Mobile applications are everywhere.
According to a report, there are now 6.3 billion smartphone users (and 1.14 billion tablet users — a number that has grown roughly 36% over the past six years) globally. And what are those users doing on their smartphones and tablets?
You guessed it: using mobile apps. 88% of the time spent on their devices is being used on apps, to be exact — from mobile games and recipes to banking apps and streaming TV shows on their phones.
So, it is no secret that your organization’s app needs to exceed expectations in order to stand out among the millions of options (that same report found there to be 1.96 million apps in the Apple App Store and 2.87 million apps in the Google Play Store).
The best way to do ensure a 5-star app is by putting it through a rigorous mobile performance test. Repeatedly. As user expectations continue to shift and become more accustomed to a modern design and user experience (UX), the need to meet those expectations has become vital.
In this blog, we will provide an overview of what a mobile performance test is, why it is important, important key performance indicators (KPIs) for a mobile performance test, common challenges presented by and tips for executing a mobile performance test.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Mobile Performance Test?
- Why Is Mobile Performance Testing Important?
- Important KPIs for a Mobile Performance Test
- Common Challenges in Mobile Performance Testing
- 5 Tips for Executing a Mobile Performance Test
- Bottom Line
What Is a Mobile Performance Test?
A mobile performance test assesses the quality of a mobile application under a variety of varying conditions and scenarios. Mobile performance testing will provide a comprehensive overview of your app’s load time, UX, speed, stability, and other important factors.
Since there are a variety of types of mobile apps — retail, media, and banking chief among them — there are many types of testing that fall under the umbrella of performance testing. Each test type examines a certain aspect of your app and its functionality.
Types of tests you can utilize for a mobile performance test include:
Compatibility testing
Usability testing
Why Is Mobile Performance Testing Important?
A mobile app should be thought of as an extension of an organization’s brand. How a mobile app performs can significantly impact that organization’s reputation — for better or worse.
Continuous analysis of a mobile app’s performance and optimizing where possible is extremely important for maintaining a strong connection with the consumer. When you put a mobile app through a mobile performance test, you are setting it up for success in a few important ways:
Network Viability
Ideally, a mobile app will be used widely. That means users operating with varying network conditions. Think about how you want your app to perform with high-speed wireless internet to slow data connections and every condition in between. Performance testing under varied network conditions will enable your app to be functional no matter the internet speed.
Device Diversity
Similar to varied network conditions, your users will be using a wide variety of devices. On top of that, each of those devices will likely be using differing operating systems. Performance testing your app using both Apple and Android devices (and their respective OSs) will ensure your app can be enjoyed by as many users as possible.
Bottleneck Identification
This is where you get all the kinks out. A mobile performance test will identify where in your mobile app is experiencing issues like slow load times or excessive battery drain. By addressing these issues, you improve the performance of the app while simultaneously reducing app uninstalls and negative app store ratings.
App Store Compliance
Whether your app’s home is in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or both), you will need to ensure it follows each store’s standards and guidelines. Mobile performance testing gives you the peace of mind that your app meets app store compliance standards such as responsiveness and load times.
Why Enterprises Choose BlazeMeter as an Agile Performance Testing Solution
When paired with Perfecto’s robust mobile app testing capabilities, BlazeMeter’s powerful performance testing unlocks a new level of mobile app quality. Find out how you can utilize the game-changing testing ability of that combination with this free eBook.
Important KPIs for a Mobile Performance Test
When beginning the process of implementing mobile performance testing into your overall development strategy, there are several important KPIs that you will want to use to measure the success of any mobile performance test.
Load Time: Perhaps the most crucial KPI for mobile apps, load time measures the amount of time it takes for an app’s information or content to fully display onscreen once the user prompts it. Quick load times are critical for a positive UX.
Response Time: This measures the overall responsiveness of an application; how quickly the app can process user input and load content in response is another vital contributor to a satisfied user.
App Crash Rate: Crash rate measures how much an app crashes when used and the context of those crashes. This will identify areas of instability within the app so you can focus on improving them and reduce negative user retention.
Battery Consumption: An app that quickly drains a device’s battery is one that will quickly frustrate users. Avoid excessive battery drain to avoid user dissatisfaction and app uninstalls.
Memory Usage: Similar to battery consumption, excessive usage of memory on a device will lead to a negative UX. High memory usage can lead to app crashes and negatively affect other apps that may be running in tandem.
Network Latency: Because you should be testing your mobile app under varying network conditions (see above), an important KPI to measure is network latency. This analyzes the time it takes for data to travel from its source to destination — an important aspect of application load time.
Common Challenges in Mobile Performance Testing
As with any form of software testing, there will be some common challenges that arise. For best results, you should keep the following in mind as you proceed with your mobile performance test so you are not surprised.
