beam-ai-team/analyze-competitors

Analyze Competitors

Systematically research competitor products to identify feature implementations, UX patterns, gaps, and opportunities.

Safety Contract

Before saving competitor analysis, show the feature or market scope, competitors, research sources, destination path, and any assumptions that rely on non-public access. Require explicit user approval in the current turn before writing files or sharing the analysis. Do not scrape behind logins, bypass access controls, or publish competitive findings externally from this skill.

Purpose

This skill is the second step in the design cycle. It:

• Guides exploration of competitor products (Zapier, n8n, Lindy, Relevance.ai, etc.)
• Documents feature implementations and UX patterns
• Identifies gaps and opportunities for differentiation
• Creates a structured analysis for wireframing reference

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Workflow

Step 1: Initialize TodoWrite

- [ ] Load requirements from previous step
- [ ] Identify relevant competitors for this feature
- [ ] Research each competitor (hands-on exploration)
- [ ] Document findings per competitor
- [ ] Identify patterns, gaps, opportunities
- [ ] Create analysis summary

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Step 2: Load Context

Load the requirements synthesis from Step 1:

02-resources/requirements-synthesis.md

Identify the core feature/functionality to research.

Mark this todo complete before proceeding.

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Step 3: Select Competitors

Present the known competitor list from references/competitor-list.md:

Which competitors should we analyze for this feature?

Automation Platforms:
1. Zapier
2. n8n
3. Make (Integromat)

AI Agent Platforms:
4. Lindy
5. Relevance.ai
6. Crew.ai

Other:
7. Custom competitor (specify)

Select by number (e.g., "1, 2, 4") or "all"

Mark this todo complete before proceeding.

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Step 4: Research Each Competitor

For each selected competitor, guide the user through exploration:

Let's analyze {COMPETITOR}.

Please navigate to {competitor URL} and explore how they implement {feature}.

When ready, describe what you see or share a screenshot. I'll help document:
- How they approach this feature
- Key UI elements and patterns
- User flow steps
- What works well / what doesn't

Documentation template per competitor:

## {Competitor Name}

### Feature Implementation
- How it works: {description}
- Entry point: {where users access it}
- Key steps: {1, 2, 3...}

### UI Patterns
- Layout: {sidebar, modal, wizard, etc.}
- Components used: {buttons, cards, inputs}
- Visual style: {minimal, feature-rich, etc.}

### Strengths
- {what they do well}

### Weaknesses
- {pain points or gaps}

### Screenshots/Notes
- {user observations}

Repeat for each competitor.

Mark this todo complete after ALL competitors are researched.

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Step 5: Identify Patterns & Opportunities

Analyze findings across all competitors:

Common Patterns (most competitors do this):

• {pattern 1}
• {pattern 2}

Differentiators (unique approaches):

• {competitor}: {unique approach}

Gaps (nobody does this well):

• {gap 1}
• {gap 2}

Opportunities (how we can be better):

• {opportunity 1}
• {opportunity 2}

Mark this todo complete before proceeding.

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Step 6: Create Analysis Summary

Generate the final analysis document:

# Competitor Analysis: {Feature Name}

## Executive Summary
{2-3 sentence overview of findings}

## Competitors Analyzed
| Competitor | Focus Area | Account Type |
|------------|------------|--------------|
| Zapier | {area} | Free/Premium |
| ... | ... | ... |

## Feature Comparison Matrix
| Capability | Zapier | n8n | Lindy | Ours |
|------------|--------|-----|-------|------|
| {cap 1} | Yes | Yes | No | TBD |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Key Findings

### What Works Well (Industry Standard)
{patterns to adopt}

### Gaps & Opportunities
{where we can differentiate}

### Recommended Approach
{synthesis for wireframing}

## Detailed Analysis
{per-competitor sections}

## References
- Screenshots: {location}
- Research date: {date}

Save to: 02-resources/competitor-analysis.md

Mark this todo complete before proceeding.

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Step 7: Proceed to Wireframing

Competitor analysis complete!

Key insights:
- {insight 1}
- {insight 2}
- {insight 3}

Ready to create wireframes?
Say 'create wireframe' or 'continue design cycle'

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Resources

references/

• competitor-list.md - Known competitors with URLs and account status
• analysis-framework.md - What to look for when analyzing
• documentation-template.md - Standard format for capturing findings

assets/

• competitor-analysis-template.md - Full template for analysis output

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Notes

About Account Access:

• Free accounts are sufficient for most feature exploration
• Premium accounts may be needed for advanced features
• User should indicate which account type they're using

About Screenshots:

• Encourage capturing key screens for reference
• Store in project assets folder
• Reference in analysis document