Steps to conduct a competitive audit
進行競爭分析的步驟指南

You’ve already learned that conducting research on competitors is the cornerstone to understanding your product, the landscape of your industry, and your users.
你已經了解到，對競爭對手進行研究是理解你的產品、市場環境以及用戶的關鍵基礎。
Completing a competitive audit is an effective way to compile all of your research into one central resource.
進行競爭審核是一種有效的方式，能將所有研究資料彙整到一個集中資源中。
In this reading, we’ll break down each step of the competitive audit process in more detail through an example to introduce you to the process.
在本篇文章中，我們將透過一個範例，詳細說明競爭審核的每個步驟，幫助你了解整個流程。
In a later activity, you’ll conduct your own competitive audit.
在接下來的活動中，你將親自進行競爭對手分析。

For the example in this reading, imagine you’re conducting competitive research on fast-food pizza restaurants for your new client, Pizza Garden.
在這個範例中，假設你正在為新客戶 Pizza Garden 進行快餐披薩店的競爭調查。
Pizza Garden feels that their current website isn’t attracting much business, and they want you to help the company redesign their website.
Pizza Garden 認為他們現有的網站吸引不到足夠的客源，想請你協助公司重新設計網站。
 

To follow along with the example in this reading, you can use this link: 
若要配合本篇閱讀中的範例操作，您可以使用以下連結：

To see the completed exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.” 
若要查看此課程物品的完整範例，請點擊下方連結，然後選擇「使用範本」。

Link to exemplar: competitor audit spreadsheet
競爭對手審核試算表連結.

OR   或者

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the exemplar directly from the attachment below.
如果您沒有 Google 帳戶，也可以直接從下方附件下載範例檔案。

Step 1.
Outline the audit goals 
第一步：明確審核目標

As a UX designer, you know that the ideation process is most effective after you’ve completed an audit on your new client, Pizza Garden, and their competitors.
作為用戶體驗設計師，你了解在對新客戶 Pizza Garden 及其競爭對手進行審核後，構思階段會更加有效。
But before you move into the details of the audit, you have to define your goals.
在進入審核細節之前，首先要明確你的目標。
Since this project is for a website redesign, the goal of the competitive audit is to compare the user experience of each competitor’s website.
由於這個專案是針對網站重新設計，競爭審核的目標在於比較各競爭對手網站的使用者體驗。

Using consistent language for rating competitor products can also create more uniform feedback and help you “grade” competitors.
使用一致的語言來評價競爭對手的產品，不僅能讓反饋更具一致性，也有助於你對競爭對手進行「評分」。
You can grade competitors on a scale of:
你可以根據以下標準對競爭對手進行評分：

Needs work: The app is not usable, and users aren’t getting what they need from this aspect of the app.
需要改進：這款應用程式無法正常使用，使用者無法從這部分獲得所需的功能。

Okay: This aspect has some issues, but with some work, it could meet user needs.
好的：這方面雖然有些問題，但只要稍加改進，就能滿足使用者的需求。

Good: This aspect works well, but doesn’t always provide users with the necessary information easily.
優點：這部分表現不錯，但有時無法讓用戶輕鬆獲取所需資訊。

Outstanding: This aspect feels consistent, and it meets or exceeds the user’s needs.
傑出：此方面表現一致，能滿足或超越使用者的需求。
 

Step 2.
List competitors 
第二步：列出所有競爭對手

Start to build the competitor audit using the template.
開始利用範本來建立競爭對手分析報告。
First, ask the company or team who they consider to be their direct and indirect competitors.
首先，請公司或團隊說明他們認為的直接及間接競爭對手是誰。
As a reminder, direct competitors have offerings that are similar to your product and focus on the same audience.
提醒您，直接競爭對手提供的產品與您的相似，且針對相同的目標客群。
Indirect competitors either have a similar set of offerings but focus on a different audience, or they have a different set of offerings and focus on the same audience.
間接競爭者可能提供相似的產品，但針對不同的客群；或者提供不同的產品，但面向相同的客群。
Getting this information early can provide good insight into where the company really fits into their industry.
及早取得這些資訊，有助於深入了解公司在產業中的實際定位。

