Today’s consumer is incredibly impatient. They have grown so accustomed to instantaneous service that they won’t hesitate to move to a competitor if they perceive that they aren’t being served as fast as they expect. So as you develop a mobile phone app and prepare to launch it, one of the things you must pay close attention to is the app’s loading time.

Here are a couple of tips on getting your app loading quickly.

1. Optimize Images

Images are the biggest impediments to website performance so it isn’t surprising that they have a similar effect on mobile apps. Embedding large image files will certainly slow your app. Ergo, optimizing your images is one of the first and simplest things you can do to raise your app’s load speed.

Optimizing means resizing the images yourself as opposed to letting the system do it for you. You should also look at the photo format that will deliver satisfactory performance without significantly compromising image quality. PNG format has a sharper image but may be unsuitable for large images since it takes up more space. JPEG format may slightly distort image quality but the smaller file size means improvement in overall performance.

You can optimize images with a basic image editing software such as Microsoft Paint or using sophisticated offline or online tools.

2. Review the Code

There are many techniques and tools of programming. Whereas the application will produce the same output irrespective of the tool and technique used, the nature of the code can have a profound impact on the app’s performance. Winding, loopy and redundant code will drag down the application’s overall performance.

Take a step back and review your app’s code. Where possible, seek the views of a developer that wasn’t involved in the project since they can offer fresh perspectives that you may be blind to you.

Note that the programming language you choose will have an effect on the app’s overall speed. For example, Python may be one of the most popular coding languages at the moment but its code tends to be slower than that of other languages.

3. Modify the Data and Process Allocation on Launch

If your app is heavily data-dependent or generates plenty of data, that can increase its load time. Chances are the data is intertwined with the app’s core functionality so you cannot do away with it. What you can do though is reallocate data and processes during the app loading phase in a way that ensures the user doesn’t have to wait for the data before the app can launch.

The more the non-essential processes you can delay, the faster the app will load and the more satisfied the user will be. In a sense, modifying data and process allocation is a play on the user’s psychology. The app ultimately takes the same amount of time to load—the difference is that the user perceives the app as loading faster.

4. Simplify Ads

Paid apps remain a tiny minority of the applications on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The overwhelming majority of apps use alternative means of generating revenue as opposed to asking users to pay upfront. The two most common methods are in-app purchases and third party ads.

Ads especially are a double-edged sword—they bring in much needed revenue but also slow down the app’s performance. Whereas getting rid of ads may not be a feasible option, you can optimize them so they do not impair the experience of the very users they seek to appeal to. Keep ads as simple as possible. Where video ads are involved for instance, shortening them would be most ideal—if they can relay the message in 5 seconds or less, the better.

5. Monitor App Performance

You are unlikely to make much headway in speeding up your app if you aren’t aware it has a problem in the first place. The overwhelming majority of users won’t tell you your app is slow—they’ll simply uninstall it and download one that works for them. Be proactive by actively monitoring app performance.

For example, if your app depends on Amazon’s Elastic Load Balancing (ELB), you can use a third party monitor such as www.loggly.com/blog/quick-easy-monitoring-amazon-elb/ to keep tabs on ELB’s performance. Performance monitoring helps you get to the root of a problem quickly so you can correct it with minimal delay.

No matter how good and competitive your app is in every other respect, load time can single-handedly doom it to failure from the get go. A delay of as little as 5 seconds is enough to drive exasperated users elsewhere. As a developer, you must walk that fine line of building an app that has great features but also one that loads fast.