How do you test the performance of your applications?
More and more companies are setting up web applications. Whether for customers or in-house employees, these applications need to be stable and efficient. Find out all our advice on the use of IT supervision.
Traditional testing protocols
Application development phases
There are three phases in the life cycle of an application:
- the development phase, led by the developers: the people who do the coding
- the quality assurance (QA) phase: those who test the application
- the production phase: the application is available to users, known as General Availability.
Testing in the production phase
Basically, the stages are designed to follow one another in order. However, market pressure means that companies are looking to shorten their production lead times in order to launch their products more quickly. In some cases, testing is only carried out during the production phase. The application is already available, even though it hasn't yet been tested.
The risk of disappointing through haste
While it's a good idea to continue testing an application that has already been launched on the market, as proposed by the Neosense monitoring solution for example, it's still advisable to test it beforehand. Skipping this stage may save time, but it also runs the risk of disappointment. If performance problems arise, users will turn away from the solution. And it will be difficult to win them back, even after the technical aspect has been resolved.
New testing protocols
Test earlier
The time constraint is indisputable. To be competitive, companies need to reduce their time-to-market and launch their applications faster. Rather than rushing through the stages, it's a good idea to carry them out in parallel. Methods such as shift left or DevOps have been developed with this in mind. They enable the subject of performance to be integrated earlier in the development cycle.
Encouraging collaboration
The challenge is to break down the barrier separating developers and testers. The aim is to work together simultaneously, to identify and defuse technical problems as early as possible. To achieve this, performance testing tools offer a common interface for developers and testers. Some are even designed to be sufficiently accessible to allow developers to test the product themselves. This is the case with Neolad, the second monitoring tool published by Neotys. Its intuitive ergonomics make it accessible to beginners.
Facilitating the development of test scripts
The principle is simple: the test software simulates concrete use cases by creating virtual users. The aim is to observe the application's behavior and response time when several users are connected. This analysis provides precise statistics on server behavior. A load test can be carried out to evaluate application performance in real-life situations. Clear reporting facilitates rapid implementation of appropriate corrective measures.
What are the benefits for the company?
Improved responsiveness
Test software solutions encourage an iterative approach to development. Companies can no longer spend months developing and testing a product. By the time it's released, it's obsolete. Everything moves faster, and you need to be reactive. By optimizing its development cycle, the company is able to respond to market conditions at any given moment.
More comprehensive testing
When testing is easier to implement, the company is better able to operate on a just-in-time basis. Tests are less restrictive, so they are carried out more often, and more things are tested. In contrast to silo-based performance analyses, the approach is more global. All tested scenarios contribute to the design of a high-quality, efficient user path.
Customer satisfaction
A better-performing application wins over customers and builds loyalty. And this loyalty is often at the heart of the commercial offer. Take an online betting company like PMU. Everything happens live. Bettors have to access the interface to place their bets right up to the last minute. And the race results must be revealed to all of them instantly. The issue of application load and performance in busy conditions is central.
Optimizing operational efficiency
Users of BtoC e-commerce applications are customers for the company. That's why they need special care. But applications for internal use are also a key to success. RATP's iBus application, for example, is a work tool at the heart of its operations. Drivers log on, consult their schedules and enter their times. When they start a new shift, there's a huge influx of data all at once. The tool must provide sufficient stability and fluidity to ensure optimal response times.
Conclusion
Applications have a huge performance challenge. Expectations of them are high: they must be fluid, accessible at all times and high-performance. For each activity, it's a question of working out the likely scenarios to meet these expectations and create user acceptance. These tests should be carried out as early as the pre-prod phase, in the form of simulations, to optimize your time-to-market and the downstream success of your applications.
Article translated from French