For example, Pizza Garden mentioned that Pie Eaters restaurant is one of their direct competitors, so they should be included on the list. Based on your own research, you find two more direct competitors that are also pizza restaurants in the same geographical area as Pizza Garden, called Pizza Nest and The Spotty Pie.
例如，Pizza Garden 提到 Pie Eaters 餐廳是他們的直接競爭對手之一，因此應該將其列入名單。根據您自己的研究，您還發現另外兩家同樣位於與 Pizza Garden 相同地理區域的披薩餐廳，分別是 Pizza Nest 和 The Spotty Pie。
You also come across an indirect competitor, The Vegan Oven, that has an international presence and really appealing imagery on their website.
你還發現了一個間接競爭對手——The Vegan Oven，該品牌在國際上具有一定的知名度，且其網站上的圖片非常吸引人。
The competitor audit spreadsheet now includes the information shown below.
競爭對手審核試算表現在已包含以下資訊。

Step 3.
Determine the specific competitor aspects you want to compare
第三步：確定您想要比較的具體競爭對手項目

Defining a list of aspects you want to compare makes it easier to compile your results for analysis later on in the process.
事先列出你想比較的項目，能讓你在後續整理結果和進行分析時更加輕鬆。
For this example, imagine that you check out each of the competitors’ websites and rate them based on the following categories:  
在這個例子中，假設你瀏覽每個競爭對手的網站，並依照以下幾個分類來評分他們：

• First impressions: Check out the website on both desktop and mobile devices, and make note of your first impressions.
  第一印象：在桌面和手機裝置上瀏覽網站，並記錄你的初步感受。
  Is the website responsive, meaning that it resizes across devices?
  這個網站是否具備響應式設計，能夠自動調整以適應各種裝置的螢幕大小？
  Does the design complement the product?
  設計是否與產品相得益彰？
  How do you feel about the website?
  你覺得這個網站如何？

• Interaction: Explore the user flow and navigation of the website.
  互動：了解網站的使用者流程與導覽方式。
  What features are available for users?
  使用者可以使用哪些功能？
  Is the website accessible to all users, including those using screen readers?
  網站是否對所有使用者友好，包括使用螢幕閱讀器的使用者？
  How inclusive is their website to non-English speakers?
  他們的網站對非英語使用者的友善程度如何？
  Will the user get confused as they click through the website pages, or is the navigation clear?
  使用者在瀏覽網站頁面時會感到困惑嗎？還是導航很清楚？
   

• Visual design: Review competitor branding and their overall consistency.
  視覺設計：審查競爭對手的品牌形象及其整體一致性。
  Does the website appear and feel the same throughout all sections and pages?
  網站在所有區域和頁面中是否呈現出一致的外觀和感受？
  Does the branding match the intended audience?
  品牌形象是否符合目標受眾的需求？
  Is the imagery and color palette memorable?
  影像和色彩搭配是否讓人印象深刻？
   

• Content: Examine the written content included on the website.
  內容：檢視網站中所包含的書面內容。
  Does the tone of the content match the company’s branding?
  內容的語氣是否與公司的品牌形象相符？
  Will users be able to find the details they’re interested in?
  使用者能否輕鬆找到他們想了解的詳細資訊？
   

These are the aspects to list across the top row of the competitor audit.
這些是競爭對手審核中應列在頂部橫列的項目。
In the example spreadsheet, these aspects are listed in rows 3 and 4.
在範例試算表中，這些項目列於第 3 和第 4 列。
This means you would fill in information about these aspects for each of the companies you’re evaluating.
這表示您需要針對每一家正在評估的公司，填寫這些相關方面的資訊。

Step 4.
Research each company
第 4 步。調查每家公司

Now that the list of competitors and features to compare is filled in, it’s time to check out each of Pizza Garden’s competitors and start the audit.
現在競爭對手及其功能比較清單已經完成，接下來就該逐一檢視 Pizza Garden 的競爭對手，開始進行審核。
If you were conducting your own audit, you would fill out the spreadsheet row-by-row as you review each competitor.
如果你自己進行競爭對手審核，會在檢視每個競爭者時，逐行填寫試算表。
You can include notes in bullet point form, links, and screenshots—whatever is most helpful for your information gathering process!
您可以用項目符號記錄筆記、加入連結和截圖，選擇最有助於您蒐集資訊的方式！
Let’s check out each section of the example spreadsheet.
讓我們逐一檢視範例試算表中的各個部分。
 

