When you are developing software that is evolutionary and not revolutionary, it is important to look at what is already on the market, learn from them and find ways to improve on their offering.

Most web apps have free trials, or it is even worth paying a small fee to see the competition’s software and “borrow” ideas.

I think the following is a good way to analyse what they do well and not so well:

• First impressions – do not read the help guide, go onto the first page and see how intuitive it is to get started
• Navigation – see how the navigation is arranged, can you find things easily?
• Colours and styles – does the design and layout wow you?
• Speed of use – does it take you ages to find what to do?
• Typography – does it look slick and fit with the style of the site?
• Shortcuts and signposting – can you find the actions you need quickly?
• Consistency – is the navigation and actions consistent across the app?
• What do they do well?
• What annoys you about the system?

It is good to have a look around on the forums, and see what the users are saying and to see what they are suggesting that the application improves on.

It is not enough to copy what others are doing, but research gives you a good feel for the competition and can generate ideas. I like to make things as easy as possible and go back to first principles when designing the user experience. You need to make something that is materially different, or targets a new untapped market.