Complexities and responsibilities have increased in the dot-com world as compared to what they used to be a decade ago. Imparting a consistent and seamless user experience is not a piece of cake anymore. While websites and web applications have made life easier in the virtual world, it takes rigorous testing to please users.
Nothing turns users away as quickly as a bug-filled browsing experience. To avoid that, it’s vital to ensure that your application or website behaves as per expectations regardless of the browsers, browser versions, operating system, and the device your audience is using. That’s when cross browser testing comes into the picture.
In this post, we are going to take a look at the top eight strategies for successful cross-browser testing. But before that, first, we will understand why it’s important to have a strategy for the same.
Why Is It Important To Have a Cross-Browser Testing Strategy?
It’s needless to say that cross-browser testing is more than just an imperative step to make your site launch-worthy. But with ever-increasing devices and frequent browser updates, the task can easily become challenging. Moreover, cross-browser testing can also become tedious and repetitive in the absence of a proper structure.
Top 8 Strategies for Successful Cross-Browser Testing
Now that we get the gist of why a strategy is important for cross-browser testing, let’s move on to the top 8 that help in making the process a breeze. Trust me, by the end of it, you will realize that these strategies can make catching bugs easier and aren’t labor-intensive. Let’s begin.
- Rank Website Components and Pages On a Priority Basis
I can’t stress this enough. There is a lot to test before the launch of a website. If you try to do everything at once, it can become overwhelming. The efficiency of cross-browser testing will also decline. Therefore, it’s important to prioritize various website components and pages with the aim to reduce the quantum of work for covering the entire website.
Don’t think of prioritizing as ignoring some components. Instead, with this approach, you should be able to cover as much as possible of a site by testing the least number of components and pages. To get started, the first step is to perform a detailed assessment of the website. Review the pages and pick out components different pages have in common. Some commonly used shared components include side navigations, page templates, and callouts.
When you reduce a website down to common components and templates, it significantly reduces cross-browser testing efforts. Of course, that doesn’t mean you skip out on the unique components and templates. You are going to have to individually test them. But the good part is that you can skip those you tested previously.
For instance, let’s say that the navigation menu that displays on multiple pages wasn’t working fine on one page. You tested it and fixed the issue. So, when you jump on to testing another page, you don’t have to test that particular navigation menu again. This strategy helps testers move forward with testing without having to switch back and forth multiple times. A good practice is to begin testing with the homepage and move along to uncover other pages.
- Select The Right Browsers and Devices
To make cross-browser testing successful, you need to know the preferences of your customers when it comes to browsers and devices. You will have to keep on revising the list of browsers and devices you have picked for testing according to changes in demand.
Devices can quickly go out of fashion. So, keep on conducting regular analysis to replace and update as required. The same goes for browsers and browser versions. Old versions can become obsolete in the blink of an eye with updates. Make sure you add them to your revised list.
- Use Codeless Solutions With Artificial Intelligence-Powered Cross Browser Testing Tools
Even the most experienced IT pioneers can’t guarantee 100% perfection. Somehow these stubborn bugs and errors make their way through a software application! It’s hard to come across companies who don’t use DevOps and CI in today’s world.
While it helps them achieve faster results, Artificial Intelligence can increase the pace of this process further. By providing codeless solutions, AI minimizes the QA team’s efforts and saves a lot of time. It also cuts down on human intervention and reduces flakiness in various test cases.
- Leverage The Power of Parallel Testing and Test Automation
When you automate selenium tests, it enhances the test execution time. Combine this approach with parallel testing and nothing can beat the productivity.
For instance, a single test case is going to take 200 minutes execution time if you are testing a combination of 20 devices and browsers. Parallel testing will help you accomplish the same task in just 20 minutes. You can use a selenium grid to simultaneously run test cases in various environments.
- Reuse Code Snippets
Reusing code snippets from various previous projects can save a lot of time when it comes to testing and development. After all, there is no harm in reusing something that you have already done before. Of course, you might still have to write some tests for or the reused snippets. However, they won’t be requiring extensive efforts.
- Write Clean Code
What’s the worst thing that can happen when you are trying to work with another person’s code? In my opinion, trying to decipher extreme complexities in their code can be frustrating. It’s a no-brainer but writing clean code will enhance the productivity and motivation of your team members.
A clean code is more understandable and readable. But if all programmers don’t follow this approach, this strategy can easily fail. That’s when enforcing code guidelines can come in handy. Moreover, installing linters in the IDEs can check the code for errors and spelling mistakes.
- Be Mindful of Security Requirements
Call me glass half empty, but the internet is dark and full of malpractices. Therefore, using security-compliant and certified products fulfilling all security requirements goes a long way. Being mindful of security needs in domains such as insurance and banking is more important considering their highly vulnerable nature.
- Make Room For Flexibility, Scalability, and Customizations
Flexible hardware, as well as software integrations, are a must in this excessively dynamic market. At any point, they should provide plenty of room for customizations since the market demands keep on changing.
Your device lab should facilitate easy adding and removal of devices according to the requirements of the project. But the changes shouldn’t affect other functionalities as there is a certain level of uncertainty surrounding the combinations of devices, operating systems, browsers, and browser versions. All in all, it takes a combination of flexibility, customization, and scalability to adapt to upcoming requirements. This helps in providing quality products to customers within the stipulated time range.
Final Words
The evolution of the software industry doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, the advancement is something to adopt and embrace as it brings a wide array of new opportunities and innovations. No matter how many combinations you have to test, as long as you have a proper plan and an impeccable testing strategy, you can ensure a seamless browsing experience for your users.
As long as you take the right pick for your cross-browser testing tool, you’re good to go. For instance, LambdaTest has been a pioneer in cross-browser testing for quite some time now. Imbibing the trust of more than 300k users, it offers Selenium test automation on different desktop, iOS, and Android browsers.
While cross-browser testing in the 21st century can be challenging than ever, it doesn’t have to be excruciatingly daunting. I can say with some confidence that if you implement a combination of the above 8 proven strategies for success, you can definitely simplify the process. So, what are you waiting for? Start implementing and watch your customers convert!
