What it is
A structured review of how other products solve the same or a similar problem: direct and indirect alternatives, including workarounds, and products in other domains with a similar pattern. Findings describe the landscape, not what users need.
Why use it
Users judge a product against alternatives. A deliberate review shows conventions, gaps, and differentiation, and avoids reinventing solved problems or assuming a competitor's choice is good.
Use this when
- You are entering a new area and need the landscape
- The team needs shared awareness of conventions users expect
- You are looking for patterns or gaps no alternative serves
- Stakeholders cite competitors without a shared reference
You may not need this when
- The team knows the market and a recent analysis exists
- The product is internal, with no meaningful alternatives
- The question is about user needs or behavior, which this cannot answer
Dependencies — what you need
- A defined question and scope: alternatives, tasks, criteria
- Access to competitor products, public materials, or market data
- Reliable sources: vendor marketing describes intent, not experience
People involved
- Design
- Research
- Product
- Stakeholders
Typical outputs
- A comparison matrix across chosen criteria
- An inventory of common patterns and conventions
- Gaps and differentiation opportunities, as hypotheses
- Source notes: where and when each finding came from
Template
Competitive Analysis template
A fill-in structure for running this method: what to prepare, what to do, what to record, and how to read the result.
How AI can help
AI as augmentation — not replacement
- Summarize sources the team supplies, for the team to check against the products
- Suggest comparison criteria
- Draft a comparison matrix from the team's notes
- Help phrase differentiation hypotheses to test with users
AI prompt
A prompt for any AI assistant. It works only from material you paste in, keeps assumptions apart from findings, and leaves the decisions to you.