What Is Real User Monitoring? (RUM)

Introduction

Real User Monitoring (RUM) is a powerful technique for understanding and optimizing web application performance and user experience. By capturing and analyzing the interactions of actual users with a website, RUM provides valuable insights into performance issues and user behavior. This article will explore RUM, how it works, and review key benefits and best practices for implementing it effectively.

What is Real User Monitoring?

Real User Monitoring (RUM) is a passive monitoring method that collects data on how real users interact with a website or web application. It involves tracking every aspect of the user experience, from page load times to user interactions across different devices and network conditions. This data is then analyzed to identify performance bottlenecks, user behavior patterns, and areas for on-line application improvement.

How RUM Works

RUM typically works by embedding a small JavaScript snippet into the web pages of an application. This snippet collects various performance metrics and user interactions, such as:

• Page Load Time: The time required to load a page fully.
• Time to First Byte (TTFB): This metric measures the interval it takes for a server to send the first byte of data to a client.
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): The time when the first piece of content is rendered on the screen.
• User Interactions: Captures actions like clicks, form submissions, and navigations.
• Error Rates: Monitors the frequency of errors encountered by users.
• Network Timing: Measures DNS resolution, connection time, and other network-related metrics.
• Latency: Tracks the time delay in the communication process between the user’s action and the server’s response.
• JavaScript Errors: Captures any JavaScript errors on the client side, impacting the user experience.
• APIs: Monitors the performance of APIs used by the web application.
• Response Times: Measures how long it takes for the server to respond to user actions.
• User Sessions: Tracks the entirety of a user’s interactions during a single visit to the website, providing insights into the user journey and overall experience.

The collected data is sent to a server where it is aggregated and analyzed, providing insights into the overall performance and user experience.

Implementation Example: Google Analytics RUM

Google Analytics is widely used for Real User Monitoring capabilities through its User Timings feature. Here’s how it works:

• Embedding the JavaScript Snippet: You add the Google Analytics tracking code to your website. This snippet includes functionality for collecting user timing data.
• Setting Up User Timings: You configure the User Timings feature to track specific metrics, such as page and resource load times. This involves adding additional code to your pages to measure and send timing data to Google Analytics.
• Data Collection: As users interact with your site, the embedded JavaScript collects timing data and sends it to Google Analytics servers.
• Analysis and Reporting: Google Analytics aggregates the data and provides reports on various performance metrics, allowing you to see how different pages and resources perform across different user segments.

Implementation Example: New Relic RUM

New Relic is another popular tool that provides comprehensive Real User Monitoring capabilities. Here’s how it works:

• Embedding the JavaScript Snippet: You integrate the New Relic RUM agent into your web application by adding a JavaScript snippet to your pages.
• Configuring Metrics: Customize the configuration to track specific metrics relevant to your application, such as page load times, user interactions, and error rates.
• Data Collection: The RUM agent collects real-time performance data as users interact with your site.
• Analysis and Visualization: New Relic aggregates the collected data and provides detailed dashboards and reports, highlighting key performance indicators (KPIs) and potential issues.
• Synthetic Monitoring Integration: Combine RUM data with synthetic monitoring data to comprehensively view real-world user experience and controlled synthetic tests.

Benefits of Real User Monitoring

• Comprehensive Insights: RUM provides a complete view of the user experience by monitoring actual user interactions across various devices and network conditions.
• Performance Optimization: By identifying performance bottlenecks and slow-loading pages, RUM helps optimize the website for better speed and efficiency.
• User Behavior Analysis: Understanding how user workflows interact with the site allows for better user design and functionality improvements.
• Error Detection: RUM helps detect and diagnose errors that users encounter, leading to quicker resolutions and improved reliability.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Provides real-time user experience data, allowing immediate action on performance issues.
• Digital Experience Enhancement: Improve overall digital experience by continuously monitoring and optimizing performance metrics.
• Customer Experience Improvement: Enhances customer experience by ensuring a smooth, fast, and reliable interaction with the website.
• Root Cause Analysis: Facilitates root cause analysis of performance issues, enabling more effective troubleshooting and resolution.
• End-User Experience Focus: This focus is on the actual end-user experience, providing insights that are directly relevant to the user’s perspective.
• User Experience Monitoring: Continuously track user experience metrics to ensure high satisfaction and usability.

Implementing Real User Monitoring

• Choose the Right RUM Tool: Several real user monitoring tools are available, such as Google Analytics, New Relic, Dynatrace. Understand how one fits your needs and integrates well with your existing infrastructure.
• Embed the RUM Script: Add the provided JavaScript snippet to your web pages. Ensure it is placed where it can collect data as soon as possible.
• Configure Data Collection: Determine which metrics and user interactions you want to track. Configure the RUM tool to collect this data.
• Analyze the Data: Use the dashboards and reports provided by the RUM tool to analyze the collected data. Look for performance trends, user behavior patterns, and areas for improvement.
• Optimize Based on Insights: Implement changes to your website using the insights gained from the RUM data. This could involve optimizing page load times, fixing errors, or improving user interface design.
• User Journey Mapping: Track and analyze the user journey to understand how users navigate your site and identify friction points.
• Website Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitor website performance to ensure any issues are promptly detected and addressed.
• Synthetic Monitoring Integration: Combine RUM with synthetic monitoring to validate real-world user data against synthetic tests for a comprehensive performance overview.
• Application Performance Monitoring (APM): Integrate RUM with APM tools for a holistic view of front-end and back-end performance.
• Monitor User Sessions: Track individual user sessions to gain insights into how users interact with your site during a single visit, helping to identify patterns and issues.

Best Practices for Real User Monitoring

• Monitor Key Metrics: Focus on the most critical performance metrics that impact user experience, such as page load time, TTFB, and FCP.
• Segment Data: Analyze data based on different user segments, such as device type, browser, and geographic location, to get a more detailed understanding of performance issues.
• Set Performance Benchmarks: Establish benchmarks for key performance metrics and monitor them over time to ensure continuous improvement.
• Automate Alerts: Set up alerts for significant performance degradation or error spikes to take immediate action.
• Integrate with DevOps: Integrate RUM data with your DevOps processes to ensure that performance optimization is a continuous part of the development lifecycle.
• Monitor Core Web Vitals: Pay attention to Core Web Vitals as they are essential metrics defined by Google for a healthy web performance.
• User Experience Monitoring: Continuously track user experience metrics to ensure high satisfaction and app usability.
• Performance Data Analysis: Regularly analyze performance data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
• Customer Experience Focus: Always prioritize the customer experience by using RUM data to make user-centric improvements to your website.
• User Actions Tracking: Monitor specific user actions, such as clicks, form submissions, and other interactions, to help gain insights into user behavior and improve the overall user experience.
• Real User Monitoring Tools: Utilize advanced real user monitoring tools that offer comprehensive features and capabilities to capture detailed performance data and user interactions.
• RUM Solution Selection: Choose a RUM solution that matches your business needs and integrates seamlessly with your existing monitoring solutions and workflows.

Conclusion

Real User Monitoring is an essential tool for understanding and optimizing web application performance and user experience. By providing comprehensive insights into actual user interactions and performance metrics, RUM enables businesses to improve their websites, enhance user satisfaction, and achieve better operational efficiency. Implementing RUM effectively involves choosing the right tool, configuring it properly, and continuously analyzing and acting on the collected data.

By leveraging RUM’s power, businesses can ensure their web applications deliver a seamless and satisfying user experience.