Use Case #18: Competitive Research to Build

"Can we do what Competitor X does? But better?"

Every client asks this eventually.

The Request

The client wanted a content calendar feature. They'd seen it in a competitor's product and loved it. But they wanted it tailored to their workflow.

Phase 1: Research

Claude researched the competitor:

Public Information - Marketing pages, demo videos, help docs. Understood the feature surface.

Trial Account - Created a trial (they had a free tier). Explored the actual implementation. Found 3 UX issues they probably knew about but hadn't fixed.

Review Analysis - Read G2 and Capterra reviews specifically about the calendar feature. Users complained about: no bulk operations, poor mobile experience, confusing color coding.

Phase 2: Analysis

Synthesized findings into opportunities:

What they do well - Drag-and-drop scheduling, visual timeline, status indicators.

What they do poorly - No bulk editing, mobile is afterthought, colors aren't configurable.

What they're missing - AI suggestions, conflict detection, team workload balancing.

Phase 3: Design

Designed our version with their strengths (kept the good patterns), their weaknesses fixed (bulk ops, mobile-first, custom colors), and novel additions (AI scheduling, conflict alerts).

Phase 4: Build

Implemented the feature. Total time from "can we do what X does" to working feature: 3 days.

The Client's Reaction

"This is better than theirs."

Yes. That was the point.

The Pattern

Competitive research isn't copying. It's learning from their mistakes and building something better. Claude accelerates both the research and the synthesis.

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Built for a content marketing client, December 2025.