Most stakeholders I deal with don’t ask for this level of detail. They just want it to be “good”. If we did dig into this I’d explain that poor loading speed causes customers to leave for competitor apps, so loading speed is worth investing in. As evidence, I’d present some industry benchmarks and also look at their own revenue-generating funnels in the analytics. The trade off is likely to be around investing in data transfer improvement vs doing nothing, as data over the wire is what often causes slow apps. Improve cloud infrastructure, reduce payload size, implement caching and that kind of thing.

This has always been an ongoing war among product, IT, and management. From the get-go, there has to be clear-enough product roadmap. It is IT's job to articulate the different technologies that can support what business wants (e.g. Use events instead of APIs for some calls) and it is also IT's job to act as the devil's advocate when user experience comes at the cost of loading speed. I think I don't have to tell Product that longer load times lead to frustrated customers. Business has to listen to IT/Tech teams. On the other hand, IT has to be flexible in experimenting with features and technologies so that the mobile app can achieve that ever-sought-after balance

Start by focusing on the user experience: faster apps keep users happy and engaged, but adding features like animations or high-quality visuals might slightly impact load times. It's all about balance—prioritizing what matters most for the app's success. For example, you can speed up the initial load but might compromise on heavy features or vice versa. Tie decisions to business goals: faster loading improves retention and conversions, but some features might be worth a small delay. Finally, involve stakeholders in decisions. Ask: Should we prioritize speed or functionality for the first release? Collaboration ensures everyone's on the same page.

Translate Metrics into Business Impact: Show how loading speed correlates with user retention, satisfaction, and conversion rates. Use examples like, “A 1-second delay in load time can result in X% fewer users completing their purchase.

When discussing loading speed trade-offs with stakeholders, it's important to emphasize that optimizing for performance often requires balancing feature richness and visual quality. Faster loading times can enhance user experience and retention, but they may necessitate simplifying designs or reducing the complexity of features. Explain that while lightweight assets and efficient coding can speed up loading, they might limit some functionalities or require additional development time. By prioritizing critical features and optimizing the user journey, we can achieve a desirable loading speed without compromising the app's overall value, ensuring a seamless experience for users.