Audience  目標受眾

Millennials, including families, make up the biggest portion of the competitors’ audiences.
千禧世代及其家庭是競爭對手觀眾中最大的群體。
There’s also a small crossover between millennials and Gen-Z college students.
千禧世代和 Z 世代的學院學生之間也有部分重疊。
This is very similar to the audience that Pizza Garden is targeting.
這與 Pizza Garden 目標的客群非常相近。
Only one competitor, The Vegan Oven, has a different audience.
唯一的競爭對手 The Vegan Oven 擁有不同的目標受眾。
That’s okay!  沒問題！
The Vegan Oven wasn’t included as a direct competitor because their audience isn’t similar to Pizza Garden’s.
The Vegan Oven 沒有被視為直接競爭對手，因為他們的目標客群與 Pizza Garden 不同。
It’s still important to compare their website and overall user experience to ensure you’re getting a good sense of the entire market.
比較他們的網站和整體使用者體驗依然很重要，這樣才能確保你對整個市場有完整的認識。

First impressions  初次印象

The websites that make the best first impression are The Spotty Pie and The Vegan Oven.
給人最佳第一印象的網站是 The Spotty Pie 和 The Vegan Oven。
Both provide appealing and clear imagery and are fully responsive websites.
兩者皆呈現吸引且清晰的影像，且網站具備完整的響應式設計。
On the other end, the websites for Pie Eaters and Pizza Nest weren’t very impressive.
另一方面，Pie Eaters 和 Pizza Nest 的網站表現平平，沒有太大吸引力。
While they’re easy to navigate, they both need to work on improving their layouts.
雖然它們操作簡便，但兩者的版面設計仍有待改進。

For the mobile website experience, only one site had issues with responsiveness: Pie Eaters.
在行動網站的使用體驗中，只有 Pie Eaters 這個網站存在響應性問題。
Their website didn’t adjust to the smaller screen size of a mobile phone, so the spacing was misaligned and some information was cut off.
他們的網站沒有針對手機較小的螢幕尺寸進行調整，導致排版錯亂，部分資訊無法完整顯示。
 

For the sites with lower ratings, the biggest issue was the menu.
評分較低的網站，最大問題出在菜單設計。
Sometimes the menu wasn’t accessible, and other times the menu was included as an image that was hard to read.
有時候菜單無法存取，有時候菜單則是以難以辨識的圖片形式呈現。
That’s definitely something to make note of for your redesign of the Pizza Garden website!
這點絕對值得你在重新設計 Pizza Garden 網站時特別留意！
 

Interaction  互動方式

The next part of the competitive audit focuses on the user’s ability to quickly and efficiently find what they’re searching for on the website.
競爭審核的下一階段著重於使用者在網站上快速且有效地找到所需資訊的能力。
Your client, Pizza Garden, needs help to create a hierarchy for their site that’s easier for users to follow and interact with.
您的客戶 Pizza Garden 需要協助建立一個更清晰的網站層級結構，讓使用者更容易瀏覽和互動。
 

The Spotty Pie’s website includes animations that slow the navigation, and The Pizza Nest’s site has lots of unnecessary content on the homepage, which makes it hard to find important information like their phone number and menu.
The Spotty Pie 的網站有動畫效果，導致瀏覽速度變慢；而 The Pizza Nest 的首頁則充斥著許多不必要的內容，讓使用者難以找到像電話號碼和菜單這類重要資訊。
On the other end of the spectrum, the websites that work well have a clear navigation style and make it obvious which elements are clickable and which aren’t—a characteristic that’s important to include in the redesign of Pizza Garden’s website.
另一方面，運作良好的網站通常有清晰的導航設計，並且明確標示哪些元素可以點擊，哪些不行——這是 Pizza Garden 網站重新設計時必須納入的重要特點。
The Vegan Oven is the standout competitor in the category with useful features like a store locator and comprehensive accessibility considerations including multiple language options and compatibility with screen reader technologies.
素食烤箱是該類別中最突出的競爭者，擁有實用功能，例如商店定位器，以及全面的無障礙設計，涵蓋多語言選項並支援螢幕閱讀器技術。

