Competitive Research

Welcome to the next lesson on UX design. In the previous article, we explain how to exactly do effective user research, link to the previous article.

In this article, you will learn the benefit of competitive research as well as how to do it properly to improve your own design.

The Benefits of Competitive Research

User-centered design must talk to people and understand their demands. However, there are alternative methods such as competitive research to get the information you need to continue on.

There are several reasons why you might want to do competitive research. It is usually advantageous for UX designers to get acquainted with research methodologies to better inform their design approach. Aside from that, there are a few more crucial reasons why you should do competitive research:

• To assist you in resolving usability issues, according to this definition of usability
• To determine your product’s or service’s market position
• To provide input into the design process
• must be aware of your competitors’ strengths and shortcomings
• When making product adjustments, it is necessary to have trustworthy proof.
• To concentrate your efforts on a certain market

How to do Competitive Research?

1. Recognize your objectives

Why are you doing competitive analysis? What do you aim to accomplish? Will the findings of this study influence UX decisions? Consider the challenges you’re attempting to solve with the competition analysis. Your objectives should preferably be as detailed as feasible and preferably assessable.

Keep your objectives at the forefront of your thoughts while you do your analysis so that you may refer to them without losing sight of them.

2. Become well acquainted with your competitors

At this point, you may wish to open a Google spreadsheet or chart and begin generating a data table. At the start, a recommended number is 5–10 direct and indirect rivals, so you can simply manage and monitor what your rival is doing.

The direct competition comprises individuals and businesses who already do what you do. You have similar consumers (or, better yet, you want their customers to become yours), and they provide the same product or service that you do.

Indirect rivalry consists of others that provide comparable services to what you do. Perhaps it is not the first or second component of their product or service, but the second or third.

Because of the nature of business, competition may arise at any moment and from anywhere. Keep track of your competition when they appear so you don’t forget about them.

3. Look for similarities between competitors

When searching for similarities, it is a good idea to write down the activities that consumers may do, as well as the user journeys of competing goods and services, and see if they match what you are providing. Consider the following:

• The competitor’s tone and copy
• Features that are both good and negative
• User feedback
• Waiting and loading times
• Customer care
• Visual design

Don’t forget about the earlier-mentioned set of criteria, to which you might refer. All of this information may be entered into your spreadsheet for future reference.

4. Evaluate and summarize

When analyzing your UX research, provide a brief explanation of what you discovered and the effect the knowledge will have. Because you understand your rivals’ shortcomings, this stage is ideal for discovering design possibilities (as well as your own).

Your analysis and summary may be used to persuade team members and stakeholders of the benefits of any design modifications you believe would be advantageous, as well as to advocate for innovation.

5. Present your competitive analysis for UX

It is time to produce a presentation of your results for customers or stakeholders once you have assembled your research, analyzed it, and synthesized the material into actionable insights. This is your chance to put your findings into action. You may also analyze the ROI of your UX initiatives to give your results more weight.

Create a PowerPoint presentation using fascinating facts and proof. More than the broad results, it is critical that you highlight the effect of your research: the impact is what can be translated into actions that can alter the company.

Focus on any surprises that emerged from your study to make your presentation more interesting for your audience.

Conclusion

Key takeaways when doing competitive research:

• Parity is not a strategy; don’t merely strive to make anything “better.”
• Competitors are already working on future versions, so you’ll be playing catch-up!
• Competitive analysis may be a treacherous path. It is not about having the most features, but about having a tightly trimmed collection of features that handle the issue effectively.
• Check the main assumptions. Just because a customer sends you a list of their “competitors,” don’t accept it at its value. Who are your target audience’s perceptions of your competitors? What other experiences do they think are comparable?