Cross browser testing ensures that the website you are creating can run smoothly on all the popular browsers. Nowadays, it is necessary to develop an application or a website that works well on all possible browsers to mitigate the budget and enhance the workforce.
As a developer, you need to confirm that your projects do not crash with additional assistive tools, browsers, and devices. If you take your website’s entire responsibility, it is sure to have a distinguished name in the market. In this article, you will have a perfect piece of knowledge on cross-browser testing and ways to increase its efficiency.
What Should You Remember When Developing a Cross-Browser?
There are several things that you should keep in mind when developing a cross-browser application or website. Here are some crucial points that you must know:
- A good website or application can run on all platforms irrespective of their versions and browsers. Nowadays, there are many smartphones, TVs, and tablets with the latest software and browsers. Moreover, there are also phones and devices in the market that run on older browser versions. Therefore, you need to program applications and websites in such a manner that works on them.
- Websites or applications must also have browsing facilities for disabled persons who need to use the web daily. These people use assistive technologies that help them to do so. They use the keyboard instead of a mouse that allows them to browse the web.
- Some users are still using the older browser version that does not support the latest JavaScript and CSS format. Nevertheless, you need to think and program websites and applications based on these formats too. This makes an effective and highly satisfying customer website.
The utmost motive of a website and application is to enhance the User Experience (UX) that increases the customers’ morality. A developer must remember that he is not the user of the application and website. Their website can work on high-end PC, laptops, and smartphones, but this is not the case. Users with low-end properties cannot access the browser with high UX or UI. Therefore, as a developer, you need to keep the above things in mind at all times.
When websites and applications deliver the core functionality instead of high-end graphics and user experience, it can be accepted. Otherwise, your website and application will have no meaning to the users without the functionality. It would help if you also cared about the visually impaired users during programming. They use a screen reader, but if your website does not support it, they cannot access the website. Therefore, it is only accessible by sighted users.
What are the 9 Ways of Improving the Cross-Browser Testing Process?
Previously, there were only a handful of browsers, but there are several available today. This demands more accurate cross-browser testing to confirm that the website and the application can run successfully. Improving and optimizing cross-browser testing helps in enhancing the UX.
Here are nine methods that help to do so:
Choose the Optimum Browsers and Devices
The first and foremost step that you must confirm before cross-browser testing is selecting optimum devices and browsers. With the correct set of devices and browsers, cross-browser testing provides perfect results; otherwise, it may have glitches and crashes while working on the web. Knowing the most used devices and browsers by the population is essential, as it helps make better websites.
After confirming the devices and browsers, you can quickly obtain an effective website that runs well on most devices and browsers available. As a developer, you also need to keep in mind that the older devices and browsers must also have the right to enjoy the applications and websites. Therefore, with a mix of the present, future, and past generations, you need to develop websites.
UI Test Framework for Application
Nowadays, professional developers and app developing companies are relying on Selenium as the UI test framework. Professionals recommend this noble UI test framework because it is robust, reliable, and popular in the web application developing market. Selenium is intricate to learn at the initial stage, but if the team can adapt, they can eliminate several loopholes at once.
So a better UI testing framework is necessary at all times. Without a proper framework and support system, the website or the application can easily collapse on the web. Selenium is an automated UI testing framework that makes testing more effective, efficient, and reliable at the same time.
Using Parallel and Automated Testing
Both parallel and Automation testing methods are essential for cross-browser testing. There were only a couple of browsers in the early days, and manual testing was the most straightforward test to confirm an application’s effectiveness. In automation testing, Selenium renders the best results for testing any web applications, but parallel testing is also essential.
Cross-browsers testing requires several sets of devices and browsers that need a considerable amount of time. In parallel testing, these combinations of tests can be done in a few minutes compared to automation testing. When developers combine these two tests, it provides the best result for cross-browser testing.
