Treadwell Comprehension
Discount Tire's personalized tire recommendation tool was powerful — but customers didn't understand or trust it. A redesigned introduction changed that.
Powerful tool, opaque experience
Treadwell helps customers find the right tires based on their vehicle, driving location, and habits. The tool itself was powerful — but research revealed customers didn't fully understand or trust how recommendations were generated, creating friction right at the introduction.
Comprehension
Customers often didn't understand how Treadwell generated recommendations, or what data it used — making the experience feel opaque.
Brand Confusion
Users frequently mistook Treadwell for a tire brand or retailer rather than a recommendation tool, creating trust barriers before they even engaged.
Trust & Confidence
Even when customers understood the concept, they weren't always confident in the results — leading many to bypass the tool and browse on their own.
A blind, three-way comparison
To understand the drivers behind Treadwell's trust and comprehension gaps, I designed a blind, between-subjects survey study using mobile prototypes that reflected how most customers encounter the experience — evaluating the existing Pre-Step against two redesigned variants on comprehension, trust, recall, confidence, and ease of use.
The three Pre-Step concepts tested: the control, and two variants exploring transparency and simplified messaging.
What actually built trust
The Pre-Step Drives Success
The guided introduction proved critical — task success reached 90% with it in place, compared to just 47% without it.
More Transparency Builds Trust
Variants that clearly explained Treadwell's inputs, data sources, and value proposition outperformed the control across comprehension, confidence, and trust. Direct messaging beat aspirational language.
Clear Language Matters
Customers responded best to straightforward phrases like "personalized tire recommendations." Ambiguous terms created confusion and, in some cases, concern about sharing personal information.
Brand Confusion Remained
Despite improved messaging, many participants still mistook Treadwell for a tire brand — highlighting the need for stronger alignment with the Discount Tire brand.
Customers Wanted More Information
Participants expected an easy-to-find "Learn More" option within the experience, making its placement a key design recommendation carried into the redesign.
From findings to a winning concept
Research findings directly informed a redesigned Pre-Step and a set of A/B test concepts, tested through statistical significance.
The winning A/B test concept — clearer messaging, explicit inputs, and a visible "Learn More" link.
Improved Clarity
Left-aligned text, active voice, and explicit explanations of the inputs used to generate recommendations replaced vague prompts like "Tell us about you."
Personalized Entry Points
Signed-in customers saw known vehicle information for a more relevant introduction; signed-out users got the same clear structure without the personalized context.
A/B Test Validation
Test concepts carried the core improvements — clearer messaging, Treadwell Tire Guide branding, explicit inputs, and a "Learn More" link — with headline framing as the key variable.
Validated impact, delivered fast
Beyond the revenue impact, the study produced a clear, evidence-backed set of guidelines for how to position and communicate Treadwell going forward — how to frame its value, surface its inputs, and connect it to the Discount Tire brand.