Mobile applications have become the talk of the town. It appears that everyone is designing their own app, and there’s a valid motive behind it. Mobile apps are an extraordinary way to connect with your customers, offer ease of access, and even raise sales!
With all of the excitement that comes along with launching an app, sometimes it’s easy to forget about one very important consideration—load testing mobile apps.
What is Mobile App Performance Testing?
Mobile application performance testing involves assessing the speed, consistency, and reliability of your app. It’s done by simulating a variety of real-world conditions, such as heavy traffic and slow networks.
This type of performance testing has been around since the first smartphone was released. Hence, it has been an essential part of the mobile app development process.
But how do you do it? We’re here to help!
In this blog post, we’ll guide you into mobile app testing and provide you with some useful tips and performance testing tools you can use.
So, let’s get started!
3 Parameters to Consider for Mobile Performance Testing
A lot of people think the look of an app is what makes it a hit. But, honestly, even if your app looks cool, it’s not going to cut it if it has performance issues.
The success of an application is largely dependent on how it works. Your app’s performance can make or break its popularity.
Application performance is a combination of many factors, such as response time, connection speed, memory, battery usage, and more.
To ensure your mobile app succeeds, you need to take the following parameters into consideration:
1. Device Performance
How an app performs is different on every device. Similar to how a website may look different on a desktop versus a mobile device, the performance can also vary.
To get accurate results, it’s essential to test your own app simultaneously on multiple devices. For device performance testing, you need to check the app’s response time on different devices.
You should also consider checking the following:
- Application startup time: How long does it take for the app to launch?
- Battery time while using the application: Does the battery life drain quickly?
- Memory consumption: Does the app consume a lot of memory?
- Hardware and Software variation: Does the app work on both iOS and Android devices?
- Usage with other Applications: Does the application work when used in combination with other apps?
- An application running in the background: Does the app run correctly when launched in the background?
2. Server/API Performance
When the app interacts with the server via API calls, it is essential to check the response time of these calls. This is crucial because most mobile apps rely on data from a remote server to function properly.
You should also consider checking the following:
- Data sent to and from the server: Is the data transferred correctly?
- API response time: Does the API respond quickly, or does it take a long time to deliver results?
- Server Downtime: Is the server down often?
3. Network Performance
The success of an application also depends on the network performance. So, when creating an app, testing on different network types and speeds should be part of your list.
You can start your network performance testing on 2G, 3G, 4G, WiFi, and even in low connectivity areas. This will help you identify any potential issues that may arise with different network conditions.
Since most mobile apps rely on a constant internet connection, here are some indicators you should consider:
- Connection speeds: Is the app usable on slow connections?
- Network latency: Are there any delays in the response time due to network issues?
- Network Failover: Does the app switch seamlessly between networks?
Now that you know the parameters, it’s time to move on to the actual mobile app testing processes.
The Procedure of Mobile App Performance Testing
Did you know that among Australian shoppers who love using mobile shopping apps, 60% have about two to four of them on their phones?
And, get this: almost a fifth have more than five apps. That is a lot!
To make sure that your app is ready for such a market, you’ll need to design and execute an effective performance testing strategy. This includes the following steps:
1. Identify the Type of App You Have
Before you create your mobile app performance plan, take a moment to identify the type of application running on your mobile device. Understanding the differences between each type will make testing your app easier.
The types of apps are the following:
-Web-based Applications: These web apps use a combination of HTML and JavaScript for the user interface.
-Native Applications: These are designed specifically for the platform they run on, such as Android or iOS.
-Hybrid Applications: These apps are built using web technologies but run in native containers.
2. Set Performance Goals
Like with every project, you test apps with a goal in mind.
So, before you begin testing, you need to decide what your desired performance goals are. This means looking at Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Here are the KPIs you should consider for mobile app testing:
-Application load speed
-Error rate
-Response time (both average and maximum)
-The highest volume of requests
-User interactivity post-launch
-Blank screen and loading animation times during a session
-Video quality across devices and operating systems
3. Lay Down Your Performance Goals
Once you’ve established your KPIs, it’s time to define the performance goals that your app should meet.
