‑and‑play. Designed on the U.S. Web Design System, agencies can drop VERO into their portals without a rebuild, speeding adoption where it’s needed most
Here are some situations where VERO can come in handy
Lena, a first‑generation student, is filling out FAFSA with her mom, who speaks Spanish but a specific dialect. They breeze through the basics until the form switches to dense IRS jargon that neither the English nor the Spanish version makes clear to her mom.
Instead of translating the whole page into generic Spanish, VERO localizes key text into Dominican Spanish and layers in tips that walks her mom through each step.
With permissions from the device's owner, VERO can modify web pages to incorporate helpful content based on the human level contextual analysis of where problems may arise.
It also offers document uploading and storing for quick filling and referencing so Lena's mom doesn't have to look through her non-translated paperwork for answers to sections.
Devon, a 26‑year‑old freelancer is going to turn his side‑hustle into a real company, but the web is a maze of half‑explained forms and conflicting advice, then VERO activates.
VERO spots the struggle, slides forward, and drops the exact California LLC‑1: Articles of Organization form straight into his window. VERO can search and display hundreds of Government approved forms, constantly updating as they are officially revised.
Devon becomes confused when coming across a section asking for a "registered agent". Already utilizing VERO's Form Filler Tool panel, it begins to flash red. VERO jumps in with a one‑sentence definition, immediately at his aid when confusion strikes.
After defining it, VERO provided realtime help via an option list for Devon to view. Keeping Devon on track and not distracted lookin for a definition, or searching for anything.
Ernesto logs into a public‑library iMac, enters his PIN, and VERO greets him with a green “Welcome back!” banner. The shield icon confirms his last session was securely encrypted end‑to‑end.
Because VERO pipes directly to USCIS, Ernesto can finish the N‑400 in this locked‑down panel and send it straight to the agency which means no third‑party portals or traveling to their website and re-signing in, no duplicate uploads, and no risk of leaving sensitive data on a shared machine.
Once he answers the final travel‑history question, VERO flips to a progress tracker stating 9 of 9 N‑400 sections complete, 6 of 6 M‑477 eligibility boxes checked. A progress bar with checkpoints run the length of the screen, proof he hasn’t missed a thing.
Two buttons finish the journey. “Print & Mail” bundles a pre‑addressed packet with cover sheet and postage guidelines. “Submit Online” launches USCIS.gov portal where he is already signed in and he will only need to complete his validation for submission.
To learn more about the project, click a button below.
Thank you for your time!
Credits:
Created with images by gankevstock - "Frustrated woman working at a desk pulling hair in stress with paperwork and laptop" • Catalin Pop - "Portrait of young architect holding blueprints pointing camera" • Drazen - "Happy graduate student embraces her father after graduation ceremony." • Monkey Business - "Male College Student Meeting With Campus Counselor Discussing Mental Health Issues" • tirachard - "Young Asia manager girl changing a sign from closed to open sign on door cafe looking outside waiting for clients after lockdown. Owner small business, food and drink, business reopen again concept." • Mdv Edwards - "A happy asian woman proudly shows her newly acquired US passport while waving the American flag. A naturalized or second generation citizen.Isolated on a white background." • Monkey Business - "Group Of Mature Adult Students In Class Working At Computers In College Library" • mavoimages - "Smiling female entrepreneur going through paperwork at her dining table"