Uber
Redesigning Uber's W9 tax flow to turn a compliance crisis into a guided, scalable experience
Redesigning Uber's W9 tax flow to turn a compliance crisis into a guided, scalable experience
Timeline
9 months
My role
Product designer
Team
12x cross-functional members
B2B
B2C
3-6 min read
In line with my NDA, sensitive financial data, volumes and imagery have been anonymised. The strategy, design thinking and decision-making logic are accurate to the original project.
In line with my NDA, sensitive financial data, volumes and imagery have been anonymised. The strategy, design thinking and decision-making logic are accurate to the original project.
In line with my NDA, sensitive financial data, volumes and imagery have been anonymised. The strategy, design thinking and decision-making logic are accurate to the original project.
Impact
5M+
U.S. earners covered by a redesigned tax documentation experience built to scale
2M+
Tax forms generated — directly reducing IRS penalty exposure and improving compliance accuracy
Overview
Tax profile data is mandatory for 1099 reporting, yet only 1 in 5 earners had completed theirs. With the IRS imposing a $180 penalty per incorrect entry, Uber faced significant financial exposure — and earners risked losing pay to backup withholding. I redesigned the W9 tax flow to turn a confusing legal obligation into a clear, guided experience they could complete in minutes.
Tax profile data is mandatory for 1099 reporting, yet only 1 in 5 earners had completed theirs. With the IRS imposing a $180 penalty per incorrect entry, Uber faced significant financial exposure — and earners risked losing pay to backup withholding. I redesigned the W9 tax flow to turn a confusing legal obligation into a clear, guided experience they could complete in minutes.
Challenge
A 19% completion rate and a $180 penalty
per mistake
A 19% completion rate and a $180 penalty per mistake
When I joined the project, US tax profile coverage was sitting at 19%. The process existed — but earners avoided it. It was buried, confusing, and gave no clear reason to act. What I found through research wasn't one problem. It was four compounding ones.
When I joined the project, US tax profile coverage was sitting at 19%. The process existed — but earners avoided it. It was buried, confusing, and gave no clear reason to act. What I found through research wasn't one problem. It was four compounding ones.
Research
Four leaks in the compliance funnel
The low completion rate wasn't a design problem on the surface — it was four compounding failures underneath. User interviews and a journey audit made them visible:
The low completion rate wasn't a design problem on the surface — it was four compounding failures underneath. User interviews and a journey audit made them visible:
01
🔁 Redundant work
Users had already provided IDs during sign-up, but that data didn’t sync.
02
❌ No clear triggers
Unlike merchants, drivers weren't required to complete their tax profile to get paid. Without a "nudge," the task was easily ignored.
03
🔇 The "Silent" process
There was no proactive outreach. Users only realized there was a problem when their pay was already being withheld.
04
🥴 Manual burden
Forcing manual entry for sensitive data created high cognitive load and led to immediate abandonment.
01
🔁 Redundant work
Users had already provided IDs during sign-up, but that data didn’t sync.
Users had already provided IDs during sign-up, but that data didn’t sync.
03
🔇 The "Silent" process
There was no proactive outreach. Users only realized there was a problem when their pay was already being withheld.
There was no proactive outreach. Users only realized there was a problem when their pay was already being withheld.
02
❌ No clear triggers
Unlike merchants, drivers weren't required to complete their tax profile to get paid. Without a "nudge," the task was easily ignored.
Unlike merchants, drivers weren't required to complete their tax profile to get paid. Without a "nudge," the task was easily ignored.
04
🥴 Manual burden
Forcing manual entry for sensitive data created high cognitive load and led to immediate abandonment.
Forcing manual entry for sensitive data created high cognitive load and led to immediate abandonment.
" I just want to get paid. I don’t understand these technical terms,
so I’ll just try to fix it later. "
" I just want to get paid. I don’t understand these technical terms, so I’ll just try to fix it later. "
" I just want to get paid. I don’t understand these technical terms,
so I’ll just try to fix it later. "
From a user confusion
From a user confusion
To a clear goal
To a clear goal
" Syncing existing data and prompting users at high-intent moments turned a complex legal hurdle into a 30-second check."
" Syncing existing data and prompting users at high-intent moments turned a complex legal hurdle into a 30-second check."
" Syncing existing data and prompting users at high-intent moments turned a complex legal hurdle into a 30-second check."
To a strategic direction
To a strategic direction
With four clear failure points diagnosed, the brief became simple: reduce the cognitive load, remove the manual burden, and give earners a reason to act. I explored three concepts to find the right way in.
With four clear failure points diagnosed, the brief became simple: reduce the cognitive load, remove the manual burden, and give earners a reason to act. I explored three concepts to find the right way in.
