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Analyze competitor websites to identify effective layouts, features, and visual elements to better understand current industry standards and user expectations.
Website Service Design
Lifetime Products
PROJECT INTENT
At Lifetime Products, I conducted a competitive analysis of industry websites to uncover effective design patterns and user-focused features. The goal was to gather insights that could enhance Lifetime’s website, making it more user-friendly and better aligned with evolving user expectations.
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KEY QUESTIONS:
What visual design elements are brands using?
Are there common features across competitor sites?
What types of content are typically included?
Do they offer community pages or blogs?
What does the mobile experience look like?
What is the overall user experience like?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first interaction potential customers have with a website is crucial, as visitors quickly assess its visual appeal, ease of navigation, and overall professionalism.
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It takes a fraction of a second for someone to form initial judgement about something. (Stew Digital Solutions)
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35% of users will leave a site if they find its design poor. (Digital Silk)
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75% of user’s judge a company’s credibility based on it’s site design. (Digital Silk)
Top Reasons Why Visitors Leave a Website
(Hostinger)
85.5%
73%
61.5%
38.5%
34.6%
3.8%
Slow
Loading
Outdated Design
Non-Responsive
Bad
Navigation
Poor Content Structure
Obtrusive Video/Audio
EYE TRACKING
Eye tracking reveals how constant, rapid eye movements help the brain process visual information, aiding in the determination of a page’s success or failure.
FIXATIONS
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When our eyes appear to stop or pause.
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SACCADES
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The paths that connect two fixations together.
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SCANPATHS
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The total collections of a series of fixations and saccades.
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EYE TRACKING USER BEHAVIOR
NAVIGATION MENU
Users spend 6.44 seconds on average focused on the main navigation menu. (Digital Silk)
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MAIN WEBSITE IMAGE
Users spend 5.94 seconds on average looking at the main website image. (Digital Silk)
WEBSITE LOGO
Users spend 6.48 seconds on average focusing on the website’s logo. (Digital Silk)
SEARCH BOX
Users spend 6 seconds on average focused on the search box. (Missouri S&T)
WRITTEN CONTENT
Users spend 5.59 seconds on average focused on sites’ written content. (Missouri S&T)
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BOTTOM OF WEBSITE
Users spend 5.25 seconds on average focused on the bottom of a website. (Missouri S&T)
ECOMMERCE SEO
Ecommerce SEO boosts organic search visibility by improving search rankings, helping online stores attract more shoppers without relying on paid ads.
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Build credibility by appearing in organic search results, which users tend to trust more than ads.
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Gain an edge over stores not optimized for SEO.
TASKS FOR IMPROVING SEO
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Preform keyword research.
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Improve site’s architecture.
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Create SEO friendly URL structure.
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Leverage content marketing.
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Manage site’s technical SEO.
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Claim blacklines.
CHOOSING AN ECOMMERCE DESIGN
BUYER PERSONA
Brands should implement trends that align with their identity.
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Consider what your customer’s love.
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Can conduct surveys or interviews with customers to collect feedback.
TYPES OF PRODUCTS
The type of products sold should
impact a site’s design.
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Complex products → Let the site’s design simply the explanation.
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Visually-driven products → Showcase the best visuals of products.
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Themed products → Craft site’s design to represent the brand’s mission.
BRAND STYLE
Any website design changes must align with your brand style guide.
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Different aesthetics, colors, etc. are dependent on brand style.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
The following brands were assessed to analyze common attributes and the effectiveness of their website designs.
DESIGN VISUALS
MINIMALISM│2025 WEBSITE TREND
Key Visuals That Attract Consumers
(Hostinger)
Minimalism remains a consistent trend, enhancing user focus and comprehension by creating a clean, product-focused experience that guides users through a website clearly.
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60% of customers prefer brands with minimalistic designs. (Adobe)
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Reduces bounce rates by 15% and improves load times by 30%. (Google)
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Can be adapted to fit different brand identities.
