Gone are the days when web developers created websites for a few desktop browsers. In the past, many websites are not getting enough interaction because it has a complex interface, a slow loading time, and a non-responsive web design.

Recently, consumer web browsing has evolved to encompass almost all of the mobile devices available in the market to access the internet, in addition to traditional desktops and laptops. In recent statistics, it has been found that almost half of the people connected to the internet are using mobile phones.

With the shift of users to mobile phones, web developers and designers must also adjust to the ever-changing world of web designing and development. They must create a webpage that will adapt to different screen sizes without compromising usability and losing important information and detail.

Read on to learn more about testing responsive web design cross-browser compatibility.

What Is Responsive Web Design Testing?

To address websites needing to adapt to different screen sizes and browsers, cross-browser and responsive web design testing was introduced to the industry. This concept allows text, UI elements, and images to automatically resize and scale depending on the screen size of the device that you are using.

Through responsive design, a web developer may be able to write one set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code for multiple devices, platforms, and browsers. This does benefit not only the developer but also the user. Without a responsive design, it might be harder for you to read the text, click on buttons, or see the other parts of the website since the contents have wrong placements and alignments, and some images are larger, smaller, or blurry.

It is crucial to test a web design before launching it so that the developer may adjust alignment, text sizes, and other content-related issues before users get to navigate the website using any device. When Testing a responsive web design, here are the most common things that developers check:

• Consistent alignment of content through different devices.
• Text renders legibly on all scales and viewports.
• Images and text remain in their respective containers.
• Display and images resize as needed. 4
• Allow users to scroll vertically (or horizontally, as in the case of responsive data tables).
• Let users navigate the website via links and menus on all devices.

At present, more testing is being done since more features are being introduced in the market. This includes finger swipes, tapping, landscape or portrait models, scrolling, hovering, pinch-to-zoom, right-clicking, and many more. In addition to these new challenges, mobile devices’ varying screen sizes also make testing a little harder for developers.

What Is Cross Browser Compatibility Testing?

Developers need to perform cross-browser testing to know the performance of the website across devices and browsers. Most developers try to make combinations to ensure the confidence of the website in any situation. The common combinations are different browser-OS combinations (IOS/ Android/ etc.) and different devices (laptops/ mobile devices/ tablets).

In doing a cross-browser test, there are certain features in a website that are being analyzed. We have listed them below and discussed their importance.

• Base Functionality - the most important test that must be done since it determines whether the website will work in different devices and browsers. Without this test, the developers will not know if their website is functioning correctly.
• Design - a website’s design may vary from one media to another, and it must be consistent in any device. Aside from that, the design should also be appealing to the users so that they will be enticed to explore the website more and probably avail of the services or products you are offering.
• Accessibility - the accessibility of a website is also important since if your website is not available on one platform, this may lead to lost customers. Thus, lower profits or leads are generated by the website.
• Responsiveness - proper loading of the website is also significant because if it is too slow, the user may end up losing interest in your website and try checking out other competitors. It is vital that your website is not lagging and crashing to avoid low organic traffic.

How To Test Cross Browser Compatibility?

There are two ways of performing a cross-browser compatibility test: Manual method and Automated Method.

Manual Method

For the manual method, you will run the website on different browsers and devices. This method requires using multiple devices, operating systems, and browsers, making it time-consuming, costly, and challenging to accomplish. Because of the lengthy process, doing a manual test may lead to various problems and challenges, so an automated test is preferred.

Automated Method

For automated testing, you simply have to use software to automatically run the website through varying combinations of browsers, devices, and operating systems. This method is better since it is more time and cost-efficient as compared to manual testing. There are various tools in the market that you can choose from, and most of them are useful. You just have to determine which application is best suited for your case.

In today’s world, all developers must create a functioning, well-designed custom website to compete for more market share. As a developer, you have to deliver a delightful end-user experience across different browsers and devices consistently.

Cross-browser testing should also be an absolute must for every website to ensure a great user experience. Contact a team of our experienced web developers and designers at Brain Box Labs to help you leverage your business in a highly-competitive modern market.

Contact Brain Box Labs To Learn More About Testing Cross Browser Compatibility

Cross-browser compatibility testing is an integral part of responsive web design. While responsive design principles should be integrated into new projects, cross-browser testing should be the first line of defence of existing projects.

To learn more, consult our team of developers, designers, and usability experts at Brain Box Labs to help turn your ideas into reality.

We specialize in building custom mobile and web applications that solve business problems. Careful planning, prototyping, designing, and testing allows us to produce intuitive applications that just work.

Contact us at (647) 699-3733 today!

PRO TIP:

“Before you begin cross-browser testing, run all the design and functionality tests on your primary browser-usually Chrome. This will give you an idea of how the original website was meant to look and behave.”