CASE STUDY
Kelley Blue Book
Price Advisor
Rebuilding Trust in Automotive Pricing
DEALER NETWORK GROWTH
+20k (200%)
SHOPPER ENGAGEMENT
+41%
SALES INFLUENCED
50M+
TRANSACTION VALUE
~$2T+
About KBB
Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is the automotive industry’s most trusted authority on vehicle valuation, used by millions of consumers and relied upon by banks, insurance companies, and legal firms to determine vehicle value. Its pricing data powers major marketplaces including Autotrader and dealer networks nationwide.
I led product and experience design at KBB for eight years, overseeing the redesign of KBB.com and a suite of B2B SaaS valuation tools. I also conceived and led the development of KBB Price Advisor, a transparency-driven pricing product used across consumer and dealer marketplaces.
01
The Problem
“Car buying is emotional and distrust-heavy.”
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Consumers feared overpaying.
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Dealers feared margin erosion.
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KBB relied heavily on ad revenue and static valuations.
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Pricing lacked context.
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Competition was increasing.
Trust was fragile.
02
Research
“We didn’t guess. We researched.”
What we did:
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Market analysis across regions
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Ethnographic consumer studies
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Lo-fidelity rapid prototyping (shown)
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Qualitative user testing (Dallas, Chicago)
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Dealership observation sessions
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Executive interviews with major dealer groups
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Competitive transparency review
What we learned:
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Buyers want reassurance, not raw data.
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Too much data increases anxiety.
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Dealers accept transparency — if it drives competitiveness, not commoditization.
We designed over a dozen early concepts to show levels of data.
Key Insight: Clarity builds trust. Raw data does not.
The Challenge
03
Four core decisions:
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Show real transaction ranges or stay static?
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How much transparency is too much?
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Data dashboard or a simplified widget?
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Can trust become the monetization strategy?
This wasn't just a new product – we were redesigning KBB's role in the marketplace.
We narrowed down concepts to test using my matrix for "what to show" and "how to show it," with varying levels of transparency.
04
My Role
0 → 1 product design leadership.
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Originated the concept
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Framed the product design strategy
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Led UX design & architecture
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Hands-on design and prototyping
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Translated transaction data into experience logic
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Aligned data science, product, and dealer stakeholders
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Influenced revenue model direction
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Influence marketing campaigns
This was a marketplace shift, not a UI refresh.
Photo taken at the Los Angeles Auto Show
05
Experience Strategy
We focused on five principles:
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Show a Range, Not a Number
Bounded confidence beats false precision. -
Anchor Expectations Visually
Clear position within the market. -
Reduce Negotiation Anxiety
Language and visuals designed for reassurance. -
Incentivize Dealer Participation
Transparency as competitive positioning. -
Make Trust Portable
A branded widget usable across listings and partner platforms.
Ensuring that the "Is this a good deal?" question was answered immediately.
06
What Changed
“The data speaks.”
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Website MUVs doubled to 40M+
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Dealer network growth doubled to 20k+
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Dealers saw a 41% increase in sales when Price Advisor was shown in their listings
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Dealer “low-ball” complaints dropped significantly
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50M+ vehicle purchases influenced to date
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~$2T+ vehicle transaction value influenced to date
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Brand recognition increased and led to national TV commercials
Transparency became a growth lever.
07
National TV commercials
