How user research can strengthen remedy design
In digital markets, competition interventions too often miss the mark. Regulators devote years to running investigations, winning cases, or developing ex ante obligations. They work hard to craft measures meant to correct platform power imbalances or rectify anti-competitive conduct. However, the actual design and delivery of these remedies is frequently left to the very companies being regulated. And while those companies may technically tick the compliance box, the end result often falls short for users.
Why? Because competition interventions rarely receive the same rigorous user testing that tech companies of all sizes routinely apply to their own products. Interfaces and digital experiences that would never ship without extensive research in a commercial setting are rolled out as regulatory remedies—with little evidence about their potential impact on user choice and behavior.
This needs to change.
A new report from Mozilla shows that integrating user research into the design and delivery of competition remedies—especially those involving interface design—can greatly improve their relevance and effectiveness.
Research Methods for More Effective Remedy Design
Using case studies from Mozilla’s recent competition research, we demonstrate how three common and complementary research methods can strengthen remedy design:
- Concept Testing: Helps identify potential issues early in the design process—before significant resource investment—enabling regulators to avoid costly missteps and move beyond repeating ineffective approaches.
- Usability Testing: Reveals how remedy design choices can create barriers for users, exposing the gap between regulatory intent and real-world experience.
- Behavioral Experiments: Show how specific design elements can influence user behavior at scale, providing actionable data to refine remedies for greater impact.
Our Five Recommendations for Regulators
- Integrate user research throughout the remedy lifecycle—from concept to enforcement.
Require systematic evaluation and transparency from gatekeepers, with remedies refined based on real behavior. - Use empirical evidence to define success, not abstract principles or technical specifications.
- Design for all users through layered, ongoing, accessible interventions.
- Build collaboration into the process, ensuring input from end users and business users, civil society, and independent researchers.
Don’t Waste These Rare Opportunities to Improve Choice and Competition
Enacting technology regulation is a massive undertaking, and it is vital that these rare opportunities to restore competition are maximized to benefit consumers. Mozilla’s research offers a blueprint for bridging the gap between policy intent and user experience—by putting users at the center of remedy design.