How do you analyze competition for information architecture?

1 Define your scope

Before you start analyzing your competitors, you need to define the scope of your analysis. This means deciding which competitors to include, which aspects of their IA to focus on, and which criteria to use to evaluate them. You can use a variety of methods to select your competitors, such as market research, user feedback, or online search. You can also choose to analyze direct or indirect competitors, depending on your goals and context. For example, if you are designing a travel booking website, you might want to analyze both other travel websites and general e-commerce websites. Once you have a list of competitors, you need to decide which elements of their IA you want to examine, such as their navigation, labeling, search, or content structure. You also need to define the criteria that will help you measure and compare their IA, such as usability, clarity, consistency, or relevance.

2 Collect data

The next step is to collect data from your competitors' websites or apps. You can use different tools and techniques to gather and document the information you need, such as screenshots, spreadsheets, or diagrams. You can also use heuristic evaluation, content audit, or card sorting to analyze the quality and effectiveness of their IA. For example, you can use heuristic evaluation to check how well their IA follows the principles and best practices of user-centered design, such as visibility, feedback, or error prevention. You can use content audit to inventory and evaluate their content types, formats, and attributes, such as title, description, or metadata. You can use card sorting to understand how they categorize and label their content, and how it matches the users' mental models and expectations.

3 Compare and contrast

The third step is to compare and contrast the IA of your competitors. You can use different methods and formats to visualize and communicate your findings, such as tables, charts, graphs, or matrices. You can also use qualitative or quantitative data to support your analysis, such as user ratings, reviews, or analytics. For example, you can use a table to compare the main features and functions of your competitors' websites or apps, such as their homepage, navigation, search, or checkout. You can use a chart to compare the number and depth of their categories and subcategories, and how they relate to each other. You can use a graph to compare the popularity and performance of their content, such as their views, shares, or conversions.

4 Synthesize insights

The final step is to synthesize the insights from your competitive IA analysis. You can use different methods and techniques to summarize and interpret your findings, such as SWOT analysis, gap analysis, or affinity diagramming. You can also use different outputs and deliverables to present and share your insights, such as reports, presentations, or recommendations. For example, you can use SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your competitors' IA, and how they affect your own design. You can use gap analysis to identify the gaps and needs in the current market, and how you can fill them with your unique value proposition. You can use affinity diagramming to group and organize your findings into themes and patterns, and generate ideas and solutions for your own IA.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?