What is the primary purpose of 'performance testing'?

The primary purpose of performance testing is to assess the speed and stability of the software under load. This involves evaluating how the system behaves when subjected to varying degrees of demand, including normal and peak usage scenarios. Performance testing is essential for understanding how well an application can handle traffic, how quickly it responds to user requests, and whether it maintains acceptable levels of resource consumption.

By conducting performance testing, teams can identify bottlenecks, determine the maximum capacity of the system, and ensure that it meets the expected performance criteria before being deployed. This is crucial not only for user satisfaction but also for maintaining the reliability and efficiency of software in real-world conditions.

In contrast, verifying the visual design focuses on the user interface rather than performance, checking for legal compliance does not directly relate to speed or stability, and automating the documentation process involves aspects of testing other than performance metrics. Thus, performance testing is specifically concerned with how well a system performs under load.