Early performance testing is a technique wherein the tests related to the performance of the application are done whenever a certain interface of the app is completed.
It simply means whenever a level of application is developed, it gets tested at that very level before proceeding for further development.
A testing team has to wait for the product to be completely developed to test it. This, in turn, takes up a lot of time. That’s why early performance testing is done.
An early performance testing is used to check the performance of the system under particular loads.
In early performance testing, applications are tested on various parameters like load time and response time to avoid the app's crashing.
Having a thorough understanding of the application that is being created is a must. One should thoroughly evaluate the type of results that are expected from the software or application.
Also, the testing team should be aware of its limitations. This helps in creating the right evaluation criteria for the testing of an application.
The performance of the application is tested at various levels. Some of the performance criteria include:
- Response time: Checking for how much time an application takes to respond to a particular requested service.
- Load testing: Testing team checks the performance of the application on the basis of increasing workload.
- Stress Testing: This testing includes evaluation of application performance whenever there is an abrupt surge in workload or repeated workloads.
- Volume Testing: Testing team evaluates the performance of the application with respect to the larger amount of data.
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Various realistic benchmarks are to be included here since it is expected the application will be working in multiple environments.
Take an example of traffic on software; it will earn traffic from various browsers, different devices.
Here, it is expected that an application will perform on all these parameters and won’t give any glitch during its usage.
Even if the tests are satisfactory, it is still mandatory to check the performance from the user’s perspective. Each test should collect user experience and interface timings.
A beta version of the same will help in better understanding and evaluation of user experience. User interface and the metrics extracted from the server help in measuring the user experience.
Shorter and efficient test designs would be better options here. DevOps culture could be of a lot of help here.
It will help both the build team and the test team identify errors continuously through continuous testing. By this, it will be easy for both the build team and the test team to rectify errors immediately.
Container technology can also be used here for testing each function in isolation and solve issues at an early stage.
After you execute the test, keep measuring the software's performance and compare the trials and results.
Lastly, analyze the test results and share the report of the same.
Early performance testing helps in understanding the speed of application with which it responds to the user request.
Whether the application is efficient enough to answer the request in a set time or not can be evaluated through such tests.
Post the development of an application, a lot of issues can come to the forefront.
Such issues can cost associated with debugging the application. This can cause some loss to a business.
With early performance testing, such costs can be reduced at the initial level itself.
Therefore, protecting you from monetary losses.
With every layer being tested on its completion, it gives an assurance of better code quality.
This, in turn, assures that the product being created will perform better.
If not detected at an early age, errors can prove time-consuming for the organization at the later stage of application development.
With early performance testing, the majority of the time gets saved and can be utilized in other parts of application development.
Conclusion
Nowadays with the rise in cut-throat competition, the majority of the focus is shifted towards customer experience-oriented testing.
Testing at every point cumulatively adds to efficient user experience ultimately resulting in better business.
