Best Practices for Conducting UX Research Competitive Analysis

Philip Burgess
Aug 12, 2025
3 min read

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader

Understanding your competitors’ user experience (UX) can reveal valuable insights that help improve your own product. Competitive analysis in UX research goes beyond just comparing features or pricing. It involves studying how users interact with competitor products, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and uncovering opportunities to create a better experience. This post outlines practical steps and best practices to conduct effective UX research competitive analysis.

Eye-level view of a laptop screen showing a user interface comparison between two apps — Comparing user interfaces of two competing apps

Define Clear Goals for Your Analysis

Start by deciding what you want to learn from the competitive analysis. Are you trying to improve onboarding, navigation, or checkout flow? Setting specific goals helps focus your research and avoid getting overwhelmed by irrelevant data.

Identify key user tasks to observe across competitor products.
Determine which competitors to analyze based on market position and relevance.
Decide on metrics to evaluate, such as ease of use, speed, or error rates.

For example, if your goal is to improve the checkout process, focus on how competitors handle payment options, form design, and error messages.

Select Competitors Strategically

Choose competitors that represent a range of approaches. Include direct competitors offering similar products and indirect competitors with alternative solutions. This variety helps you spot unique features or UX patterns worth adopting.

Direct competitors: Products targeting the same audience with similar features.
Indirect competitors: Different products solving the same user problem.
Emerging competitors: New entrants with innovative UX ideas.

Avoid analyzing too many competitors at once. Three to five is a manageable number that provides enough data without causing analysis paralysis.

Use Multiple Research Methods

Relying on a single method limits your understanding. Combine qualitative and quantitative approaches for a fuller picture.

Heuristic evaluation: Experts review competitor interfaces against usability principles.
User testing: Observe real users completing tasks on competitor products.
Analytics review: Analyze publicly available data like app ratings, reviews, or website traffic.
Feature comparison: List and compare key features and design elements.

For instance, user testing can reveal frustrations that a heuristic evaluation might miss, such as confusing wording or slow response times.

Document Findings Clearly

Organize your observations in a structured format. Use tables, charts, or spreadsheets to compare competitors side by side. Include screenshots or video clips to illustrate specific points.

Note positive UX elements to consider adopting.
Highlight pain points or confusing interactions.
Record user quotes or feedback from testing sessions.

Clear documentation makes it easier to share insights with your team and track progress over time.

High angle view of a UX researcher taking notes while observing a competitor app on a tablet — UX researcher documenting competitor app usability issues

Analyze User Flows and Interaction Patterns

Focus on how users move through competitor products. Map out user flows for key tasks to identify friction points or unnecessary steps.

Look for consistency in navigation and labeling.
Check if users can easily recover from errors.
Evaluate the clarity of calls to action.

For example, if a competitor requires multiple screens to complete a simple task, consider how you might streamline that process.

Prioritize Insights Based on Impact

Not all findings carry equal weight. Prioritize issues and opportunities based on their potential effect on user satisfaction and business goals.

High-impact issues: Problems that block users or cause frustration.
Medium-impact issues: Features that could improve efficiency or delight.
Low-impact issues: Minor design inconsistencies or preferences.

Use this prioritization to guide your design and development efforts, focusing on changes that deliver the most value.

Validate Findings with Your Users

After gathering insights, test your assumptions with your own users. Conduct usability tests or surveys to confirm that competitor pain points also affect your audience or that proposed improvements resonate.

This step ensures your competitive analysis translates into meaningful product enhancements.