Introduction to the Coinbase Ad Example

[Soft upbeat music] You may remember the Coinbase Super Bowl ad. A QR code appeared on screen, prompting millions of viewers to scan it and visit the Coinbase website. The sudden influx caused the website to fail—a problem that could have been avoided.

Predictable Performance Issues

The Coinbase problem was entirely predictable. By analyzing website output, logs, and machine data, we can assess a site’s scalability and the efficiency of its developers. Poor performance leads to higher hosting costs, illustrating the intersection between performance and business value.

Value of Performance Engineering

Performance engineering drives value by enhancing system efficiency, scalability, response time, and cost-effectiveness. Starting from requirements, we capture business needs for performance upfront in the design process. We simulate users to test scalability, capturing response times and system resource usage to identify bottlenecks.

Scalability Through Efficient Design

For scalable design, we focus on solving inefficiencies at the single-user level. This can address 80% of scalability issues by identifying poor queries and heavy page elements, like large files. We also support contract negotiations with SaaS providers, helping development teams improve efficiency and teaching what drives application performance.

Full Lifecycle Support in QA

Our approach supports traditional QA at all stages, from functional testing to multiuser performance assessments. We carry this into operations, platform engineering, monitoring, and capacity planning, covering the full lifecycle of an application.

Time-to-Value in Performance Engineering

From a time-to-value perspective, the ultimate goal is to quickly identify opportunities for improving system efficiency, empowering businesses to make informed, timely decisions.