Designing apps that work on any network
Fibre in Accra, 3G on the road to Tamale. Practical techniques we use to make websites and apps fast and reliable for every user, whatever their connection.
Nerologik team1 min read
It's easy to build a product that feels fast on office Wi-Fi. The real test is a mid-range phone on a patchy mobile connection, which describes a large share of users across Africa.
Here are the principles we build by.
1. Ship less JavaScript
Every kilobyte has to be downloaded, parsed and run on the user's device. We render on the server wherever we can, load interactive pieces only when they're needed, and question every new dependency.
2. Make images earn their place
Images are usually the heaviest part of a page. Serve modern formats like WebP and AVIF, size images for the screen they're shown on, and lazy-load anything below the fold.
3. Design for the slow path
Show useful content immediately, then enhance. Skeleton states, optimistic updates and clear loading feedback make a slow connection feel responsive instead of broken.
4. Expect the connection to drop
Forms should never lose what a user typed. Payments should be safe to retry. Where it matters, offline support and background sync let people keep working until the signal returns.
5. Measure on real devices
Lab scores are a starting point. Test on the phones your customers actually use, on throttled networks, and track Core Web Vitals from real visits.
The payoff
Fast products convert better, rank better on Google and cost users less mobile data. In markets where data is expensive, that respect for your users' bundle is a competitive advantage.