Cross-browser testing helps check the website or application’s compatibility on different browsers, operating systems, and devices. It ensures that the site or app renders service without any error to the target web browsers.
Before starting with cross-browser tests, the testers need to study the target audience and the area they need to cover. They should identify the dominant and most used browser based on the usage pattern of the target audience. It will give them a defined clarity to initiate cross-browser testing. A tester must include a given browser for app testing if it is expected, widespread usage. If a particular browser is the default browser on the latest version of Windows or Mac OS X, the QA must include the concerned browser within the test project. The QA can ensure the app’s consistency in display and functionality across different browser and OS combinations with cross-browser testing.
The browser compatibility issues tend to arise due to the presence of multiple browsers and their versions, varying mobile devices and screen sizes, HTML errors, and browser bugs. At the same time, developers recognize the significance of cross-browser compatibility testing but fail to address it directly during the mobile app development process. Cross-browser testing should not be considered an afterthought. It helps gauge if the app delivers optimal performance across all the target browsers to keep the end-users happy. Cross-browser testing helps to target various objectives during app testing. It helps to validate the SSL, CSS, and HTML of the app on multiple browsers. It is required for verifying if the font/page renders appropriately, check the alignment and spacing of elements, consistency of design, effects, and style, page navigation, font visibility, text alignment, API connectivity, date format, and plugins/add-ons.
Performing cross-browser testing manually can be daunting. With multiple browsers, OS, and devices available in the market, one can not solely rely on manual testing. Cross-browser testing automation is a valuable asset that can help the QA to increase the ROI of testing. Automating cross-browser tests has become essential to meet today’s Agile and Continuous Delivery requirements.
Why Automate Cross Browser Testing?
There are various benefits of automating cross-browser testing. It ensures an effective continuous delivery process and helps to achieve quality at speed. With test automation, you can closely align the app testing with business requirements. It also supports code reusability, which is integral to cross-browser testing as the QA needs to test cases for the app on different browsers. It automatically lets them deploy code confidently, access quick, actionable feedback, and shrink the app’s time-to-market. Here are few essential requirements for automated cross-browser testing.
Script-less Testing
A scriptless coding approach is essential to maximize code reusability, reduce maintenance, and speed up testing. It is ideal for cross-browser testing to remove redundancy as QA will not have to test cases for the same scenarios on different browsers repeatedly. The goal of automation in cross-browser testing is to enhance the speed and efficiency of testing.
Dynamic and Scalable Test Environments
With the advancement of technology and more significant fragmentation of end-user devices and upgraded browser versions, achieving realistic test environments is challenging. Automating cross-browser testing is critical to build real test environments and continuously execute the tests. It helps to run various tests in parallel and get faster feedback in a reduced time.
Run Parallel Tests
Automation helps to reduce testing time. With the test automation tool, the QA can run tests in parallel and save time. They can test the app on different browsers simultaneously, enabling them to increase test coverage. Test automation supports continuous integration and delivery methodology and helps release high-quality products in the shortest possible time. The QA can launch multiple tests against different real device and browser combinations simultaneously. The test automation tool also supports timely reporting and quick feedback in parallel testing to facilitate better communication across the team.
CI/CD Integrations
With test automation, you can optimize the CI/CD practices. Integrate the cross-browser test automation framework with the CI/CD tools to simultaneously run testing suites across different browsers. It significantly decreases the overall turn-around time (TAT) as compared to manual testing. CI/CD integrations have various benefits; it facilitates the effective utilization of available system resources, parallel testing, consistency in test planning and execution, and faster bug closure of the app in various browsers.
Comprehensive Reporting
The test automation approach must have a comprehensive reporting feature to help the QA visualize the results of the cross-browser tests. Test automation reports assessing how well the testing has performed. Based on the test report, stakeholders can evaluate the quality of the tested product and determine if it can suitably run across all the target browsers. The test automation tool must release dynamic and customizable reports with text logs, screenshots, and video recordings to better visualize test results.
To Conclude:
These are a few essential requirements that should be a part of your automated cross-browser testing process. It will help you increase the ROI of automation and release a high-quality app in the market.