Metrics That Paint the Whole Picture
Your KPIs will be your guideposts throughout your mobile performance test. Capturing as many different insights as possible can present a challenge depending on your resources. You will want to gain insight into device performance, with KPIs like app startup time, battery consumption, and memory usage.
You should also measure how effectively data is being transmitted between the server and your app, and how the server responds to requests from the app. Additionally, you will need to be able to measure how your app responds to varying network conditions.
The more metrics you have to gain actionable insights, the more comprehensive the data you have to work with.
Simulating Real-Word Scenarios
You will want to replicate real-world behavior as closely as possible to ensure your app will function the way you want it to upon release. How does your app respond to high-speed WiFi versus 3G versus 4G? How does it hold up under sudden, dramatic spikes in traffic? The more scenarios you are able to simulate in your mobile performance test, the better prepared your app will be.
Checking the Boxes of Multiple Devices & Networks
These days, there are so many different devices available to consumers. Ensuring your app works seamlessly on a wide range of devices is crucial. On top of that, your app will be used under differing geographic locations that all come with varying network stability and speeds. A consistent UX across all those devices and circumstances may present a formidable challenge.
Identifying Root Causes of App Issues
Root cause analysis will help you solve an app’s issue instead of simply treating its symptoms. But this is easier said than done; you will need an in-depth understanding of your app’s architecture and a comprehensive analysis of its performance. Fortunately, BlazeMeter’s Root Cause Analysis functionality utilizes the latest advancements in AI to drastically reduce the amount of time trying to find that needle in the haystack. In fact, BlazeMeter will simply tell you where the needle is.
5 Tips for Executing a Mobile Performance Test
In order to get the most out of your mobile performance test, below are a few tried-and-true steps to take.
#1 Choose the Right Testing Tools
Having an effective testing tool goes a long way in ensuring your app performs seamlessly. While there are many out there on the market, you should choose one that suits both your needs and your budget. Using a tool that offers automated testing and the use of real devices should be priorities.
BlazeMeter offers plans that can fit any team both big and small. From our Freemium plan all the way to our Unleashed Enterprise plan that scales up to more than two million users, there is a testing solution for everyone.
#2 Test on Real Devices & Simulators
You can get the most comprehensive test coverage for your mobile performance test by utilizing both real devices and simulators (or emulators for Android devices). While you can never quite match the authenticity and accuracy of testing your app on real devices, leaning on emulators and simulators will vastly expand the number of devices you can test on at once at a far more cost-effective rate.
Pairing BlazeMeter’s performance testing with Perfecto’s unrivaled device lab will help you strike just the right balance between real and virtual devices. You can even request a demo to see them in action.
#3 Focus on User Locations and Network Conditions
Test where you think your users will be. As you have gone about the development process, it is likely that you determined your key demographics at the outset. Ensure you are covering those locations around the world and the network conditions likely to be used in them. Test against different mobile service carriers and network speeds; how does your app perform under T-Mobile's 3G network compared to Quantum Fiber internet?
#4 Monitor Resource Usage
Keep a close eye on the resources your app consumes. One of the most impactful insights you can get from your mobile performance test is how your app handles CPU, memory, and battery consumption. This will determine if your app can efficiently manage memory and minimize battery drain, which will be greatly appreciated by your users.
#5 Test Early & Often
Do not fall prey to the illusion that once a test is complete, it is time to move on to the next phase of the development lifecycle. For an app to be at its absolute best, it is essential that you perform mobile performance tests not only early in development, but also repeatedly throughout. And while it may take some time to set the parameters of your initial mobile performance test, utilizing CI/CD pipelines for test automation and iteration will make subsequent testing go much faster.
Bottom Line
Mobile performance testing is the key to creating an app that stands out among the millions — yes, millions — of apps in the Apple and Google app stores. The higher your rating is in those respective stores, the more visibility and downloads it will receive.
To ensure an app rating that you can be proud of, you should put it through a rigorous mobile performance test gauntlet. Follow the guidelines laid out above — such as testing under real-world conditions, striking a balance between real and virtual devices, and testing early and often throughout the development lifecycle — and you will be well on your way to securing your spot on lists of Top Apps.
Performance testing with BlazeMeter means you are testing with the best. Nobody else can match the power, agility, and scalability of our robust features. And when it comes to your mobile performance test, combining BlazeMeter with Perfecto’s robust mobile app testing platform is the most efficient and cost-effective way to blow your competition out of the water.
You can start testing with BlazeMeter for FREE today:
Or you can request a demo of how BlazeMeter and Perfecto work together to witness the power for yourself.
But, honestly, you would be better off simply doing both.