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Why is Cross Browser Testing Important From the Users Perspective

Learn, why is cross browser testing important from the users perspective?
Submitted by IncludeHelp, on FEB 20, 2023

The need for cross-browser testing emerged because users often access a site from multiple browsers and devices. We're a generation that can have tablets in the car, smartphones on the go, laptops at home, and a desktop in the library or office. One person can log in to a site from any of these devices using different browsers. Each time they log into the site, they must get the best experience, no matter their browser or device.

Before now, developers may have been happy with testing on a single browser, but as demand and competition increased, the need for cross-browser testing emerged. After you have spent hours developing and testing software, it would be exhausting if the application only works properly for some users and improperly when they switch devices or browsers. Cross Browser testing is a major component of every development cycle. It provides a way for developers to ascertain that their product promotes a positive user experience.

What Is Cross Browser Testing

Cross Browser testing checks if different devices, assistive technologies, and browsers can access your website or web app. This can be performed using both manual and automated testing approaches. Manual cross-browser testing involves manually testing a website on different browsers and devices to identify any issues or inconsistencies. This approach can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it allows testers to thoroughly examine the website's functionality and layout across multiple platforms.

Automated cross-browser testing, on the other hand, involves using automated testing tools to test the website's functionality and performance on various browsers and devices

With the aid of best browser testing tools, website developers and designers can identify and address any inconsistencies, such as layout issues or functionality problems, across multiple browsers and devices, ensuring that the website provides a seamless user experience across all platforms. The developer's job is to ensure that different versions of browsers can read their code.

This testing also allows developers to detect compatibility issues in different browsers and fix those issues. An application may be working excellently on one browser but may not function well on other browsers; it is the job of the developer to test the software to ensure that the application works on all applications.

Suppose an application loads well on a laptop, but some pictures or Gifs may not work when opened on the phone. In that case, users will not be enthusiastic about using that application, which can deter them from using the product. Loss of users can lead to a loss of sales and market share.

When Is Cross Browser Testing Done

Quality Assurance (QA) teams can run cross-browser testing in two ways. The type of cross-browser testing you should run depends on your workflow and role. You can run cross-browser testing during software development. The software development phase is when developers in Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines check recent features to ensure that they are compatible across different browsers before marking the software products okay for release. Cross-browser testing is also done before release or in staging. In staging, QA teams run cross-browser tests for every release candidate. This test ensures that the website's latest update has no browser compatibility issues. It is important to note that cross-browser testing is not reserved for the QA teams only; anybody who can develop or design for the Open Web can run cross-browser testing.

Importance Of Cross Browser Testing For Users

If a website has a bad design, layout, or functionality, web visitors rarely stay to understand its usefulness. A bad design or functionality is enough for most visitors to abandon a site. Cross-browser testing ensures that end users do not suffer from this bad experience. It aims to make sure that a website performs optimally on different browsers and dissimilar versions of the browsers. Cross-testing used to be a tedious task that consumed time, but that was when developers did it manually in the past. However, the emergence of automation tools has made cross-browser testing faster and more accurate. Apart from these, cross-browser testing presents several other benefits, including the following:

• Accuracy
  With automated cross-browser testing, the testing process is not only quicker but more accurate. This is a vast improvement from the era of manual testing, when a mistake can occur due to human error, like forgetting to test a particular device, operating system, or browser. With automated cross-browser testing, you can include all browsers and devices in your test suite, which will be tested without any issues.
• Competitive Advantage
  Businesses that conduct cross-browser testing stand a huge chance of garnering more customers than businesses that don't. This advantage is because their product would provide a better user experience. After all, it has been tested through various devices and browsers. In the same way, companies that adopt automated cross-browser testing will record higher web visitors, which could translate to improved sales. This is possible because automated cross-browser testing reduces resource consumption, and the possibility of human error saves time and enhances accuracy.

Conclusion

For end users, cross-browser testing is the difference between a website or application with a great layout, design, and functionality and one that cannot even load images.

Users want to log into a website with different devices or browsers and enjoy the same great experience. This is what cross-browser testing aims to achieve.

Every business wants to satisfy and retain its customers, which is only possible if great products are consistently released. For a good product, proper testing must be done, including cross-browser testing.