When evaluating site effectiveness, it is crucial to consider both direct and indirect competition.
Here is an example of competition faced by a destination visitor website such as nycgo.com, visitlasvegas.com, or visitorlando.com.
Each sub-category of sites has its own rules of competition that must be clearly understood. For example, travel and booking sites optimize their content to encourage users to visit their site and complete a booking.
The Home Page design is positioned as the first step to complete Travel Logistics.
Most Effective Sites provide a Shortcut to Narrow Choices.
All Relevant Information for Decision-Making Is in One Place.
Show User-Generated Content to engage the Audience and stimulate vicarious travel experience.
The Best Sites provide great Browsing Experience.
Sites offer useful, Well-Designed Tools that make decision-making tasks easy.
Such rules of competition would differ among various sub-categories. A competitive analysis must consider each sub-category and how they overlap with each other. Most innovative and compelling strategies emerge from such analysis of cross-category competition. Taking the best-in-class ideas from various sub-categories also provides an immense source of valuable ideas to copy and imitate on the client site.
Site Objectives
Competitive Strategy
Site Positioning
Target Segment
What are the primary goals of the site?
What is the competitive formula?
What are the primary dimensions?
Which target segments does it serve?
Home Page
Menu
Navigation
Functionalities
Format
Task framing on the home / hub pages
Structure, Labels
Active vs. Passive
Search, Interactive or Decision Tools
Mobile vs. Desktop
| Site Objectives | What are the primary goals of the site? |
| Competitive Strategy | What is the competitive formula? |
| Site Positioning | What are the primary dimensions? |
| Target Segment | Which target segments does it serve? |
| Home Page | Task framing on the home / hub pages |
| Menu | Structure, Labels |
| Navigation | Active vs. Passive |
| Functionalities | Search, Interactive or Decision Tools |
| Format | Mobile vs. Desktop |
Information Value
Interactive Experience
Image
Decision Making
Relationship
Site Equity
Novelty, Relevance, Comprehension, Trust
Accurate Results, Pleasant, Flow
Aesthetics, Tone
Decision Aids, Able to Close
Intention to Revisit, For Me
Opinion, Attitude, Value
| Information Value | Novelty, Relevance, Comprehension, Trust |
| Interactive Experience | Accurate Results, Pleasant, Flow |
| Image | Aesthetics, Tone |
| Decision Making | Decision Aids, Able to Close |
| Relationship | Intention to Revisit, For Me |
| Site Equity | Opinion, Attitude, Value |
Redesigning a website offers new opportunities to redefine the competition, reposition the website to new and diverse audiences, and create compelling pathways for conversion. However, multiple steps are involved in conducting research for a strategic redesign project.
WHAT DRIVES USER CHOICE?
Consumers are invited to the lab in a simulated environment to visit the client and competitive best in class sites to understand decision making. A psychometric model is used to quantitatively assess drivers of choice and identify best in class site elements and content.
BUILD AND TEST FROM THE BEST
The findings from the first phase is used to assemble examples that are best in class or most effective from competitive sites to use in exploration with consumers in next phase.
Note: Research prototype is only meant for research purposes and does not have design, aesthetic, and functional properties of a real website.
BUILD AND TEST FROM THE BEST
Research prototype and concepts are used to conduct a deep dive with consumers. The exploration is done in mini focus group sessions. The sessions are used to verify and further develop the ideas that emerged from the diagnostic phase. The final recommendations are based on this phase.