Maximizing the potential of performance testing starts with setting clear goals that are aligned with your business objectives. Achieving success in app building requires a roadmap of specific, measurable targets that will ensure you get the most out of each test case.
Remember to log the results of your tests and use them to create a baseline for future performance testing.
4. Develop Scenarios for Your Performance Tests
Once you have set your performance goals, it’s time to write test scenarios. These will define how the application should respond in specific situations. This is where you can get creative!
Think about the various user experience scenarios that could take place when a consumer uses your app. Also, consider the range of scenarios that could occur when looking at different devices and networks.
This will help you develop the tests needed to fulfill your performance goals.
5. Create a Real-Life Testing Environment
To get the most accurate performance testing results, you need to create a real-life testing environment. This means setting up particular test scenarios, such as:
- Real-Time User: Test the app in a real-time environment with actual users.
- Network Conditions: Test the app’s performance across different networks (2G, 3G, 4G, etc.) and locations.
- Real Devices: Test the app on different types of devices (smartphones, tablets)
6. Analyze Performance Metrics and Optimize Results
Once your performance testing process is complete, it’s time to analyze the results.
Look at each performance goal and identify areas of improvement. Once you have identified any issues, use the information to optimize your app and make it as efficient as possible.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your mobile application is performance-ready and ready to take on the booming app market.
5 Useful Mobile Performance Testing Tools
It’s no surprise that users are quick to close an app if it doesn’t function smoothly. To keep them happy, mobile app performance tools are the key!
Tested applications can be evaluated using two approaches: server-side testing and client-side testing. Here are some of the most popular mobile app performance testing tools currently available:
Server-Side Testing Tools:
Server-side mobile testing is done to evaluate the server-side components of an application, including web services, APIs, and databases.
Doing this will help you assess the performance quality of your app. Here are two of the most popular tools:
Apache JMeter
JMeter is the go-to solution for mobile performance testing, as it has been used by many to achieve reliable test results. It’s an open-source tool that can be used to simulate a heavy load on your application and check how it performs under pressure.
It offers all the features you would need, including HTTP request and response, error detection, and throughput optimization. Additionally, this incredible software tool can be used for testing volume and availability.
JMeter not only offers powerful data visualization tools and HTML-rich reporting but also provides users with comprehensive documentation to make learning the tool a breeze. With this combination of features, JMeter is one of our recommended mobile application testing tools.
Gatling
Another open-source mobile performance testing tool is Gatling. It’s a great option for developers who are looking to test the load capacity of their applications. This tool’s main advantages are its ease of use, scalability, and rich reporting capabilities.
It’s simple and easy to use, making it perfect for junior performance testing teams. Plus, Gatling is highly customizable with a wide range of features to help you fine-tune your tests.
Client-Side/Mobile Devices Testing Tools:
After using a server-side load testing tool to test your application’s performance, you’ll need to use a client-side mobile device testing tool.
Here are three popular mobile app performance testing tools:
Appium Studio
This open-source mobile devices testing tool is used to test the performance of both Android and iOS applications. It’s a powerful tool that allows you to perform both manual and automated testing.
Appium Studio also offers advanced performance testing capabilities with features such as development debugging and performance analytics. With this advanced testing tool, you can quickly identify any issues with your app and make necessary changes.
Selendroid
Selendroid is a reliable and efficient testing tool powered by the popular Selenium framework. It enables Quality Assurance (QA) specialists to test multiple Android apps concurrently and easily switch between them all without any hassle.
Moreover, you can use several emulators simultaneously with this powerful tool! The only drawback of utilizing Selendroid is that testers have to write code via Selenium 2 API in order for it to work efficiently and accurately.
AppSpector
Compatible with both Android and iOS devices, AppSpector is a great inspection platform for debugging mobile apps. With this handy tool, developers can measure app performance and view database content, logs, and network requests remotely!
However, this is only useful for debugging rather than optimization. So, if you want an easy debugging tool, this is what we recommend.
Develop Your App with Us!
If you don’t have mobile applications for your business today, you are missing out on a huge growth opportunity!
At StarTechUP, you will get a complete mobile app development package. From pre-development to mobile app performance testing and optimization, our team is ready to help you launch your dream app.
So, don’t wait anymore! Contact us today and get started!
