How to measure mobile app performance
A mobile app is only as good as its performance. Discover the essential metrics,from load times to user engagement and revenue that help you make data-driven decisions about your app.
A mobile application is a powerful business tool and it is vital that its performance is measured so that you can make informed decisions about your app and business. So, how exactly do you measure mobile app performance?
There are three groups of metrics that should be tracked:
- UX and performance
This category explores the technical performance of your app and can show where the user experience needs to be improved. These can be measured during testing.
- Load times – These should be kept down as users will quickly abandon an app that takes more than a few seconds to load.
- Screen resolutions – Knowing which resolutions are used on most devices can indicate what UI changes need to be made.
- Crash reports – These are used to determine where improvements need to be made to the app’s stability.
- Devices and operating system – Knowing which platform your app is popular on can inform the way you market it.
- Engagement
Both Google and Apple provide this data in their mobile app stores. You can see all of your analytics from your developer’s profile.
- Number of downloads and activations – Your first goal should be to build a large user base. These numbers can be tracked per day, showing which days are most popular for app downloads.
- Number of active users – Once you have plenty of downloads, you want to know how many active users you have. These are the people returning to the app after the initial download and first use. This can also be tracked per day.
- Churn and retention rates – The churn rate indicates users that abandon the app, while the retention rate shows how many users keep coming back. A high churn rate could mean that the app is slow or buggy, not being updated frequently enough, or lacks content.
- Engagement
Not all apps will be about making money for your business. However, if you intend to generate income via the app, it’s essential that you measure mobile app performance here.
- Number of purchases and revenue per user – These metrics show the total spend per user and can give you the average spend per user.
- Time to first purchase – Measuring the time it takes from install to first in-app purchase indicates whether or not you need to encourage users to purchase.
- Cost per install – This shows you how the money you spent on creating and marketing your app is converted into revenue. This metric can show which marketing channel is most effective and should be focused on.
With so many metrics to keep track of, it helps to have an experienced team of experts that can provide you with both data and advice on measuring the performance of your mobile app. If you are looking to create a successful mobile app, look no further than Netgen.
