Interaction Time

Learn how App Performance measures and displays interaction time for your application.

Interaction Time measures the execution duration between two successive events within your test script. For example, it measures the time from when you initiate an action (such as clicking a button or entering data) to when the application responds (like loading content or displaying a result). This metric evaluates application responsiveness and provides insights into the efficiency of interactions. It helps you, the developer, to identify areas for performance improvement.

It displays the following details:

• Total time: The cumulative time taken for all interactions within the app.
• Total events: The total number of actions or events performed by the user.

Example

The following example illustrates a total interaction time of 1 minute and 34 seconds, with 26 recorded events. A bar chart displays the measurements of each interaction. Hovering over any event provides a brief overview of its starting and ending events, along with their corresponding timestamps.

The following color coding represents event durations:

• Blue: 0 to 5 seconds
• Green: 6 to 10 seconds
• Orange: >10 seconds

How is the duration calculated?

We measure the background execution time of each Appium command as part of your script. For example, if a command like send keys to an input field is the start event, the end event occurs when the input is actually entered. The event timing is then calculated as follows:

Example

Starting event: 19s

Ending event: 34s

Formula: Duration = Ending time - Starting time

Duration = 34s - 19s = 15s

Thus, the interaction time (or duration) is 15 seconds.

Impact on user experience

Interaction time directly impacts the overall user experience in the following ways:

• Lower user satisfaction: Slower response times and lower interaction durations generally lead to lower user satisfaction, as users prefer apps that respond quickly.
• Increased abandonment rate: Delays such as slow loading or lag can lead to frustration, causing users to abandon tasks or even uninstall the app.
• Improved performance insights: You can compare and analyze your script’s performance by measuring command execution times. For example, after entering login credentials, you can measure how long it takes for the submit button to trigger the API call and proceed in the flow. This helps users identify opportunities to reduce command execution times and improve overall script performance.

Related topics

• View complete list of performance metrics for Android
• View complete list of performance metrics for iOS