SHORT COPY
CLEAN VISUALS
WHITE SPACE
MINIMAL DISTRACTIONS
LIMITED COLORS
MODERN FONTS
Animation
12%
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Videos
21%
Images
40%
Colors
39%
Typography
19%
Infographic
15%
COLORS
Background Colors
White, light gray, or a dark brand color (typically 2).
Text Colors
Black, white, dark gray, or a dark brand tone (2-4 total).
Accent Colors
1-3 colors that align with the brand palette.
TYPOGRAPHY
Upon observing competitor websites, brands often use 2-3 different font types to create visual hierarchy.
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A third font is sometimes created by bolding an existing one.
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Tight spacing can reduce readability on some screens.
TYPOGRAPHY CHOICES BY BRAND:
SHARP VS ROUNDED CORNERS
SHARP CORNERS
Used to convey structure and professionalism, especially for formal industries.
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Helps highlight elements around an object.
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Common in layouts for containers or structured components.
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7 out of 12 brands use sharp corners.
ROUNDED CORNERS
Used to create an inviting feel and guide focus to the center of an object.
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Easier for the brain to understand.
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Best for images, single-focus elements, and calls-to-action.
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2 out of 12 brands use rounded corners.
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3 out of 12 brands use a combination of both styles.
LENGTH OF HOMEPAGES
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Homepage lengths generally fall into three categories: short, average, and long.
HOMEPAGE DESIGNS│COMMON AND EFFECTIVE ELEMENTS
ABOUT PAGE DESIGNS│COMMON AND EFFECTIVE ELEMENTS
FEATURES
MICRO-INTERACTIONS│2025 WEBSITE TREND
Brands use a variety of micro-interactions to guide users, provide feedback, and make websites feel more responsive and engaging.
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Confirms user actions are recognized.
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Use animations sparingly to avoid overwhelming users.
IMAGE ZOOM
ANGLE CHANGE
COLOR CHANGE
TEXT BOX INVERSION
DARKENING
UNDERLINING
CHAT SUPPORT│2025 WEBSITE TREND
AI chatbots and virtual assistants improve customer support, and boost efficiency, while live reps offer human help for more complex needs.
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5/12 brands use persistent Chatbot icons with rounded corners, and some display rep availability before clicking.
AI VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Provides instant, brand-specific responses using advanced natural language processing capabilities.
LIVE SALES REP
Allows for detailed, personalized help, but can be slow or unavailable.
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Slow or unavailable responses may frustrate users with short attention spans.
HYBRID MODEL
Combines AI with preset prompts and gives users the option to switch to a live rep for more help.
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Preset prompts= Returns, Product info, etc.
IMMERSIVE WEB EXPERIENCES│2025 WEBSITE TREND
Brands use VR and AR technologies to let users explore 3D elements and interact with virtual products for informed purchasing decisions.
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360-degree product rotations are used, especially for larger items like sheds.
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Featured prominently on product pages.
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Only 2 brands use an AR app similar to IKEA’s with 98% accuracy and 86 million downloads. (INGKA)
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6 out of 12 brands have some form of AR/VR feature.
SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY│2025 WEBSITE TREND
The majority of brands use large thumbnails with simple backgrounds, like gray boxes or outlines, to create a
product-centric and visually appealing search result experience.
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8 out of 12 brands use a simple background for search result thumbnails, and 10 out of 12 brands feature large thumbnails.
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4 out of 12 brands show small thumbnails as a preview before submitting a search.
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Some brands add "popular right now," "popular searches," or "suggested" features.
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Some brands categorize search results into articles, products, and collections.
FILTERING/SORTING TOOLS
Brands offer various filtering and sorting options to simplify the product selection process.
FILTERING OPTIONS
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Color (5/12)
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Features (3/12)
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Size/Capacity/Length (4/12)
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Category (7/12)
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Price slider (2/12)
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Featured (2/12)
SORTING OPTIONS
•A-Z, Z-A (6/12)
•Low-High, High-Low in price (5/12)
•Latest (6/12)
•Best matches (2/12)
•Top rated (1/12)
•Best selling (3/12)
Yeti offers a unique compare tool that lets users visually view features, sizes/weights, and colors of two products side by side.