With four clear failure points diagnosed, the brief became simple: reduce the cognitive load, remove the manual burden, and give earners a reason to act. I explored three concepts to find the right way in.
Concepts & testing
Three concepts. One clear winner.
Three concepts. One clear winner.
Before committing to a direction, I explored three distinct concepts — stress-testing the balance between legal compliance and user speed through structured A/B/C testing with real earners.
Before committing to a direction, I explored three distinct concepts — stress-testing the balance between legal compliance and user speed through structured A/B/C testing with real earners.
" The winning concept became the foundation.
From there, I focused on four specific improvements that addressed each of the research failures directly."
"The winning concept became the foundation. From there, I focused on four specific improvements that addressed each of the research failures directly."
" The winning concept became the foundation.
From there, I focused on four specific improvements that addressed each of the research failures directly."
Concepts transformed into improvements
Concepts transformed into improvements
Final solutions
Intro
Intro
Added context and purpose upfront — earners knew exactly what they were completing and why before touching a single field
Entity preference selection at the start ensured the flow branched correctly, preventing mid-flow confusion
A clear CTA replaced an ambiguous entry point, directly reducing first-step drop-off
Added context and purpose upfront — earners knew exactly what they were completing and why before touching a single field
Entity preference selection at the start ensured the flow branched correctly, preventing mid-flow confusion
A clear CTA replaced an ambiguous entry point, directly reducing first-step drop-off
Added context and purpose upfront — earners knew exactly what they were completing and why before touching a single field
Entity preference selection at the start ensured the flow branched correctly, preventing mid-flow confusion
A clear CTA replaced an ambiguous entry point, directly reducing first-step drop-off
Certifications
Brought certifications to the first navigation level — no more opening dialogs just to see what needed to be done
Dialogs reserved for additional context only, cutting unnecessary interaction steps
Shorter path, same compliance outcome — earners completed certifications faster with less friction
Brought certifications to the first navigation level — no more opening dialogs just to see what needed to be done
Dialogs reserved for additional context only, cutting unnecessary interaction steps
Shorter path, same compliance outcome — earners completed certifications faster with less friction
Brought certifications to the first navigation level — no more opening dialogs just to see what needed to be done
Dialogs reserved for additional context only, cutting unnecessary interaction steps
Shorter path, same compliance outcome — earners completed certifications faster with less friction
Data form
Collapsed three disconnected steps into one linear scrollable form, eliminating disorientation between screens
Confirmation banners and success messages replaced silence — earners knew their input was accepted
Related fields grouped logically, reducing errors from unrelated data sitting side by side
Collapsed three disconnected steps into one linear scrollable form, eliminating disorientation between screens
Confirmation banners and success messages replaced silence — earners knew their input was accepted
Related fields grouped logically, reducing errors from unrelated data sitting side by side
Collapsed three disconnected steps into one linear scrollable form, eliminating disorientation between screens
Confirmation banners and success messages replaced silence — earners knew their input was accepted
Related fields grouped logically, reducing errors from unrelated data sitting side by side
New "view mode"
Read-only state — earners could review their full profile without risk of accidental edits
Completeness indicator replaced total invisibility — compliance status was now immediately clear
Full data review turned a blind confirmation into a confident final check
Read-only state — earners could review their full profile without risk of accidental edits
Completeness indicator replaced total invisibility — compliance status was now immediately clear
Full data review turned a blind confirmation into a confident final check
Read-only state — earners could review their full profile without risk of accidental edits
Completeness indicator replaced total invisibility — compliance status was now immediately clear
Full data review turned a blind confirmation into a confident final check
Why this project actually mattered
Why this project actually mattered
The redesign scaled to 5M US earners and supported the generation of over 2M tax forms — directly reducing IRS penalty exposure for the business and eliminating backup withholding risk for earners. Coverage moved from 19% toward a compliant threshold across the earner base.
The redesign scaled to 5M US earners and supported the generation of over 2M tax forms — directly reducing IRS penalty exposure for the business and eliminating backup withholding risk for earners. Coverage moved from 19% toward a compliant threshold across the earner base.
The redesign scaled to 5M US earners and supported the generation of over 2M tax forms — directly reducing IRS penalty exposure for the business and eliminating backup withholding risk for earners. Coverage moved from 19% toward a compliant threshold across the earner base.
“Evgeniy consistently impressed me with how he translated high-stakes compliance requirements into something earners could actually navigate. His ability to balance legal constraints with clear, user-centred thinking was critical to the project's success."
K.Petrova
Senior PM @ Uber
“Evgeniy consistently impressed me with how he translated high-stakes compliance requirements into something earners could actually navigate. His ability to balance legal constraints with clear, user-centred thinking was critical to the project's success."
K.Petrova
Senior PM @ Uber
