New imgix release helps make images faster

imgix has launched the next generation of their online tool that helps developers assess the speed and responsiveness of their websites. The new version of the tool aims to make it easier to pinpoint problem images that drag down site performance.

A recent study conducted by Nielsen revealed a 10-second delay on a website will result in a user abandoning the page completely. One of the leading causes of poor performance is pages that are too “heavy.” A heavy page contains elements that make its file size very large, which takes a long time to download on most connections and can be especially troublesome on mobile. Since images make up 65% of a site’s page weight on average, they’re often a good place to focus when trying to lighten the load.

The second generation the pageweight tool was designed to be especially useful for finding and fixing heavy images. In addition to analysis of overall site performance, the tool provides a complete breakdown of all images on a site, including existing performance statistics and also how those same images would be presented if imgix’s proprietary technologies were used for further optimization. An additional summary section visually illustrates how image optimization can help reduce the overall page weight of a web page.

Particular attention was given to enhancing reporting, offering more succinct analyses and providing a more narrative style explanation of how an unoptimized image and heavy page are affecting a given site. Customers can also now receive reports through desktop or mobile.

- Easier Reporting: Receive to-the-point narrative style reports that are less verbose, formatted for mobile, desktop and shareable PDF.

- Detailed Analysis: Understand what images are performing poorly, and visualize which images are heaviest and lightest on a site.