The Art of Application Performance Testing, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6. Performance Testing and the Mobile Client

The mobile phone…is a tool for those whose professions require a fast response, such as doctors or plumbers.

Umberto Eco

The rise of the mobile device has been rapid and remarkable. This year (2014) will see the mobile device become the greatest contributor to Internet traffic, and is unlikely to easily relinquish this position. As a highly disruptive technology, the mobile device has impacted most areas of IT, and performance testing is no exception. This impact is significant enough in my opinion that I have included this new chapter to provide help and guidance to those approaching mobile performance testing for the first time. I have also made reference to mobile technology where relevant in other chapters. I will first discuss the unique aspects of mobile device technology and how they impact your approach to performance testing, including design considerations, and then examine mobile performance testing challenges and provide a suggested approach.

What’s Different About a Mobile Client?

Depending on your point of view, you could say, “not much” or “a whole lot.” As you might be aware, there are four broad types of mobile client:

The mobile website

This client type differs the least from traditional clients in that as far as the application is concerned it is really just another browser user. The technology used to build mobile sites can be a little specialized (i.e., HTML5), as can the on-device rendering, but it ...