Asmik Mikaelian — TaxTank dashboard redesign

How I redesigned a complex tax dashboard so users could finally understand it.

TaxTank had everything a user needed. The problem was the interface didn't help anyone understand what any of it meant, or what to do next.

FinTech Dashboard Information Architecture Product Design End to End

Step 01

The interface had everything. It just didn't help users understand it.

Context

TaxTank is an Australian tax management platform where users track income, expenses and tax positions across multiple entities — called Tanks. The product was feature-complete. But every piece of financial information competed equally for attention, and users couldn't tell what mattered, what was urgent, or what to do next.

Problem 01 No clear financial status

Two competing tax widgets — Forecasted and Actual — sat at the same visual weight. Users couldn't immediately answer: am I owing more or less than expected?

Problem 02 Right panel with no hierarchy

News, budgeting, expert CTA, accountant widget and financial year close all shared one column with equal emphasis and no priority order.

Problem 03 Active and inactive Tanks look identical

Locked Tanks and active ones sat in the same card grid at the same size. A user with 2 active Tanks had to process 5 cards equally.

Problem 04 Navigation with no grouping

8 nav items at the same level with no grouped structure. Reports were hidden behind a collapsed toggle. The sidebar didn't reflect the user's mental model.

Step 02

A clearer hierarchy, a calmer dashboard.

Key redesign decisions

→One hero metric. Estimated Tax becomes the primary number. Taxable income, total income and total expenses appear as supporting context — not competitors.

→Action panel with priority order. Required → Recommended → Review. Users always know what needs attention and in what order.

→Navigation grouped by purpose. TANKS (entity-level) and FINANCE (tool-level) become distinct categories. Settings and Help move to the bottom.

→Tank status system. Active, Trial and Inactive Tanks are visually differentiated. Inactive Tanks move to an "Explore" section — out of the primary flow.

→Recent activity feed. Time-stamped events close the loop after actions. Users see that their work had an effect.

Step 03

Getting started required a clear path from the first screen.

Onboarding flow

TaxTank serves different types of users — individuals, accounting firms and advisor groups. The onboarding flow was redesigned to route each type to the right experience from the start, before collecting any account details.

Flow structure

→Sign in or create account — social and email options

→Role selection — Personal / Accounting Firm / Advisor Group

→Account type confirmation and email entry

→Email verification — two-step confirmation

→Success screen — account created, clear next step

Step 04

Setting a budget became a guided, step-by-step task.

Budget setup flow

The original dashboard surfaced a "Set a budget" prompt without a clear pathway. The redesign introduces a modal flow — from category selection to amount entry — and immediately shows the result as a live budget tracker card in the dashboard panel.

Flow structure

→Dashboard CTA — "Where does my money go?" triggers the flow

→Category selection — Property / Work / Sole / Other Tanks

→Expense category and budget amount entry

→Budget for June tracker — live spend vs limit per category

Step 05

Inviting your accountant became a defined, trusted flow.

Accountant collaboration

TaxTank supports accountant and advisor relationships. The redesign formalises this with a clear invite flow and a dedicated communication panel — so users can share data, receive review status updates and chat with their advisor in one place.

Two parts of the flow

→Invite flow. Modal with email input → confirmation → accountant card appears in the dashboard panel with review status.

→Advisor panel. Real-time chat, document requests and review status — visible directly in the dashboard without leaving the current view.

Design impact

No post-launch data. These are design outcomes, not measured metrics.

Design hypothesis

Clearer financial orientation. One hero metric replaces two competing widgets. Users can read their tax position immediately.

Explicit action priority. Required → Recommended → Review gives users a clear sequence — the dashboard now tells you what to do next.

Reduced visual noise. Inactive Tanks separated from active ones. The default state reflects only what the user actually has.

Structured user flows. Onboarding, budget setup and accountant collaboration each have a defined start-to-finish path.

Scalable patterns. New Tanks, flows and action types slot into the existing system without requiring a redesign.

What I learned

The hardest decisions in this project were not about adding features — they were about deciding what not to show. A dashboard that shows everything equally is not informative; it's overwhelming. Every element that competed for attention was a decision that had been deferred.

FinTech products carry a specific responsibility: users arrive with anxiety about money. A clear, calm, prioritised interface is not just better UX — it is the product.

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