Technology in today’s world has enabled convenience, many people worldwide rely on their devices to function daily. The advancements in the technology of tablets, mobile phones, high-speed internet, etc, have impacted user preference to access the web.
Therefore, with the plethora of digital devices, operating systems, or browsers available that are utilized to access websites, there needs to be a harmonious user experience, platforms, and screen resolutions.
As the number of mobile users keeps on increasing, responsive testing is gaining in its importance every day. Businesses are implementing strategies by developing single-page applications, progressive web apps, mobile-first design, and more.
The challenge lies in finding the most efficient and effective to test the responsiveness of a website over a multitude of devices.
The primary goal of responsive testing is to ensure that web pages provide relevant information and quality user experience; whether all website components adapt to screens of different sizes, across different digital devices, to ensure a seamless experience.
This can only be accomplished if the importance of testing website responsiveness is understood and a strategy to implement a responsive testing process is developed. Read on to know more.
What are responsiveness and a responsive website?
A website’s ability to automatically adapt or adjust to a browser’s user interface is called responsiveness. A website that is responsive will accordingly adjust how a website is presented on a mobile phone where it shrinks and automatically expands on in the case of a desktop.
Therefore, a responsive website is one that renders and functions efficiently on different devices, regardless of the operating system, browser version, or screen size such as TVs, iPads, Android devices, laptops, etc. This is achieved because of responsive web design.
What Goes into Responsiveness Testing
Navigation Testing on Websites
A navigation bar assists in the quick access of different sections or pages of a website. Navigation testing necessitates the testing of navigation designs on different screens and verifies quality user experiences. The navigation bar must change with the change of devices and contains at least 5 elements.
On a mobile screen, for example, is a small screen and a hamburger menu is a popular strategy that is used so much so a user is conditioned to look for this particular menu style to find what they need.
Multiple Device Test Fonts
Various design methods and fonts are used to develop texts for a website. This is done to create a visually pleasing platform and to boost the website’s aesthetic value for the users.
It is crucial to test the fonts on multiple devices as the encoding format may not be universally supported and can change into different characters on different devices.
Device-browser Combination Testing
Google Analytics helps to analyze mobile and web traffic, including devices and browsers used to visit websites. Beta versions are used to test the website’s responsive web design. This is carried out every quarter by adding new devices and operating systems while removing older versions.
Testing Devices for Small Screens
Mobile users comprise more than 80% of users who access the internet and are increasing every day. It is crucial to ensure that a website responds to all mobile devices and is suited to fit small screens. Therefore, a mobile-first approach must be implemented when designing for responsiveness.
Website Speed Testing
A study revealed that a user will wait no more than two seconds before a website loads and will most likely exit after the two-second mark. Testing website speed is crucial in retaining and gaining new customers.
On smaller devices such as mobile, elements with a heavy load like videos, images, etc., greatly affect a website’s loading speed. The rendering needs to be adjusted to suit smaller screens that will ultimately reduce loading time.
Alignment of Elements
An element that is out of proportion or doesn’t have margins and proper placement stands out and decreases the look and feel of the webpage. Without accurate alignment and rendering, there will be close to no results in the responsive web design.
Content Placement
Crucial elements of content need to be tested to ensure that they are within a specified area on a computer or mobile and are not too congested or oddly placed.
Summing up
Responsive testing is really essential in making a website responsive across all the devices. Issues are found and fixed before it interferes with a user’s experience. Early and consistent user testing is essential for any successful functioning and design and functioning.
It is imperative to perform responsive testing as it guarantees to provide a seamless user experience, automatically adapts to different screen sizes, lowers website maintenance costs, and improves SEO efforts.