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Reduces frustration when choosing between products.
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Simple layout for easy viewing.
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SHOP AND COMPARE
COLOR CUSTOMIZATION
PRODUCT THUMBNAILS
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7 out of 12 brands offer this feature through two different approaches.
Many brands allow customers to visualize products in different colors to improve decision-making.
COLOR SWATCHES
•Most common method used among reviewed brands.
CONTENT
PRODUCT PAGE DESIGNS│COMMON AND EFFECTIVE ELEMENTS
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Concise product overview to quickly inform shoppers.
PHOTO VARIATION
Combines in-context, studio, and detail shots for a complete view.
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ICON BULLET POINTS
Icons list key features as visual bullets, with 70% of users reading lists with bullets vs. 55% without. (Digital Silk)
360 DEGREE ROTATION
Lets users view all angles of a product to inform shopping decisions.
FEATURE CALLOUTS
Images highlight and explain key product features.
VISUAL TEHCINCAL INFO
Dimensions and specs are displayed in clean,
image-based formats.
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RELATED PRODUCTS
"People also buy“, "Suggested for you“, and “paired with” encourage add-ons.
PRODUCT VIDEO
Quick, high-quality product videos capture attention and can increase time spent on a website by 88%.
(Digital Silk)
EXAMPLES
REVIEW SECTION
While review sections are generally standard across brands, standout features include expanded sorting options and prioritization.
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Option to filter for reviews with media.
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Most critical and most helpful reviews appear at the top (potential AI use).
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY FEATURES
Community features like popups, newsletters, social links, and language settings help brands connect with users, however irrelevant popups risk driving them away.
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Newsletter signups are often in the footer or a dedicated section above it.
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Cart abandonment popups and lucky wheels have the highest conversion rates. (OptiMonk)
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Irrelevant popups annoy 70% of mobile visitors. (Hostinger)
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Some brands offer the option to change the website language.
BLOG
Brands use common blog practices to keep content fresh, organized, and easy for users to navigate.
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A clear main header.
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Organized categories to simplify browsing.
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"Latest news" sections for quick access to new content.
USER EXPERIENCE
MOBILE FIRST │2025 WEBSITE TREND
The mobile-first approach ensures website layouts work on smaller screens first, then adapt for larger displays, for a consistent user experience across all devices.
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Failing to optimize for mobile devices can result in lost audience and lower search rankings.
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Designers may consider functionality on wearable technology.
SALES BY MOBILE DEVICES
2024: $564.06 billion sales (cropink)
2025: Estimated $647.95 billion sales (cropink)
2027: Estimated $856.38 billion sales (cropink)
Traffic Share by Platform (February 2025)
(Hostinger)
67.94%
30.45%
1.61%
Mobile
Desktop
Tablet
NAVIGATION BAR
The majority of brands use persistent navigation bars and a mega menu layout for easier browsing.
BEHAVIOR
Most brands keep navigation bars visible by keeping them static, shrinking them, or making them reappear after scrolling.
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Static= 3 out of 12
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Shrinking= 3 out of 12
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Reappearing= 3 out of 12
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Disappearing= 3 out of 12
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Despite equal usage, the disappearing navigation bar is the least used overall, as it’s hidden and less user-friendly.
LAYOUT
Brands prefer mega menus that display a wide range of subcategories within main categories.
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11 out of 12 brands use a mega layout.
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Large thumbnails enhance the design and improve ease of use.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Effective customer service pages are simple, visually clear, and easy to navigate without overwhelming users.
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Drop-down menus help organize content and prevent information overload.
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Clean layouts, aesthetic banners, and use of icons make pages easier to consume.
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Some sites use a main customer service page that redirects users to topic-specific pages.
LIFETIME'S CURRENT HOMEPAGE DESIGN
