Insights into the competitive landscape through a UX Benchmark

In order to gain insights into how Mijndomein's website compared to the competition, they were interested in collecting metrics on the following topics:

• Findability. What websites stand out to users when searching for domain name providers? What websites are they most likely to use and what motivates this decision?
• Loyalty. How likely are users to recommend each website to others and how likely are they to return to each website?
• Credibility. How confident and comfortable do users feel purchasing something from each website?
• Appearance. How attractive, clean and simple is each website to users?
• Usability. How easy is each website to navigate through and how do users experience the usability of each website?
• Clarity. To what extent are users inclined to purchase something from each website compared to alternatives in the market?

Research method
For this study, a combination of unmoderated user tests and questionnaires was used on both mobile as well as desktop devices. All testers were asked to complete tasks on Google as well as on Mijndomein's websites and its direct competitiors. Upon completion of these tasks, testers were asked to fill out a questionnaire so that the relevant metrics could be gathered: 

• Findability. Testers were asked to answer multiple questions to gain insights into the Findability of Mijndomein and its direct competititors. 
• SUPR-q. The SUPR-q was used to collect the most relevant metrics. By doing so, Mijndomein was able to compare its performance on credibility, loyalty, usability, appearance and clarity to its direct competitors. 

Recruitment of over 300 testers
In order to be able to generalise the results from the study, we recruited over 300 testers via our recruitment service. We ensured that the sample was representative by recruiting for different cohorts. This means a split was made between male and female, as well as multiple age groups. 

A vast amount of insights were collected by conducting this UX Benchmark. In order to draw conclusions from this study, Mijndomein grouped recurring insights by theme. From all insights, the following themes were identified:

• Pricing. Detailed insights with regards to pricing preferences were collected. These varied from the price as well as showcasing the terms and conditions for each plan. 
• Product information. Various insights and comparisons with regards to product information were identified. 
• Customer reviews. The value of having customer reviews on the website was highlighted by various testers, alongside with suggestions on how to include these in various flows. 
• Comparing plans. Detailed insights on how different plans should be visualised and compared were given by testers. 

By conducting this UX Benchmark, Mijndomein was able to gain insights into how their website compares to other alternatives in the market. Amongst other things, this study has had the following benefits:

• Issues in the checkout were identified and quick fixes were implemented
• Pricing preferences were identified, for which quick wins have been implemented 
• A redesign is being built to maintain and grow Mijndomein's competitive advantage
• The backlog for a/b tests is expanded

All in all, Mijndomein is convinced that this UX Benchmark has had a positive ROI, which means they will be looking to conduct a UX Benchmark on a regular basis so that the overall progress can be measured.