What Should You Look for in a Competitor's App User Experience?

Have you ever wondered why some apps feel so effortless to use whilst others leave you frustrated and ready to delete them within minutes? The difference often lies in the small details—the way information is organised, how buttons respond to your touch, or whether you can actually find what you're looking for without getting lost. When I work with clients on app development, one of the most valuable exercises we do together is studying what their competitors are doing right and wrong in terms of user experience.

Competitor UX analysis isn't about copying what others have built; it's about understanding the landscape your app will enter and identifying opportunities to do things better. Most business owners focus on features when they look at competitor apps—they'll notice that App A has a loyalty programme or App B offers video calls—but they miss the deeper experience elements that actually determine whether users stick around or abandon ship.

The apps that succeed aren't necessarily the ones with the most features, but the ones that make their core features feel natural and necessary to use

A proper competitive UX audit reveals patterns in how users expect certain interactions to work, where the current market solutions fall short, and what gaps exist that your app could fill. This process has saved my clients countless hours and pounds by helping them avoid common pitfalls and focus their development efforts on areas where they can genuinely outperform the competition. The key is knowing what to look for—and that's exactly what we'll explore in this guide.

Understanding Your Competitive Landscape

Before you start analysing specific features and screens, you need to map out who you're actually competing against. This sounds simple, but I've seen plenty of clients focus on the obvious competitors whilst missing the apps that are really stealing their users' time and attention.

Start by identifying three types of competitors: direct competitors who solve the exact same problem, indirect competitors who solve similar problems in different ways, and substitute competitors who offer alternative solutions entirely. A food delivery app doesn't just compete with other food delivery services—it competes with meal planning apps, grocery delivery services, and even cooking tutorial platforms that might convince someone to stay home and cook instead.

Where to Find Your Real Competition

App store categories can be misleading because they don't reflect how users actually think about problems. Instead, look at app store search results for the keywords your target users would type; check which apps appear in "customers also downloaded" sections; and pay attention to apps that rank for the same search terms on Google Play and the App Store.

• Search for problem-based keywords, not just product names
• Look at apps in adjacent categories that serve similar user needs
• Check social media discussions where people ask for app recommendations
• Review app ranking sites and industry reports for your sector
• Ask your existing users what other apps they've tried or currently use

Once you've identified 5-8 key competitors, spend time actually using their apps as a real user would. Don't just click through screens—complete actual tasks, go through their onboarding process, and try to understand what job users are hiring each app to do.

Evaluating Onboarding and First Impressions

The first thirty seconds someone spends in your competitor's app will tell you more about their user experience strategy than pages of marketing material ever could. I've seen apps lose 80% of their users before they even reach the main screen, and it's almost always down to a poor onboarding experience that confuses rather than welcomes new users.

When conducting your competitive UX audit, pay close attention to how competitors introduce their app's value proposition. Do they jump straight into account creation, or do they first show users what they'll gain? The best apps I've analysed follow a simple pattern: they demonstrate value before asking for commitment, whether that's an email address or location permissions.

Key Onboarding Elements to Evaluate

• Number of steps required before users can access core functionality
• How permissions are requested and explained to users
• Whether the app offers a preview or demo mode
• Quality and relevance of onboarding tutorial content
• How personal information collection is handled and justified
• Whether users can skip non-essential setup steps

One thing that separates good apps from great ones is how they handle the dreaded empty state—that moment when a new user opens the app but hasn't added any content yet. Smart competitors will populate this space with sample data, helpful suggestions, or clear next steps rather than leaving users staring at a blank screen wondering what to do next.

Take screenshots of each step in your competitor's onboarding flow and time how long it takes to complete. If it's taking more than two minutes to reach the main app experience, they're probably losing users—and that's an opportunity for you to do better.

The mobile app usability analysis doesn't stop at the tutorial screens; examine how competitors handle user education throughout the first session, including tooltips, progressive disclosure of features, and how they guide users toward their first successful action within the app.

Analysing Navigation and Information Architecture

When I'm examining a competitor's app navigation, the first thing I check is whether I can find what I need within three taps. This isn't some arbitrary rule—it's based on years of watching users abandon apps when they get lost or frustrated trying to complete simple tasks.

Start by mapping out their main navigation structure. Most successful apps follow one of three patterns: tab-based navigation at the bottom (think Instagram or WhatsApp), hamburger menus for content-heavy apps, or gesture-based navigation for more immersive experiences. Pay attention to how they've labelled their navigation items—vague terms like "More" or "Other" usually indicate poor information architecture.

