Competitive Analysis

Clients frequently ask for assessments of the competitive landscape, even apart from the normal course of interface design. Why? Because it allows you to leverage others' product development.

Websites in particular are well-suited to reverse engineering by Catalyst experts, who can uncover the strategies and elements the competition adopts to solve given problems. And, while interface development should never be entirely derived from competitors, understanding peer approaches to a common task is a best practice, as it helps avoid mistakes and accelerates innovation.

CATALYST'S COMPETITIVE-ANALYSIS-RELATED ACTIVITIES CAN INCLUDE:

Scoping Session - You collaborate with Catalyst staff to determine the parameters of the competitive analysis. You can leave it entirely open-ended, and request that we evaluate your interfaces without significant input. Or, bring us up to speed on key design, business and competitive issues and ask us to use them as a lens for the analysis.

Intelligence Gathering - This phase of work encompasses the actual interface research, where we identify design elements, applications, graphic and content strategies used by the peer set.

Analysis + Reporting - Having collected your data, Catalyst then documents side-by-side comparisons of the interfaces in question. We also distill best practices based not only on our research, but also on our experience. Finally, we provide design recommendations and strategies clients can use to move forward with their system and its target audiences.