There's a good reason why cross-browser compatibility testing has been so popular in recent years. People do not evolve at the same rate as technology. So, a significant portion of the population has an aversion to upgrading their technology, or is hesitant to change.
In this case, browser compatibility testing helps businesses make sure that no consumer is left behind or receives an unsatisfactory experience. Thus, despite the commercial dominance of browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, some users still use their earlier iterations or alternative browsers. Moreover, their numbers are too great to be disregarded.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of
cross-browser compatibility.
What is Cross Browser Compatibility Testing?
Testing for cross-browser compatibility is a non-functional type of testing. This focuses on making sure users can access the essential features and functionality of your website across various browser-OS combinations, devices, and assistive technologies.
How Does this Impact Your Application?
Different devices and browsers have varied configurations that cause different levels of browser compatibility problems. The explanation for this discrepancy might be the inconsistent behavior of the application on different browsers and devices. You wouldn't want some of your potential customers to be unable to utilise the functionalities of the application.
This is the reason why
cross-browser testing is crucial. Your website won't function consistently across all platforms and browsers if it isn't tested and debugged. This will cause inconvenience to users and negatively affect your business.
What Does Browser Compatibility Testing Mean?
As you must know, there are several ways for your customers to access your website, and each one accesses the webpage from different browsers and devices. Testing your website's browser compatibility is the process of making sure it functions correctly on all browsers. This type of testing can help you minimise issues brought on by the web browser that users use to access your site, giving them a pleasant experience.
Some of the most crucial items to check for during this kind of testing are as follows:
- Functionality:Does the website function properly? Is every style applied correctly? Are the interactive features on your website—like form submissions—working properly?
- Performance:Does the website take a fair amount of time to load? Is there a noticeable latency in any of the interactive areas?
- Accessibility: When creating a website for people with impairments, do assistive technologies like keyboard-driven navigation or screen readers function properly?
The purpose of these tests is to ensure cross-browser compatibility between your applications and websites. Cross-browser compatibility is the ability of a website to work correctly no matter which browser is used to access it. By performing
cross-browser testing, your business may assist in increasing the number of people that visit and use their websites and online apps.
Importance of Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing
In essence, this testing ensures that a certain website or application functions properly across a variety of browsers and devices. Errors may occur when executing applications on somewhat earlier versions of a browser, or on a different or less popular browser. Making sure your website or application functions for as many people as possible is your responsibility as a developer.
You may be sure of this by using automated cross-browser testing, which tests devices with varying capacities and constraints. The following are some examples of situations where
cross-browser compatibility testing is helpful:
- The compatibility of outdated browsers that users haven't upgraded.
- Browsers lacking support for the newest JavaScript or CSS functionalities.
- Lesser-known browsers with limited support and features.
- Diverse devices, encompassing tablets and age-old smartphones.
- Devices with varied capabilities and purposes, like assistive technology-equipped devices for individuals with disabilities.
How to Find the Right Balance While Choosing Browsers?
Selecting the optimal mix of browsers, devices, and operating systems for testing is crucial for businesses. Therefore, achieving the right equilibrium largely hinges on the financial resources available and the business's unique requirements. Striking the right balance in testing minimal combinations is imperative to guarantee optimal utilization and a favorable user experience. Once the browsers for testing are determined, choosing a suitable automation tool follows as the next logical step.
Best Practices for Achieving Cross-Browser Compatibility
Ensuring cross-browser compatibility is an ongoing endeavor that requires adherence to a set of continuous best practices.
- Follow Web Standards: Web standards, crafted by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and other entities, serve as guidelines dictating the functionality of web technologies. These standards are formulated to guarantee optimal performance of websites across diverse platforms and devices. Upholding these standards increases the likelihood of your code being interpreted consistently across various browsers.
- Validate Your Code: Code validation entails scrutinizing your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code against web standards to pinpoint any errors or deviations. This process aids in identifying and rectifying issues that could potentially lead to problems in certain browsers.
- Use Feature Detection: Not every web feature is universally supported across all browsers. Feature detection entails verifying whether a browser supports a specific feature before its utilization. This approach mitigates errors in browsers lacking support for the feature and enables the provision of alternative functionality or styling for such instances.
- Progressive Enhancement: This approach entails constructing a fundamental version of your website that functions across all browsers, subsequently enriching it for browsers that accommodate more advanced features. This guarantees accessibility to your site's essential functionality for all users, even if their browser lacks support for the most recent features.
- Graceful Degradation: This stands as the opposite approach to progressive enhancement. It consists of constructing your website with all advanced features first, then ensuring that it remains functional, albeit with reduced capabilities, in browsers lacking support for those features.
Conclusion
Determining which browsers to test isn't solely based on research; it's contingent upon the preferences of your target audience. Businesses bear the responsibility of providing seamless access to website features for users. For an efficient cross-browser compatibility testing strategy, enterprises should consider the audience demographics, browser matrix, automation tool choice, and decisions on testing with actual browsers. Striking the right balance involves selecting the minimum combinations of browsers and operating systems to maximize coverage of the target audience and enhance the user experience.
