Top 7 Mobile App Performance KPIs to Minimize Economic Downturn Impact

Introduction

Measuring the performance KPIs of mobile apps is paramount, especially during the global financial crisis. The economic downturn has had an impact on global organizations, and enterprises are looking for ways to reduce costs and maintain their revenue streams. Mobile applications have become an essential tool for organizations to connect with their customers and drive revenue. Hence, it is crucial to measure the performance of these apps to ensure they are delivering on their intended objectives and providing a positive return on investment. By monitoring KPIs, such as user engagement, app crashes, and customer satisfaction, organizations can identify areas where they can improve their mobile apps and provide a better user experience. This improved user experience can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, which is crucial during a financial crisis, as retaining existing customers is more cost-effective than acquiring new ones.

This blog highlights the critical mobile app performance metrics or KPIs that enterprises need to focus on to improve their business and tackle customer experience challenges during the economic downturn.

Check out: A Guide on Automation Testing for Mobile App Performance Optimization

Important Mobile App Performance KPIs to Tackle the Economic Downturn

For companies developing mobile apps, it is significant to measure the performance of their apps to determine their success and identify areas for improvement. Mobile app performance KPIs are metrics used to measure application performance that helps enterprises track the performance of their apps and provide valuable insights into how well their mobile apps are functioning. Here are 7 critical mobile app performance KPIs that every enterprise should track to minimize the effects of the economic downturn:

1. Load Time

Tracking the load time of a mobile app is crucial for improving its performance. Load time refers to the amount of time it takes for an app to start and be fully functional for the user. A slow load time can negatively impact user experience and reduce the overall efficiency of a mobile app. Companies can identify performance challenges, like high app load time and low network connectivity, by measuring and tracking the load time. Once load times have been measured; the data can be analyzed to identify the root cause of slow performance. This may include issues such as slow network speeds, large image files, inefficient database queries, and poorly optimized code. By addressing these performance bottlenecks, companies can improve their app's load time and overall performance, resulting in a better user experience, increased engagement, and higher retention rates.

Also check: Major Mobile App Testing Trends in 2023 to Tackle the Economic Downturn

2. Crash Rate

Measuring the crash rate of a mobile app can significantly improve the app's performance by providing valuable insights into the areas that need improvement. By tracking the crash rate, QA teams can identify the areas of the mobile app that are causing the most issues, such as memory leaks, inefficient algorithms, and compatibility issues with specific devices. Monitoring the crash rate in real-time can help app developers detect issues early on and address them before they become complex problems. This can prevent potential data loss or corruption and minimize the impact of crashes on the user experience.

Read: A Complete Guide to User Experience Testing

3. Session Length

Collecting the data regarding a mobile app's session length can help companies understand how users interact with it, which can be used to improve its performance. Here are the important metrics related to session length.

• User engagement: A longer session length usually indicates that app users are more engaged with the app, as they are spending more time using it. On the other hand, shorter session lengths may indicate that users are not finding the app as useful or engaging. With the session length data, enterprises can identify areas for improvement to increase engagement and make the app more interactive for users.
• User retention: The period of time users spend in an app is a key factor in determining their likelihood to return. Mobile apps with shorter session lengths may have a higher churn rate, while mobile apps with longer session lengths are more likely to retain users. With the session length data, companies can make changes to improve user retention and reduce churn.

Also read: A Complete Guide to Usability Testing

4. Battery Usage 

Measuring the battery usage of a mobile app can help improve its performance by identifying areas where the app is consuming more power than necessary. This information can then be used to optimize the app and reduce its battery drain. If the mobile app is making too many network requests or running too many background processes, this can be addressed to reduce battery consumption and improve the app's performance. Tracking the battery usage can also help identify any power-hungry features that may be causing the app to drain the battery quickly, thus, allowing the development teams to optimize these features to improve the overall battery life of the device. By measuring and optimizing battery usage, companies can ensure that their app is not only functioning well but also using resources efficiently, leading to a better user experience.

