Mobile app performance is all that matters which not only includes its literal meaning of working smoothly, being well-built using best mobile app development practices, and whatnot. It also means the user experience it provides and its performance in that regard. If your app fails to perform well, the users conveniently move on to the next app that does work properly.
So how do you know your mobile app is doing well on the performance scale? Through mobile app testing that includes several parameters that come under the umbrella of 3 major elements.
3 Essential Mobile Application Testing Categories Include:
- Device Performance.
- Server/API Performance.
- Network Performance.
1) Device Performance
An app that is slow or drains the battery life of the mobile is set to fail within the consumer market. Device performance testing includes the following:
- App Start-up time
- Battery usage
- Mobile memory
- App usage with other apps running
- App in the background
App Start-up time: You need to test how much time your app takes to launch or start? Mobile apps have the toughest competition and one of the few key deciding factors of a mobile app’s success is its loading speed. In times where 5G technology is being anticipated around the globe, apps require to launch within the 1-2 seconds. Otherwise, you are bound to lose consumers who do not have the attention span or the patience to deal with apps that are slow to launch; when there are better and faster options available.
Battery usage: Mobile apps consume the majority of the battery life, especially when more than one is running. However, your app, if using more resources of the mobile than required, then that app would be heading to the uninstall option. These days users do not have to be tech wizards to know themselves about which app is heating up their smartphones.
Hence, it is important that the mobile app being developed is not placing any unrequired burden on the mobile’s processor, memory, and other resources. In fact, the app should be optimized for the adequate usage of the mobile’s battery.
Mobile memory: Mobile’s memory is a sensitive matter; one which will aggravate any user if his or her memory is being depleted by your mobile app. Thus, when testing for performance, make sure memory is included and thoroughly checked. Functionalities that require memory consumption should be incorporated with the utmost care and attention. Anything that the app can do without should be removed.
Your App alongside others: It is quite common for mobile users to run multiple apps at one time. So make sure to test your app running parallel to a few more. Why is this important? It is to make sure your app doesn’t glitch or perform abnormally.
App in the background VS when the app is being used: When you are switching between apps, whichever you are using currently takes your screen space, while the rest run in the background. This test will ensure that in whichever state your app was in the background, it is the same state it is resumed in.
Take a gaming app for example. If you have left your game at a certain stage and on a certain screen, it should stay at that position until it is resumed being the main one.
2) Server and API Performance
Apps communicate with servers through APIs (Application Programming Interface). How fast and safely this communication takes place needs to be tested. These are the following things you need to test.
- Time data takes to and from server
- Downtime of server
- API calls initiated from an app
Time data takes to and from server: In two words, it is called the ‘response time’ of your app. The data that it receives from the server should be loaded instantly in the app. Moreover, some servers sent data in a certain format that needs to be converted into the app’s format and then loaded. All this takes time, but shouldn’t take too much of it, or else you will lose consumer’s attention.
Server downtime: Make sure you have a backup when the server is down so your app continues to run smoothly. Either has backup servers or make use of the native database until the main server is online again. Moreover, since the data needs to be identical overall backup servers; they all need to be synced with the main server. This way, whenever the main one is down, the backup can start running.
API calls generated by the app: The number of calls generated from the app to the server at one time should be enough for the server to handle all of them immediately and initiate an instant response in return to the calls.
3) Network Performance
We discussed the API server interaction testing and device testing. Now, we need to talk about the network on which these interactions take place – the third most important part of the mobile app performance testing.
- Network speed test
- Packet loss triggers
- Jitters
Network speed: You need to test your app on different networks and different internet speeds; 3G, 4G, and other networks. Especially during network switching; for example, from Wi-Fi to phone’s network and check if the app behaves smoothly or renders unresponsive entirely. These mobile app vulnerabilities are to be thoroughly tested.
Packet loss triggers: In case of any loss of data packets, how does the app behaves? In the best-case scenario, the app should send the request for that particular packet again. Otherwise, it should display a CTA asking the user to try again.
The worst-case scenario in packet loss would be when the app displays broken data or information, which would only frustrate the user.
Jitters: Similar to what we discussed above, only in this case when the information is taking longer than usual to arrive at the destination through a network, it is called jitters. Sometimes when packets switch networks, the information is received in the wrong order and is not displayable. In such cases of jitters, your app should be able to send a notification or an alert to the user to resend their request.
Lastly,
These are the important factors adding or subtracting to your mobile app’s performance depending on the test results when compared against the expected outcome. A software development company in Dallas or anywhere else would be mindful of these testing criteria and would utilize the best tools in order to test mobile apps’ performances.
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