Visual design  視覺設計

A website with clear and consistent visual design is a great way to draw users into a product and company.
擁有清晰且一致視覺設計的網站，是吸引使用者了解產品與公司的有效途徑。
Pizza Garden’s current website has pretty solid visual design overall, but there are a few areas that could be updated to better reflect their brand tone.
Pizza Garden 現有的網站整體視覺設計相當不錯，但有些部分可以進行調整，以更貼切地展現品牌的風格與調性。
 

The Spotty Pie and The Vegan Oven communicate their brand well with distinct colors, typography, and photography.
The Spotty Pie 和 The Vegan Oven 透過獨特的色彩、字體設計與攝影風格，成功地傳達了各自的品牌形象。
But Pizza Nest and Pie Eaters both have an inconsistent visual style on their websites, and Pizza Nest’s site doesn’t communicate their brand very well.
但是 Pizza Nest 和 Pie Eaters 兩家網站的視覺風格都不一致，而 Pizza Nest 的網站也無法有效傳達其品牌形象。
 

Content  內容

The tone of the content is another way to communicate a company’s brand and engage users.
內容的語氣是傳達公司品牌形象並吸引用戶注意的另一種方式。
Most of Pizza Garden’s competitors use an engaging and fun tone that fits their audiences.
大多數 Pizza Garden 的競爭對手都採用符合目標客群的有趣且生動的語調。
Pizza Garden’s tone is a little inconsistent and not as light-hearted as its competitors.
Pizza Garden 的語氣稍顯不穩定，沒有競爭對手那麼輕鬆活潑。
This is an area for improvement when you redesign their website!
這是你在重新設計他們網站時可以改進的部分！
 

In general, the competitors’ content is short and easy to follow.
通常，競爭對手的內容都簡潔明瞭，容易跟上。
Pizza Garden’s current website descriptions come off as a bit dry and overly long, so you can point to competitors’ content as an example to follow.
Pizza Garden 現有的網站描述稍顯枯燥且冗長，你可以參考競爭對手的內容作為借鏡。

Step 5.
Summarize your findings in a report
第五步：將您的調查結果整理並撰寫成報告

After conducting research, gathering data, and analyzing your findings, summarize your work in a report.
在完成研究、收集資料並分析結果後，請將您的工作整理並撰寫成報告。
What you include in your report and how you present your findings will vary depending on the audit goals you outlined at the beginning of the process.
您在報告中包含的內容和呈現方式，會依據您在審核開始時所設定的目標而有所不同。
For example, if your audit mainly focuses on comparing competitors’ audiences, you might want to include a few informational graphics with numbers and figures.
例如，如果您的審核主要是比較競爭對手的受眾，您可能會想加入一些包含數字和統計資料的資訊圖表。
Or, if your audit mainly focuses on visual design, you might want to include screenshots of your competitors’ websites with different areas highlighted.
或者，如果您的審核主要針對視覺設計，您可以加入競爭對手網站的截圖，並標示出各個重點區域。
You’ll learn how to create a report summarizing your research findings in more detail later on in the program, so don’t worry too much about it right now!
你將在課程後期學會如何製作一份詳細總結研究結果的報告，因此現在不必太過擔心！

Completing your audit   完成您的競爭分析審核工作

Conducting a competitive audit is a great way to familiarize yourself with user experience design by getting more information about a new industry, a new client, and recent industry trends.
進行競爭審核是熟悉使用者體驗設計的絕佳方式，能讓你深入了解新產業、新客戶以及最新的產業趨勢。
The information you learn can be used throughout the design process.
你所獲得的資訊可以應用於整個設計流程中。
If you can, it’s best to take your time with the competitive audit process so you’ll have a great foundation of knowledge to build your designs on moving forward.
如果條件允許，最好花時間仔細進行競爭審核，這樣你就能建立堅實的知識基礎，為未來的設計打下良好基礎。
Good luck!
祝你一切順利！