What Is Interaction To Next Paint?
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Abdul Wadood
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a metric developed by Google to measure the user experience of webpages. Google started working on this latest metric in May 2022.
Google has announced that INP will replace FID as a part of the Core Web Vitals metric in March 2024.
It measures the time it takes for a webpage to respond to user input, such as clicks, taps, or scrolls, by initiating visual changes on the screen. INP aims to capture the perceived interactivity of a website or application, assessing how quickly users see a visible response to their actions.
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What Is Interaction To Next Paint?
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is also known as Time to Next Paint. It is the time it takes for the next visible change to occur on a webpage after a user interacts with it. It is part of the Core Web Vitals for websites. INP is measured using JavaScript event listeners and performance timing APIs.
Milliseconds (ms) is the unit of Interaction to Next Paint (INP). For example, if the INP value is 200 ms, it means that it took 200 milliseconds for the next visual change to occur after the user interaction.
To measure and analyze INP, you can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
Factors Influencing Interaction to Next Paint
Several factors contribute to the Interaction to Next Paint time, and understanding them is crucial for optimizing web performance:
- JavaScript Execution: If the user interaction triggers JavaScript code execution, the time taken for the code to execute can impact the speed of the visual response.
- Render Cycle: Modern web browsers follow a rendering cycle where they process the Document Object Model (DOM) and render changes to the screen. The time taken for this cycle to complete affects the Interaction to Next Paint time.
- Network Latency: If the interaction involves fetching new content from the server, network latency can significantly impact the response time.
- CSS Styling: Changes in CSS styles, such as animations or transitions, can affect how quickly the visual changes are applied to the page.
Improving Interaction to Next Paint
Enhancing the Interaction to Next Paint time involves a combination of optimization techniques and best practices. Here are some strategies to consider:
- Minimize JavaScript Execution: Optimize your JavaScript code to run efficiently. Use asynchronous loading for scripts and prioritize critical scripts to prevent blocking rendering.
- Prioritize Critical Rendering Path: Ensure that essential resources are loaded and rendered first, reducing the time users have to wait for the initial visual response.
- Use CSS Animations Wisely: Leverage CSS animations and transitions for smooth visual effects without burdening the rendering process.
- Implement Caching: Utilize browser caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) to reduce network latency for frequently accessed resources.
- Lazy Loading: Employ lazy loading for images and content below the fold to prevent unnecessary loading delays.
- Reduce Round Trips: Minimize the number of requests to the server by combining resources and reducing unnecessary round trips.
- Optimize Images: Compress and resize images to reduce their load time without compromising visual quality.
Conclusion
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is an innovative user experience metric introduced by Google to assess the responsiveness of websites and applications. With its implications for web developers and users alike, optimizing Interaction to Next Paint (INP) can lead to enhanced user engagement, improved conversion rates, and better search engine rankings.
