Treatments
What is a Treatment?
A treatment is a single personalized message or experience delivered to a user. Treatments are the atomic unit of content in Auxia — everything a user sees or receives is a treatment.
Treatments can appear across a wide range of channels and formats, depending on how your product is integrated with Auxia:
| Channel | Example Treatment |
|---|---|
| In-app banner | A personalized banner on the home screen promoting a feature the user hasn't tried yet |
| In-app modal | A popup offering a limited-time discount triggered when a user visits the checkout page |
| Push notification | A re-engagement message sent to a user who hasn't opened the app in 7 days |
| A personalized weekly digest highlighting content relevant to the user's interests | |
| In-feed card | A recommendation card surfaced in a content feed, tailored to the user's viewing history |
| Tooltip / coach mark | A contextual hint shown the first time a user reaches a new feature |
What Makes Up a Treatment
Every treatment has five components:
| Component | What It Defines | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Content | What the user sees | Text, images, CTA button |
| Format | How it's displayed | Treatment Type (banner, modal, push) |
| Placement | Where it appears | Surface (home screen, checkout page) |
| Targeting | Who can receive it | Guardrails (eligibility rules) |
| Context | Which program it belongs to | Journey assignment |
Content Personalization
Treatment content can include dynamic variables populated at serve-time from Data Fields:
"Welcome back, ${first_name}! You have ${cart_count} items waiting."
Variables use the ${field_name} syntax and resolve to the user's actual values when the treatment is delivered.
Guardrails
Guardrails are eligibility rules that determine which users can receive a treatment. Rules are based on Data Fields and use conditions such as:
days_since_signup > 7subscription_tier = "premium"cart_item_count >= 1
Only users who satisfy all guardrail conditions are eligible to receive the treatment.
Treatment vs. Journey
| Concept | Scope | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | One message | "Welcome back" push notification |
| Journey | Collection of treatments | "Re-engagement Journey" |
A treatment always belongs to exactly one journey. See Journeys.
How Treatments Are Selected
When a user makes an API request, Auxia evaluates all Live treatments the user is eligible for (based on guardrails) and uses proprietary algorithms to select the optimal treatment to serve. The selection considers the user's attributes, behavior, and the goal associated with the treatment's journey.
Treatment Lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Created but not yet activated |
| Live | Active and eligible to be served to users |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped; can be reactivated |
Treatments move from Draft → Live when activated. They can be Paused at any time and returned to Live.
Related Concepts
- Journeys — treatments are organized into journeys
- Treatment Types — define the format and content fields
- Surfaces — define where treatments appear
- Data Fields — used for personalization and guardrails
- Goals — treatments contribute to goal measurement
How-to guides: Managing Treatments