Mobile Performance Testing: Uncovering the Secrets to App Success

In today’s digital landscape, investing millions in a business application and rolling out a website or mobile app is just the beginning.

The ultimate measure of success lies in delivering an exceptional end-user experience. Mobile performance testing plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. 

In this blog, we will explore the significance of mobile performance testing from various angles and discuss the integration of system monitoring information to comprehensively evaluate an app’s performance, ensuring its success.

Why is Mobile Performance Testing Important?

To understand the importance of mobile performance testing, let’s take a look at some examples of the dire consequences that can occur when it is neglected:

• FoxMeyer Drugs (1996): The failure to conduct performance testing of their new ERP system led to the bankruptcy of a company with $5 billion in annual sales.
• Facebook (2010): Overwhelming traffic caused server failures upon the rollout of the “Like” button.
• HealthCare.gov (2013): Site failures plagued the initial launch of the website, impacting user experience.
• Lloyds and TSB (2014): Customers were unable to access their accounts for over three hours, resulting in frustration and inconvenience.
• Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, and Ulster Bank (2018): A disruption prevented users from accessing their online and mobile accounts for more than five hours.

These examples highlight the severe repercussions of neglecting mobile performance testing. Providing a frustrating user experience is the fastest way to lose customers. By implementing performance testing at the outset of projects, these catastrophic pitfalls could have been avoided.

Performance Testing: Past & Present

Traditionally, mobile performance testing was often an afterthought, conducted only when components were completed. This approach led to development team conflicts and the release of products with unresolved performance issues. In contrast, modern performance testing should consider the following factors:

1. When to conduct performance testing during the development cycle.

2. Expanding the responsibility beyond testing experts.

3. Testing beyond the user interface layer.

4. Identifying necessary data for effective performance testing.

Key Components of Successful Mobile Performance Testing

As mobile application development surpasses web application development, successful mobile performance testing becomes increasingly vital. To ensure a seamless user experience, consider the following steps in your mobile performance testing strategy:

Define the “System Under Test”:

Determine whether you are testing the mobile gateway or the mobile app itself. Understand its capacity, simultaneous handling of mobile devices, and behavior under slow mobile gateway conditions or different device types. Utilize mock services when the mobile gateway is unavailable for testing.

Create Load:

Simulate traffic generated by web users and mobile apps using tools like BlazeMeter (for web user simulation) and Perfecto (for mobile simulation). Assess how your application handles overwhelming traffic from different sources.

Analyze Reports:

Upon completion of performance testing, carefully review both server and mobile performance data. Evaluate each function’s performance under specific user loads and measure the time taken for each operation.

Also Read: 5 Tips For Setting Up A Better Performance Testing Environment

Conclusion:

In today’s competitive landscape, mobile performance testing is a non-negotiable aspect of app development. By investing in thorough performance testing, you can prevent potential disasters and deliver an exceptional user experience. Prioritize performance testing at all stages of development, leveraging system monitoring information to gain valuable insights into your app’s performance. Remember, the success of your app hinges on providing users with a seamless and satisfactory experience.

When it comes to QA, nothing is better than having the correct people in charge. That’s why we make sure that everyone on our team is qualified and accredited on some of the industry’s best practices. 

At TestUnity we have an expert team of QA Engineers. This enables us to give our clients the support they require to make sure that their software hits the market in the right circumstances. Contact us for a free consultation and see why TestUnity’s QA approach is the best choice for your software.

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