Designing through ambiguity
CoinTracker’s 1099-DA experience
I helped lead the design of a new tax workflow that helped crypto users understand, upload, reconcile, and act on a brand-new IRS form before the industry had a clear playbook
Team
PM, UXR, Eng, CPAs, UX content, & Me
Timeline
About 7ish weeks
Status
Shipped and live in January 2026
The problem
Crypto users were about to receive a new IRS form called the 1099-DA from exchanges and brokers.
Many users would not know what the form meant, whether the data was accurate, or what they needed to fix before filing.
Mapped user journeys
Created early concepts
Partnered with two CPAs
Designed edge cases
Defined final states
Progress
Users needed exchange-level progress.
Explanations
Mismatches needed plain-language explanations.
Discovery
Before final screens, I worked with the team to understand core tax scenarios, user risks, and product requirements.
Learnings
Users needed education before action.
Education-first entry
A lightweight explanation of the new IRS regulation before asking users to upload or review anything.
Exchange checklist
A task-based list showing which exchanges needed action, which were completed, and which were waiting on forms.
Upload and match flow
A guided way for users to upload a form and compare it against CoinTracker data.
Reconciliation dashboard
A summary view showing proceeds, cost basis, mismatches, and next steps.
Focused tax flow
A more focused workflow that reduced distractions and helped users complete the task.
Missing form state
A path for users who had not received a 1099-DA yet, so they could return later.
We tested whether users could find the workflow, understand why it mattered, and confidently identify what action to take next.
We tested
Start points, upload flow, reconciliation, exchange statuses, and next actions.
We learned
Users needed reassurance, simpler tax language, and clearer progress by exchange.
What changed
We improved education, hierarchy, mismatch copy, and completion states.
Challenge 1
Users who visit only during tax time skip instructions/copy
Solution: Design for users who only show up during tax season and may skip instructions or detailed copy. Make the experience clear enough for tax-time users who skip detailed guidance.
Challenge 2
Calling out “audit risk” early creates heightened fear, users question every step
Use language that feels encouraging and confident, without sounding too alarming or overly promotional.
Challenge 3
Users are confused by adjustments—what’s the purpose? What’s their task?
When showing two different numbers, always explain what each one represents, what is driving the difference, and why it matters to the user.
Waiting for form
Mismatch found
Error state
Completed
Duplicate exchange
Built for real tax-season usage
Impact
The final experience launched as part of CoinTracker’s tax-season product and helped users navigate a new IRS reporting requirement with more clarity and confidence.