Check: Best Practices for Application Performance Testing

‍5. Impact Time

Impact time is a performance metric that measures the amount of time a session is affected by an issue, taking into account our benchmark for app performance. Estimating the impact time of a mobile app is a crucial aspect of improving its performance. By measuring the impact time, enterprises can determine the time taken for changes or updates to have a noticeable effect on the app's user experience. This data can be used to prioritize changes, allocate resources, and plan future updates. Accurately predicting impact time helps to minimize downtime and prevent delays in launching new apps and features, which can have a negative impact on user engagement and satisfaction. It also helps to identify any potential technical issues during the implementation process and act proactively. Thus, estimating impact time leads to more efficient development, improved user experience, and increased success for the mobile app.

Also check: Performance and Load Testing for Mobile Applications

6. Stickiness Ratio

Gathering data on the stickiness ratio of a mobile app can help improve its performance by ensuring users are more engaged with the app. The stickiness ratio, which is the ratio of daily active users to monthly active users, measures the percentage of monthly active users who use the app on a daily basis. A high stickiness ratio indicates that app users are highly engaged and returning to the app on a daily basis, while a low stickiness ratio suggests that users are not finding enough value in the app to return frequently. By tracking the stickiness ratio, app developers can identify areas of the app that need improvement to increase user engagement and retention. The stickiness ratio enables companies to collect insights into user engagement and helps them make data-driven decisions to improve the mobile app's user experience and overall performance.

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‍7. App Latency 

Monitoring and analyzing app latency is a critical aspect of improving the performance of a mobile app. App latency refers to the amount of time it takes for a user's actions to be processed and reflected in the app. By tracking mobile app latency, QA teams can identify areas of the app that are slowing down and make improvements to optimize performance. Measuring app latency can also help developers and QA teams identify any bottlenecks in the app's architecture, thus, enabling them to make changes to improve scalability. By reducing latency and improving performance, enterprises can enhance the user experience, increase app usage and satisfaction, and reduce the likelihood of users uninstalling the app.

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Why is HeadSpin Critical for Enterprises to Track Mobile App Performance KPIs?

HeadSpin’s data science-driven Platform has the ability to assess over 130 performance KPIs, analyze root causes of poor experience issues, and recommend solutions to address them. The HeadSpin Platform differentiates itself from other testing solutions that only focus on functional or load testing, and with the support of data regarding general KPIs and customized KPIs provided by HeadSpin, global enterprises have enhanced their customer experience, reduced time-to-market, and optimized the cost of their digital applications.

Enhance User Experiences of Digital Native Apps with HeadSpin’s Capabilities. Learn more.

Here are some key KPIs tracked by the HeadSpin Platform to perfect the digital experiences of mobile applications and help global companies to fulfill their customers’ expectations.

Conclusion

Monitoring app performance KPIs can help enterprises identify cost-saving opportunities. Tracking and measuring the performance KPIs of mobile apps is vital during the global financial crisis, as it enables enterprises to ensure their mobile apps deliver value, retain customers, and provide cost-saving opportunities. By tracking crucial performance KPIs, enterprises can make informed decisions and improve their bottom line in challenging economic times.

Leverage the best digital experience testing Platform, HeadSpin, to capture critical performance metrics, including:

• Experience specific KPIs - audio, video, mobile, etc.
• KPI correlation across different applications and touchpoints
• Custom-defined interaction KPIs specific to your app

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FAQs

Q1. Name some app store optimization (ASO) KPIs.

Ans: Keywords, app store category ranking, reviews, and ratings.

Q2. What is the average session interval?

Ans: Average session interval is a KPI that helps enterprises to measure the frequency of users returning to the app. The shorter the average session intervals more will be the app engagement.

Q3. What is API latency?

Ans: API latency is a KPI used by companies to measure the time interval between API proxies being called or triggered and their response or load time.