The importance of cross browser testing

As a web developer, it is your responsibility to make sure that not only do your projects work, but they work for all your users, no matter what browser, device, or additional assistive tools they are using. You need to think about:

  • Different browsers other than the one or two that you use regularly on your devices, including slightly older browsers that some people might still be using, which don’t support all the latest, shiniest CSS and JavaScript features
  • Different devices with different capabilities, from the latest greatest tablets and smartphones, through smart TVs, right down to cheap tablets and even older feature phones that may run browsers with limited capabilities.
  • People with disabilities, who use the Web with the aid of assistive technologies like screenreaders, or don’t use a mouse (some people use only the keyboard).
  • As a developer, you shouldn’t forget cross-browser testing of your website so as to avoid any flaws in the overall design and functionality. The loopholes and bugs must be resolved in the early phase of testing so that you can leave a great impression on your audience on the day of launch.

    An adequate testing strategy could lend a hand in escaping from the critical issues and the minor ones that can disturb the smooth functioning of your website.

    Here is a checklist that would be quite beneficial for you while you are about to step into the digital world for creating an impeccable online presence.

    Few Requirements Before you Start:

    1. Ensure you have adequate information about the browsers and the devices on which you would be performing the testing. It is mandatory for you to make a list of browsers and the devices that support the same.

    2. Local testing of the website is recommended before you make your website live. This would ensure that the severe issues are rectified in the early phase.

    3. If you have mobile devices to test, it is great! Just in case you don’t, make sure you install emulators and simulators on your machines. Another great way is to download any of the third-party testing tools that are widely available in the market.

    Once you are set with all the above-mentioned aspects, it is the time to move on to creating a checklist that would help in improving the overall user experience of a website.

    Ensure the Fonts are Displayed Adequately on Different Browsers

    Everyone adores beautiful and engaging fonts, which leaves a good impression on the user’s mind. But what if your fonts aren’t consistent when it comes to different browsers? Sounds irritating, right? You have to analyze that the fonts are displayed adequately on every browser and on each device.

    There is no point you can ignore the fonts, which clearly depict the website’s reliability as the content of your website plays a crucial role in uplifting the overall search engine optimization. If the font of the content displayed on the website isn’t appealing enough to engage users, you have to deal with a high bounce rate (the rate at which users leave your website when they don’t find relevant content).

    As per the experts of the industry, one should go through the essentials of fonts before they choose the font style of their website that has a lot to do with the SEO of your website. So, it is necessary for you to emphasize the same for the growth of your website.

    Ensure that the Media Elements are Well Supported

    If you wish to include media on your website, it is important for you to ensure adequate compatibility on diverse web browsers before you just randomly include the embedded video link. Most of the browsers support videos while there are some browsers that don’t!

    It would be a very wise decision to check the compatibility of the media elements in advance so that you need not to face glitches with the website once it is available for the audience. Sometimes some elements aren’t supported in particular web browsers, which is a serious concern if your entire website is full of media.

    Make sure you check the format of the media before you include the same in your website. One can go through the browsers tools compatibility list where they can find the right format that is supported on the web browsers. A little research could eventually do wonders for your website if you wish to engage the audience by providing rich user experience and placing media elements at the right place.

    Check Whether the API’s are Properly Connected

    Most of the times the developers aren’t aware regarding the connectivity of the API’s with the browser to support acknowledges from the API’s. These requests are rejected in most of the web browsers if the connectivity of an API isn’t done on the web browser.

    This is again a crucial aspect that shouldn’t be avoided while you are about to launch your website. There is no point you can ignore the same on mobile devices. First of all, you need to install different browsers on every device and check the compatibility and then integrate the API with the web browser so as to ensure adequate functionality of the website.

    One just can’t manage to even think about the launch of their platform that is entirely dependent on API’s that won’t work without a proper connection. An error message would be displayed if the API’s aren’t compatible with the browser, which can be quite depressing especially if you haven’t considered these aspects in advance.


    The Validation of HTML and CSS

    What if you leave the tags open in your website and the users are enjoying the code on the screen? Not at all a good indication of reliable code! You can’t afford to leave a loophole in the code when you are expecting out of the box response from the audience out there.

    No one would ever wish to deliver such a horrible experience to their audience if they are about to step into the digital world with a mission to engage users towards your products or services.

    Proper validated and clean code is the base of any website whether it offers static or dynamic functionality to the users. One can consider relying on third-party websites that offer you a quick check for the validation of the code.

    The Alignment of the Elements

    One of the crucial things that should be checked on a priority basis is the alignment of the elements on every device and browser. There could be nothing as terrifying as a website with unaligned elements that make it a complete mess for the users to navigate.

    The correct positioning of the elements can be expected on one browser and at the same time can’t be assured on the other browser. Thus; you have to be very sure that you check your website adequately when it comes to the overall alignment and the layout of the website.

    One should consider testing the application on mobile devices like smartphones and tabs that have all the browsers installed to make sure that the layout is consistent on all the browsers. One can modify the same and should strictly ensure that there is no variation in the alignment before the final launch. Most of the people aren’t aware of the fact that the alignment may be disturbed if they are making some alterations in the functionality of the website. Hence you have to check the same after every update of the website.
    The Responsiveness of the Website

    Another essential thing that depicts the user engagement towards your website is the responsiveness of your platform. If your website isn’t responsive to offer the best user experience to the audience, you probably have to deal with a bad bounce rate. Users would never prefer a website that requires ample scroll to the left and right, which is the reason one should consider checking the responsiveness of the website precisely.

    As a developer, you should not miss the testing of the layout’s responsiveness and the functionality if you wish to attract potential clients that are mostly relying on smartphones for browsing the internet.

    CONCLUSION
    The process of cross-browser testing in modern web development is of paramount importance. Web users today are spread across a number of different web browsers and devices. It’s important to make sure that your websites are ready to serve each of those users, no matter which browser they’re using.