Most web development tutorials are written for users on high-speed connections with reliable connectivity. Most of the world is not those users.
For SellTrove — a platform for social sellers, many operating on mobile data in markets with inconsistent LTE — the performance budget is defined by the 10th percentile connection, not the median.
The techniques: aggressive image optimisation (WebP, srcset, lazy loading), minimal JavaScript bundles (SSR for initial render, hydration only for interactive components), offline capability for the core flow via Service Workers.
The test: throttle to "Slow 3G" and use the application. If it is unusable, your real users are having a bad experience. Performance is not a luxury. It is respect.
— Dick Bassey | DevDick | 2025