Competitive Testing on Landing Pages to Identify User Needs and Industry Design Patterns
The goal of the research was to come up with ideas for a new landing page for a credit card. To do this, I asked users to imagine they were looking for a new credit card and think aloud while walking through a competitor's landing page. By doing this, I identified common trends in competitors' landing pages and generated ideas for the design manager. These ideas influenced how we designed our landing page to make it better for users and increase conversion.
I conducted a competitive analysis using an unmoderated test on UserTesting. This research is qualitative and evaluative in nature.
I planned and executed the UX research for this project. I presented the research insights to stakeholders.
I collaborated with the team’s product and design managers to identify topics to consider when planning.
Our team wanted to make a new landing page for a credit card. Before we started designing it, the design manager and I thought it would be important to understand what users looking for a credit card like to know before feeling comfortable enough to apply. Our goal with this research was to review other credit card companies' landing pages to understand what customers need and get ideas for our own landing page.
We aimed to uncover how prospective credit card applicants evaluate a credit card based on its landing page.
Instead of traditional interviews, we opted for an evaluative approach, having participants explore a competitor's landing page in an unmoderated setting. We recruited pre-screened participants via UserTesting, asking them to imagine being interested in a credit card and navigating a landing page to learn more. They shared their thoughts aloud and answered questions afterward.
Participants answered open-ended and multiple-choice questions about topics like their trust and interest in the credit card. For the multiple-choice questions, contributors were also instructed to explain their selection so that we could understand “the why” behind their responses.
It's crucial to note that while the testing approach doesn't replicate organic user behavior perfectly, it provided valuable insights aligned with published behavioral scientific research.
Through the unmoderated research sessions, I identified effective design and content patterns used on competitors' landing pages.
This research highlighted the significance of offering social proof to make prospective credit card applicants feel at ease when applying.
Besides sharing these patterns with stakeholders, I also formulated "How might we" statements based on the research findings to steer the landing page's design direction.
After sharing the research with stakeholders, our team held a productive remote ideation session using FigJam, using my "How might we" statements as a starting point. This session guided the design manager in refining key objectives for the landing page.
Upon the design manager's completion of prototyping, I conducted usability testing with UserTesting contributors, who shared their thoughts while navigating the credit card landing page. The results were overwhelmingly positive; most participants grasped the card's key features and trusted it.
This experience showed me that sometimes trying out unconventional research methods can lead to really interesting insights. While I found competitive testing to be effective, I do wish I had the time to mix in another method, like a diary study with users actively looking for a new credit card – I think it could have added even more depth to our findings.