Key Navigation Elements to Evaluate

• Menu structure and depth—can users reach core features quickly?
• Search functionality placement and effectiveness
• Back button behaviour and breadcrumb logic
• Visual hierarchy and information grouping
• Consistency across different sections of the app

Test their search feature thoroughly if they have one. Many apps treat search as an afterthought, but it's often the fastest way users try to find specific content or features. Notice how they handle search suggestions, filters, and what happens when there are no results.

The real test comes when you try to complete specific tasks without looking at their help documentation. If you're getting confused or taking longer routes to reach your goal, their users probably are too. Document these friction points—they represent opportunities for your own app to provide a smoother experience.

Don't forget to check how their navigation adapts between different screen sizes and orientations; poor responsive design often reveals itself most clearly in navigation elements that become unusable or hidden.

Assessing Core Feature Functionality

When conducting a competitor UX analysis, examining how well their core features actually work is where you'll discover the real gaps between promise and delivery. I've seen countless apps with beautiful interfaces that completely fall apart when you try to use their main features—and this is where most competitive advantages are won or lost.

Start by identifying what the app's primary function is supposed to be, then use it exactly as a real customer would. Don't just tap through the interface; actually complete full user journeys from start to finish. If it's a shopping app, try to buy something; if it's a booking platform, make a real reservation. You'll be surprised how many apps have broken checkout processes or confusing booking flows that look fine on the surface but create friction when users need them most.

Testing Critical User Paths

Focus your mobile app usability analysis on the features that generate revenue or drive user retention. Does their search function actually return relevant results? Can users easily edit their profiles or change their preferences? How many steps does it take to complete their core action, and where do users get stuck or confused along the way?

The best competitive insights come from using your competitor's app when you're genuinely frustrated or in a hurry—that's when poor UX design really shows its weaknesses

Measuring Feature Completeness

Look for features that feel half-finished or seem like they were added just to match competitors without proper thought. I often find that apps excel at their main features but struggle with secondary functionality like account management, customer support, or settings—these areas often reveal rushed development decisions and present opportunities for your own app to provide a more complete user experience.

Examining Visual Design and Brand Expression

When you're studying a competitor's app, their visual design choices reveal far more than just aesthetic preferences—they show you how they position themselves in the market and what kind of user they're trying to attract. I always tell clients to look beyond whether something looks "nice" and instead focus on what the design is actually communicating about the brand's personality and values.

Start by examining their colour palette and typography choices. Financial apps typically use blues and greys to communicate trust and stability, while fitness apps often lean towards energetic oranges and reds. But here's what's interesting—when you spot a competitor breaking these conventions, they're usually trying to differentiate themselves or appeal to a specific demographic. A fintech app using warm, approachable colours might be targeting younger users who find traditional banking intimidating.

Key Visual Elements to Analyse

• Icon styles and illustration approach—are they using flat, minimal icons or detailed illustrations?
• White space usage—cramped layouts suggest feature-heavy approaches, while generous spacing indicates focus on simplicity
• Photography style—stock photos versus custom imagery tells you about their budget and brand authenticity
• Animation and micro-interactions—these reveal how much they've invested in user delight versus pure functionality
• Consistency across screens—inconsistent design often indicates rapid development or multiple design phases

Pay particular attention to how they handle their calls-to-action buttons. The size, placement, and styling of these elements show you what actions they most want users to take—and this directly reveals their business priorities. Some apps make their premium upgrade buttons impossible to miss, while others keep them subtle to avoid appearing pushy. Understanding how competitors balance monetisation with user experience can provide valuable insights into their revenue strategy.

Testing Performance and Technical Quality

When you're analysing a competitor's app, the performance and technical quality will tell you more about their development priorities than any marketing material ever could. Start by downloading their app and paying attention to how long it takes to load—users abandon apps that take more than three seconds to launch, so timing this gives you immediate insight into their technical competence.

Test the app across different network conditions if possible. Switch between WiFi and mobile data, or try using it in areas with poor signal strength. Apps that handle these transitions smoothly have been built with real-world usage in mind, whilst those that crash or hang probably haven't invested enough in robust testing.

Performance Testing Checklist

• App launch time and loading speeds
• Responsiveness during heavy usage
• Battery drain impact
• Memory usage and stability
• Offline functionality capabilities
• Network transition handling

Pay attention to how the app handles errors. Good apps show helpful messages when something goes wrong; poor apps simply crash or show confusing technical jargon. Try actions that might cause problems—submit a form with missing information, navigate away during a loading process, or try to access features without proper permissions.

