The diversity of applications has massively affected the web testing industry. During the earlier years of software development, developers only had to verify the functioning of the web application on just the computers. However, the advancement of technology has massively influenced the transition of gadgets. Portability is one of the important factors that affected this transition. The smartphone segment completely fitted the requirements according to these standards. Thus, people started accessing the required applications and all the online stuff on their smartphones. So, it became essential to ensure that web applications retained the functionality on smartphones as well.
The initial approach was to perform all testing applications separately for desktops and Smartphones. This process started to lose its uselessness as more and more browsers started appearing in the market. For instance, the browser industry for desktops was initially dominated by only Internet Explorer. However, Google Chrome was quick enough to cease this domination and sit on the top spot. Followed by Google Chrome, Safari is in the second position and finally, Mozilla Firefox is in the third. For the mobile market, Google Chrome retains the top spot, Safari in the second place and Samsung browser in the third. The developers needed a testing mechanism that can help to ensure the proper functioning of the web application on different browsers and operating system combinations.
All these factors were responsible for the rise of cross-browser compatibility testing processes. With this article, we will try to venture deep into the world of cross-browser testing and find out the 7 best methods to perform it. We will also try to learn all the important details about this wonderful testing mechanism.
The Basics of Cross-Browser testing
To understand everything about cross-browser compatibility testing, we must have a definite idea about its basics. Cross-Browser compatibility testing is a process of ensuring that a web application retains its peak performance irrespective of various physical conditions. These physical conditions include the operating system, browser, browser versions and individual device specifications. All these factors are highly essential to ensure that you can provide the best end-user experience to your customers. User satisfaction is highly essential to maintain two of the most important factors for a business. These factors include bounce rates and user retention rates. Bounce rates measure the total number of users who abandon your website after visiting only once. On the other hand, user retention measures the total loyal user base of a company.
Cross-Browser testing has become even more essential as mobile phones begin to dominate the web industry. A recent survey suggests that more than 80% of the total internet is accessed on mobile devices.
Seven Best methods to Perform Cross-Browser Testing
- Have a Specific Target for Browsers
Currently, there are thousands of browsers that are operational in the present market. Moreover, if we count every version that is operational then, we might be talking about millions. To add insult to injury, hundreds of new Browser versions are added every single day. So, it is physically impossible for testers to verify the functioning of the application on all of these browsers. The best method to counter this situation is to perform thorough research about your targeted audience base. You can use the data to analyze all the browsers that are popular among your customers. All these factors will help you to shortlist a specific set of browsers according to your requirements. You can also use the Google Analytics report to get a better idea about the popularity of different browsers.
2. All The Data Points for the Browser Compatibility Matrix
Apart from the popularity of browsers, there are other important data the developer must consider before performing browser compatibility testing. For instance, the browser version is one of the most confusing segments in this industry. Experts suggest that the developers should not consider the latest version as a benchmark for performing browser compatibility testing. This is because its various market analysis reports suggest that 80% of the user base uses browser versions that are more than a year old. Other important factors include the Relocation of the customer base and also the average bandwidth connection for users. These factors will help the developers to customize the test bench according to the requirements of their customers. The browser compatibility matrix is highly essential to maintain peak user satisfaction.
3. Pre-Requirements for Performing Cross-Browser Testing
Before initializing the cross-browser testing processes, there are certain pre-requirements that the testers must fulfill. These requirements will help the developers to maintain a smooth testing process. The first step is to ensure that the developers have a basic idea about performing cross-browser testing. You must also have a testing team that is capable of performing all the processes related to cross-browser testing. Another important step to consider before performing cross-browser testing is having a cloud-based platform. This platform will help the developers to perform cross-browser testing processes on thousands of different Browsers and operating systems. We will learn more about the involvement of various tools and platforms in the latter part of this article.
4. Create Different Plans and Strategies
Having specific plans and testing strategies go a long way in improving the simplicity of a testing process. This strategy will also prepare the tester for any unwanted situation that may arise during the web application development life cycle. While creating the test strategy, the web automation company must involve all the different teams. This means that the production, development, quality assessment and testing teams must have an equal opinion in all the parts of the plan division process. The company should also consider future updates for the web application. This process will help the companies to maintain long-term domination in the web developed industry. Developers should also run market research to understand all the features that their customers might want from the web application.
5. Test for Bugs
Bugs are one of the vital factors that destroy the smooth functioning of a great application. A single bug is enough to ruin user satisfaction for your intuitive web application. In this competitive market, the developers cannot expect the customers to stick to the company just because of brand loyalty. So, while performing cross-browser compatibility testing, the primary focus of a developer should be on removing all bugs from the web application. The developers can also take an idea about various modern cross-browser testing trends to understand all the latest requirements. During the bug detection process, the developer should also check that certain functionalities of the web application do not contradict the other.
6. Introduction of Tools
There are various processes involved in cross-browser compatibility testing. It is very complicated for a single tester to keep track of all of these processes. It becomes even more difficult for developers who are new to the Automation Testing industry. So, various tools and platforms help simplify the testing processes. However, the developers cannot simply choose any random tool from the market. This is because every tool has a specific purpose and serves a different testing process. So, the developers have to conduct an extensive tool selection process to choose the perfect tool according to their requirements. During this process, they must consider certain conditions that can influence this process. These factors include the testing capabilities of the developer, their preferences and the specific requirements for the project. Let us use a cloud-based platform, Lambda test to better elaborate this process:
It is a cloud-based platform to perform different browser compatibility testing processes on a web application. Using this platform, the developer can conduct all the testing processes on a high-security Selenium grid. lambda test also offers various security options to test the data of sensitive web applications. It also has a unique process to store all the final test results that developers can use for future references. Using lambda test, the developers can also verify the browser compatibility of all the locally hosted native applications. Currently, thousands of companies internationally use lambda test to meet the testing requirements. This platform has millions of positive reviews on multiple user forums. The testers can also check the life experiences of various testers who are currently engaged with this platform.
- Performing Sanity Testing
The initial testing processes must test the proper alignment of all the elements on the web application. After this, the developers have to check all the factors that affect the compatibility of the web application. This includes the primary testing processes that ensure the core functioning of an application. Now, it is time to perform the tertiary testing process. The tertiary testing processes include targeting various Browsers and browser versions. The developers must begin the testing processes by targeting the least preferred browser. Then, they must move up the ladder according to their preferences. They have to repeat this process until they are completely certain that the web application retains its functionality irrespective of the browser or browser version. This process will also help the developers to customize the end-user experience according to the preferences of the customers.
Sanity testing is one of the final testing processes before the final release of the web application. It is a process that ensures the application is ready for its final release and can be moved on to the production phase. So, the companies must consider it as one of the essential testing processes involved in cross-browser compatibility testing.
The Final Views
So, we can easily conclude that cross-browser testing is highly essential according to modern web development standards. Experts also believe that cross-browser testing will continue to dominate the future web developing industry. So, all the companies should try to integrate it into the test bench as soon as possible. A market survey shows that approximately 30% of companies have still not adopted cross-browser compatibility testing. As the web industry continues to advance and gain more advanced Technologies, the competition among the company will begin to become more intense. As a developer, you must try everything possible thing to maintain the stand for the company. Compatibility testing also helps to improve the portfolio of a web developer. This means that it can play a vital role in shaping your future career.
Developers must consider cross-browser compatibility testing as one of the stepping stones to achieve a successful web development career. Lastly, you must remember the essential role of an automation framework or tool to perform successful cross-browser testing processes. This idea will help you to take wise testing decisions.