This document discusses the importance of fast loading times, especially on mobile, where users typically have less patience. It notes that page load times above one second can interrupt the user experience, and that on mobile a site really only has 400 milliseconds to provide something to the user before they may leave the site. It also provides examples of load times for Vox Media's sites, both initial loads and repeat loads, and discusses some of the steps Vox has taken to improve performance, such as establishing a dedicated performance team and making speed a company-wide metric.

1. Fast is a
Feature

2. 11 mentions of speed in
Apple iPhone 6 keynote

8. What does this mean for
mobile journalism?

9. You have less than
10 seconds
“A 10-second delay will often make
users leave a site immediately.”
- Jakob Nielsen

10. On mobile you have
1 second
“Our research says page load times
above one second interrupt user flow
of thought.”
- Google

11. Put something on the
screen
in 1 second

12. 1000 ms
- 200 ms of 3G network latency
- 200 ms of domain name lookup
- 200 ms of HTTP request loop
400 ms

13. You really only have
400 milliseconds

14. Average site load
on mobile is
7 seconds

15. Text
Images
Video
Interactives
Context
Ads
3rd party buttons (social)
‘Read more’
Comments

16. Easy, just build a
native app

17. native apps are fast
but hard to find

18. Search
20% of Google searches are on mobile
Google tracks page load time and uses it as
a signal

19. Social
Is
Mobile
is
Social In-App Browsers

20. Facebook thinks your
pages are too slow…
and they’ll be happy to
host your content!

21. Making data-informed
trade-offs
(building products)

22. How fast is Vox Media on
mobile?
Never fast enough

23. 15 seconds
first load
9 seconds
repeat load
-webpagetest.org

24. 5 seconds first
load
1 second
repeat load
-webpagetest.org

25. Performance Dashboard
Make speed a company-wide
metric like
unique visitors

27. Inline Performance Metrics
Measure. Optimize. Test.

29. Dedicated performance
team:
3 engineers

30. Fast Cars
Need Good Drivers
Speed isn’t just about
technology, it’s about being
quick to deliver the news

31. Thanks!
Trei Brundrett
Chief Product Officer
Vox Media
@clockwerks