Check the app store reviews for mentions of bugs, crashes, or performance issues. Users are brutally honest about technical problems, and patterns in complaints will reveal systematic issues. Look at how the development team responds to bug reports—this shows you their commitment to ongoing quality improvement.

Test competitor apps on older devices if you can. Apps that perform well on three-year-old phones show superior technical architecture and broader market consideration.

The technical quality of a competitor's app often reflects their overall approach to user experience and long-term thinking about their mobile presence. Pay special attention to how they handle offline functionality when connectivity is limited, as this reveals their consideration for diverse usage scenarios.

Understanding User Engagement Patterns

When studying competitor apps, understanding how users actually engage with the product tells you more about its success than download numbers ever will. User engagement patterns reveal the difference between apps that get installed and forgotten versus those that become part of someone's daily routine.

Look for signs of high engagement like frequent content updates, active user-generated content, and regular feature additions—these indicate the app is retaining users successfully. Pay attention to social proof elements such as review counts, ratings distribution, and how recently reviews were posted; apps with consistent recent reviews typically have better engagement than those with older feedback clusters.

Reading Between the Lines

The app store screenshots themselves tell a story about engagement patterns. Apps that showcase social features, personalisation options, or progress tracking in their screenshots are usually designed with retention in mind. Check if the competitor emphasises community features, achievement systems, or habit-forming mechanics—these are strong indicators they've found ways to keep users coming back. Understanding how to implement targeted marketing and personalisation can help you analyse their user retention strategies more effectively.

Behavioural Clues

Download the competitor's app and notice how it handles your return visits after the first session. Does it remember your preferences, suggest personalised content, or send meaningful push notifications? Apps with sophisticated engagement strategies will start personalising your experience quickly and communicate with you outside the app in ways that feel helpful rather than pushy. The frequency and quality of their communications—whether through notifications, emails, or in-app messages—reveals how well they understand their users' engagement preferences. You should also consider how frequently they ask for user feedback and how they integrate it into their engagement strategy. Strong engagement patterns often include clear onboarding that explains the app's value proposition, regular feature updates that keep the experience fresh, and smart use of data to personalise the user journey.

Identifying Opportunities and Gaps

After studying your competitors' apps thoroughly, the real value comes from spotting what they're not doing well—or what they're missing entirely. I've found that the biggest opportunities often hide in plain sight; they're the moments when users get frustrated, confused, or simply give up on a task. Look for workflows that take too many steps, features that users struggle to find, or problems that no competitor has bothered to solve properly.

Start by mapping out the user journeys you've observed and note where each competitor's app creates friction. Maybe their checkout process is clunky, their search function doesn't work intuitively, or their onboarding overwhelms new users with too much information at once. These pain points represent direct opportunities for your app to do better—and users will notice the difference immediately.

Finding the White Spaces

Pay special attention to features that users clearly need but that none of your competitors provide adequately. This might be better offline functionality, more personalisation options, or simply a cleaner way to accomplish common tasks. Sometimes the gap isn't about adding features; it's about removing unnecessary complexity that everyone else seems to think is required. When evaluating potential improvements, consider whether new technology can genuinely enhance your app's user experience rather than simply matching what competitors have done.

The best opportunities come from understanding what users are trying to accomplish, not just what competitors are offering them

Document these opportunities systematically—create a list of specific improvements you could make, features you could add, or workflows you could simplify. This analysis becomes your roadmap for creating an app that doesn't just compete but actually serves users better than anything currently available in your market. Consider subtle design elements like optimising visual comfort features that competitors might overlook.

Conclusion

After eight years of building apps across every industry you can think of, I've learned that studying your competition isn't about copying what they do—it's about understanding what users expect and finding ways to do it better. The apps that succeed don't just match their competitors; they spot the gaps, the frustrations, and the missed opportunities that others have overlooked.

When you look at a competitor's onboarding flow, navigation structure, or feature set, you're not just evaluating their design choices—you're uncovering what users in your market have been trained to expect. If every fitness app uses a bottom tab bar with five sections, there's probably a good reason for that. But if they're all making users jump through six screens to log a workout, that's your chance to do something smarter.

The real value comes from looking beyond the surface. Yes, note down their colour schemes and button styles, but spend more time understanding why certain features exist, how they handle edge cases, and where users might be getting stuck. I've seen too many apps fail because they focused on looking different rather than working better.

Your competitive analysis should leave you with a clear picture of what's working well in your space and what isn't. More importantly, it should give you confidence about where your app can stand out. Users don't need another copy of what already exists—they need someone to solve the problems that current apps are still getting wrong. That's where your opportunity lies.