Use AI-Powered Testing Tools
Software applications are bound to have glitches, bugs, and errors that cannot be mitigated, but you can find a solution to those mistakes. When you test with adequate and powerful testing tools, you get high-end results. Therefore professionals work with the AI-Powered tools at present. Eliminating each error with manual or parallel testing is impossible. It needs AI-generated tools to locate the loopholes.
High-end technologies such as DevOps are in the market that makes achieving qualitative and fast results easy. AI testing tools speed up the mechanism as it uses codeless solutions. It helps in reducing the workforce as well as time that makes testing simple and effective.
Virtual Tools and Emulators
The cross-browser compatibility depends upon the accessibility of applications and websites on different browsers and platforms. Renowned application development companies are relying on emulators and virtual tools to obtain perfect results. Several cloud-based tools are available online that replicate the same browser on which you can efficiently perform cross-browser testing.
You can quickly test your websites and applications on these emulators at a negligible budget and short period. Virtual tools are more prominent and reliable than the emulators as their framework is based on the specific framework that helps to provide optimum projects. You can easily confirm the look and usability of your product under a particular niche.
Testing Accessibility
Apart from creating and developing applications and websites, developers must also ensure that their projects are accessible from most devices and browsers. Without proper management and a series of testing combinations, you cannot launch your website on the web. Otherwise, some bugs and errors will bring down the website’s morality and User Experience (UX).
Before launching your project in the web market, you need to ask, “Is the website accessible from any devices?” If no, you must run a test combination to locate the loopholes and bugs.
List of Browser According to Niche
Every website has a specific niche that attracts a user. Your website and the content must have a proper connection that helps to make it useable. As there are several browsers to work upon, you need to list some of the most used and reliable browsers that users visit. Your website and application must be based on these browsers to render optimum results. Renowned companies have a specific team that examines the user’s usage to confirm cross-browser testing.
Being a developer you must confirm the most reliable and robust browser available in the market. Moreover, you must also consider some future browsers that can take up the web after a specific interval. This will make your work effective and save a considerable amount of time.
Cloud Testing
Cross-browser testing requires setting up different sets of devices and browsers. If you need a physical test lab, it needs considerable investment, effort, workforce, and time. However, you can avoid all these if you commence cloud testing for your website and application. If your project is based on cloud-testing, you can access it anytime and from anywhere.
Therefore, it saves time, money, and the workforce, making your project effective and efficient. The primary issue that arises with the cloud-testing is the security purpose. If the modern SaaS solves this issue and the cross-browser testing will undergo significant changes.
Flexibility and Customization
Thriving in a highly-competitive market requires service-ready applications and websites. Otherwise, several other homogenous companies are ready to take over the market. You need to customize your website along with the trend and niche. If your website is flexible, then customizing it according to your needs will help you save a considerable amount of time. Therefore, remember to develop your website and application with flexible and customizable characteristics.
How LambdaTest is proving to be a game changer for Cross-Browser Testing
There are various tools available in the market to perform cross-browser testing of software and web applications. Due to this wide range of options, many testers often become confused and make the wrong decision. LambdaTest is a platform to perform automated cross-browser testing using the Selenium grid. This platform’s various benefits have convinced millions of users worldwide to start using it in their development environment. Let us take a look at some of the main advantages of LambdaTest:
- By using the LambdaTest platform, web developer and testers can perform cross-browser testing on their websites using an online and secure Selenium grid.
- This platform ensures that the developers can test, debug and deliver superior web applications to their customers quickly.
- Various interactive features like one-click bug logging make it a simple process to use LambdaTest for Cross-browser testing.
- Testers can use the Selenium script to verify the website’s functionality on thousands of browsers at the same time.
- This Platform helps to verify the cross-browser compatibility of the UI. This helps to ensure a consistent User Experience.
- LambdaTest has various attractive plans to support the growth of small start-up companies.
The Verdict
These are the nine most essential criteria for making your cross-browser testing more effective and dynamic. In this case, these tips will help enhance your User Experience to ensure that your users are getting the best out of it.
