Why should we care about the performance?

1️⃣ User Experience

Smooth and responsive applications are more likely to engage users and keep them on the platform for longer periods.

Smoothness keeps users hooked = higher engagement and happier customers.

2️⃣ Engagement

A slow app can lead to user disengagement, and even worse, app uninstallation. Therefore, high performance directly correlates with user retention.

Speed sells: keep users engaged, earn their loyalty, and watch your revenue soar.

3️⃣ Retention

When an app performs smoothly without crashes or lags, users are more likely to return to the app, ultimately increasing retention rates.

Smoothness fosters loyalty: retain users, build trust, and watch your profits grow.

4️⃣ Business Matters

For businesses, an app's performance can directly affect the bottom line.

Optimize performance, optimize profits: happy users, good reviews, and more $$$ in the bank.

What are the performance metrics?

• Speed
• Responsibility
• Memory Usage
• Startup Time
• Offline Functionality
• Battery Consumption
• Background Processing

How to increase Flutter app performance?

1. UI

   • Minimize the UI rebuilds

     When a user toggles a single button in a complex form, update only that button and its related fields, rather than redrawing the entire form from scratch.

     Apply touch-up paint instead of repainting the whole house.

   • Minimize the complexity of the Widget Tree

     Break down complex widgets into smaller, more manageable ones, and favour composition over inheritance. This creates a less intricate tree structure that Flutter can process more efficiently, leading to smoother performance and less potential for rendering issues.

     Think of it like organizing your closet: the fewer layers and clutter, the easier it is to find what you need quickly.

   • Use State Management Effectively

     Each technique has its strengths and complexities. Opt for the one that best aligns with the app's size and complexity for optimal performance and maintainability.

     It is like directing traffic: updates flow smoothly without causing gridlock throughout your app, keeping it performant and responsive.

2. Memory

   • Use Compressed Assets

     Large image files can slow down your app’s performance, especially when loading multiple images. Instead of using the original high-resolution image, you can resize it using the flutter_image_compress library.

     The less baggage you carry, the faster and smoother your journey will be.

   • Use Better Data Structure

     For Example, Using a SplayTreeMap to store the conversations instead of a List gives optimized for fast key-value lookups, ensuring quick retrieval of conversations even as the dataset expands.

     Optimized data structures: The key to unlocking app's true potential, no matter the potential.

   • Code Splitting

     For Example, Load the login screen code initially, and only fetch the code for the home screen or dashboard when the user successfully logs in. It reduces the initial load times.

     It likes serving a meal in courses: each dish arrives just when it's needed.

3. CPU

   • Cache Network Calls

     Implement local caching to store frequently accessed data from API calls, saving precious CPU cycles and network bandwidth.

     Cache or crash? The choice is clear. Cache your way to app superstardom, year after year.

   • Use Method Channels

     This allows you to tap into platform-specific features and hardware capabilities that aren't directly available in Dart like motion detection, and location tracking.

     Method Channels are the key to native supremacy.

   • Use FFI

     Foreign Function Interface allows you to directly call functions written in other programming languages, such as C, C++, or Swift, from within your Dart code.

     FFI: Passport to Native Performance